The National Park Service is waiving fees in Gary and seeking bids for operating concessions at two Indiana Dunes National Park sites in Portage.
The entrance fee is being waived for the Douglas Center Loop and Paul H. Douglas Trail at Miller Woods, both of them accessible via the Douglas Center for Environmental Education in Gary’s Miller neighborhood, to allow visitors to see the center’s exhibits and participate in programs and ranger-led activities without purchasing a park entrance pass.
More Top Picks Autism And Light Sensitivity Why Bright Lights Overwhelm
Unlike many national parks, Indiana Dunes National Park doesn’t have a main entrance as it sprawls across Northwest Indiana between Gary and Michigan City.
The fee waiver is only for the Miller Woods trails associated with the Douglas Center. Entrance fees still apply at other park locations.
Miller Woods offers an easy 0.9-mile Douglas Center loop that circles wetlands near the center and takes about 30 minutes. The Paul H. Douglas Trail is a moderate 3.4 miles round trip through the globally rare black oak savanna, wetlands and dunes to the Lake Michigan shoreline. Allow about two hours for that hike.
“Learning at the Douglas Center can begin with an exhibit and continue with a walk into Miller Woods,” acting Superintendent Leo Lestino said in a news release. “This change gives us more ways to connect children and families with the park and help them understand why these places deserve our care.”
The park also announced it is seeking competitive bids for private firms to sell food, beverages and visitor convenience items at West Beach and Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk for the next two years.
Criteria for evaluating applications include sustainable operating practices, menu variety, availability of visitor convenience items and customer service standards. Bidders should propose menus that serve a range of visitor needs and dietary preferences and use locally sourced ingredients if practical.
A nonrefundable $350 application fee is required. Each operation would run from about March 1 through Nov. 30, 2028.
Applications will be accepted through Dec. 31. Interested bidders are encouraged to visit the sites on their own,
The first part of the application must be completed at cua.nps.gov. The narrative portion should be sent to National Park Service, Interior Regions 3, 4 and 5 Office, Attn: Eric Nikkel, commercial services management specialist, Omaha, NE 68102, Email: [email protected].
Questions should be submitted to [email protected] by Dec. 1.
More information about the commercial use authorization program is available at nps.gov/indu/getinvolved/commercial_use_authorization.htm.