Plopped right on the southern part of Lake Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park is hands-down one of the most beautiful places I’ve been. Never thought I’d ever feel that way about a Great Lake, but here we are.
Up until actually GOING to Lake Michigan, I felt overall pretty “meh” about the Great Lakes. Like, I get it, they’re big. But what makes them so great? On my quest to visit all the National Parks, I deemed it only reasonable to visit Indiana Dunes while visiting my friend in Chicago, since it’s only a little over an hour outside the city. All of Chicago is only one hour from a slice of paradise. That might sound a little tongue-in-cheek, but I assure you it’s not. In fact, I’ll prove it to you.
The Cowles Bog Trail at Indiana Dunes
Indiana Dunes National Park is known for a few things. Namely, the dunes. The tallest one, Mount Baldy, is over 120 feet tall. That’s pretty freaking tall. While the park is named for the dunes, I honestly believe the beaches are the real highlight of this beautiful park.
When Jaye, their roommate Elena, and I parked at the trailhead for the Cowles Bog Trail, we weren’t expecting anything mind-boggling. It’s a short, 5 mile loop that’s recommended by the NPS for it’s stunning ecological diversity. There’s a bog (shocking), ponds, marshes, and TONS of mushrooms. They encourage hikers to pack a lunch and vibe at the beach for a while. We thought we’d do the hike and then drive to the public beach, 5 minutes down the road, to swim. It turned into a bit more of an adventure than that.
Trekking through sand and up a dune is mildly challenging, since every step slides you backwards a good quarter-step. If you’re hiking at a typical pace, I don’t think it would take very long to get to the shore, since it’s only about a mile and a half from the trailhead. However, the three of us were VERY intrigued by the mushrooms scattered along the path. We stopped approximately every nine feet to go, “OH LOOK AT THAT ONE it’s so PRETTY,” followed by Jaye taking out their phone to find out what mushroom it is with an app, Seek. Totally worth it. We found SO many beautiful mushrooms, including a few Indigo Milk Caps, which are light blue/white on top and deep blue under the cap.
Like, the Opposite of the Jersey Shore
As we hiked on towards the beach we gradually began to hear waves lapping against the shore. We rounded a bend near the summit of a sand dune and suddenly this incredible view of Lake Michigan materialized. The lake was a deep cerulean, with whitecaps dotting the waves. A sandy beach completed the scene and I felt like I was on a deserted island. The grove we were in was luscious and varying shades of green abounded– a stark contrast to the beach a mere quarter mile away. The beach itself was empty– there were no people near the lake. We could’ve been in the Caribbean, explorers of a lost land.
After taking a few pictures and videos of the scene, I started sprinting down the sand dune, overcome with excitement; Jaye and Elena mere paces behind me. We ran to the beach, kicked off our shoes, and dipped our toes in the water, a kind cool compared to the eighty-five degree sunny day we were having. Wanting to fully immerse ourselves in the water, we quickly changed into our bathing suits and hopped in the lake. I’ve never been so happy to be in the water. I’m not usually a water person but something about the energy of everything, the temperature of the water, the overwhelming feeling of freedom… it hit me. I felt on top of the world.
Perhaps the feeling was because it was such a striking contrast from what I usually experience going to a beach. There were none of the usual shore crowds, no vendors trying to sell me a chance to win a stuffed animal I could buy for three bucks at a local Walmart, no screaming children. There are trees instead of parking lots. Lake Michigan is freshwater meaning it’s not sticky like the ocean, and neither is the sand. You don’t have to worry about seaweed, sharks, or generally slimy things touching your feet.
We swam for a while, diving through waves, and splashing each other. After tiring ourselves out, we decided it was time to go back to shore, dry off, and tan. After re-applying sunblock for the third time, we ate our packed lunches and vibed. At one point, Jaye went back by the water, where a monarch butterfly washed up right on their foot! They brought it back to Elena and myself, and the three of us decided that even though it was probably going to die, we wanted to make its last moments as comfortable as possible. Imagine our surprise when it dried off and flew away!! Such a warm feeling.
Cattails are Invasive??? As it Turns out, Yes.
A handful of people eventually started to show up so we decided that it was time to move on. There were a few other things we wanted to check out, so we packed up and continued on the trail. The hike back from the beach is a million times more exhausting because now you’re hiking straight up a massive sand dune. Which is, again, not easy.
At one point, we came across several park rangers, dressed up in what looked similar to bee-keeper uniforms in the middle of the bog. They had these weird backpack things on them, with long spouts. It appeared they were introducing some kind of chemical into the bog. Entry points into the bog had signs and chains across them, closing off the trails. As the park rangers started to make their way towards us (we were near their truck), we resolved we wanted to learn more information. When they approached, we inquired as to what they were up to. They informed us they were weed killing invasive cattails. I didn’t know cattails were invasive?? But apparently they are, and it’s been something that’s been an issue for several years. After talking for a few more minutes, we continued our hike back.
Lunch pt 2. Linner?
We arrived back at the car tired but happy. A short drive to the visitor center later, we had more info of what else we could check out. But first: FOOD. One of the rangers recommended checking out a nearby town called Chesterton which had a lot of food options. After a bit of Googling, we found a place called Gastro 49 and drove there.
Food after a long hike and being at the beach just hits different. Iykyk. The three of us inhaled our meals in 10 minutes flat, then walked next door to an ice cream place. Ice cream was a necessity at that point, so that’s what we got.
Other Perks of Indiana Dunes
The day wasn’t over yet. While at the visitor center, we came across information on some historical places in the park– the Bailey Homestead and Chellberg Farm. You may recall some adventures Jaye and I have been on to various abandoned places (check out Pines Resort and Concrete City!), so this was right up our alley. We parked at the Little Calumet River Trail lot and walked to the homestead. They’re doing renovations, so we couldn’t go in, but we still got to wander around and look through some windows! Give it a few years I’ll bet they’ll have tour options. The Chellberg Farm was also interesting–they DID have tours there, but not when we went. Next time I go to Indiana Dunes I’ll be sure to go with a reservation so I can learn more about the farm life there.
We made our final stop of the evening at West Beach- one of the official places you can swim in at Indiana Dunes (whoops)- to watch the sunset. There were numerous other people with the same idea, so we walked a bit to where it was less crowded. I got my camera out and started snapping away. The view was astounding- the sun set near the city of Chicago, slightly off to the West. I’m sure that in certain times of the year the sun sets right over the city of Chicago, which would 1000% be worth checking out at some point. Y’all already know how beautiful sunsets are. Words and pictures simply cannot capture their beauty. We watched as the sun got lower and lower in the sky, getting larger and more orange as it sunk towards the horizon. Finally, with one last twinkle, it dipped out of view.
Before it got too dark, we decided to spend the last few moments of our day tossing a frisbee back and forth, soaking in each other’s company. This was one of those days that I’ll never forget. Everything that could go right, went right. The only thing that went wrong was when we found out that the lake was closed to swimming due to an E. Coli issue. Which we never read because we were swimming in a part of the lake where there were no signs. Whoops. Fortunately none of us got sick. I’d do it again even if we got sick tbh, because that was undoubtedly one of the coolest adventures of my life.
One day I’ll return to Indiana Dunes and explore more of what the National Park has to offer. This was my second National Park, and already I’m overwhelmed at the idea of what the other parks have in store. Indiana Dunes was jaw-droppingly beautiful, a hidden gem as far as National Parks go (I’d never really heard ANYTHING about it prior to researching it), and overall a perfect day trip.
Until next time,
-MAC
