Visiting Indiana Dunes State Park

State Park vs National Park?  It makes total sense that there is a difference.  But for some reason, it seems to get all confusing when it comes to the Indiana Dunes.  The State Park is surrounded by the National Park.  It became a National Park (yay! a National Park close-ish to home!) in 2019 as the 61st National Park, a few years after I graduated college nearby when there wasn't that pesky division.  Now, the State Park is surrounded the National Park.  And I'm widening my college view - you don't just go to the Dunes for the beaches - you go for the trails!

I was inspired to return to the Dunes for the Three Dune Challenge.  I've never done anything like this before since I live in a very, very flat area.  I spent my Covid-era doing a two mile loop around the neighborhood and if I added in steps, I could get an elevation can of 17 feet over 45 minutes.  Not impressive.  The Three Dune Challenge promised inclines of 31, 38, and 43 degrees and 552 vertical feet, way more than the treadmills at OrangeTheory can do.  Plus, there was a free sticker if you could prove you completed it.  Challenge Accepted.

My trip was planned for a weekday in June, but the heat indices were near 100.  I knew better so rescheduled and when my friends and I looked at the weather and our calendars, early October was the soonest we could go.  We really lucked out and had perfect weather for the day.

To hike the Three Dune Challenge, you'll park and start next to the Nature Center.  If the parking lot is full, there are signs pointing to the overflow lot.  Watch out for poison ivy on the trail leading between the two parking lots.  There are bathrooms and water bottle fillers inside the Nature Center, as well as great exhibits and their amazing Interpretive Programs.  To complete the Three Dune Challenge, you'll start on Trail 8 and follow the signs to trail 4.  The Three Dune Challenge is clearly labeled so no map is needed.

If you plan on hiking the Three Dune Challenge, please be prepared.  We were literally asked if we would rent people our hiking sticks...  You should have:

• Good shoes (preferably ones that won't let in sand since there's a lot of that)
• Fully charged cell phone (you'll be taking a lot of pictures)
• Full water bottle (you'll get thirsty even if you normally don't on hikes)
• Snack (for now or later - I had a granola bar right before starting and that was perfect for me)
• First aid kit (you never know what will happen!)
• Sunglasses and sun protection, which will likely include a hat
• Hiking poles are highly recommended
• Optional: turn on Outdoor Hike on your fitness watch - I got my highest elevation for a fitness walk!  It was great to have my heart rate monitored so I knew when to stop and pause while going uphill.

Elsewhere in the park, there are picnic tables and trash cans for lunches, so feel free to leave your lunch in the car while you hike.  Shelters were all reserved when we went.  There were also lots of campsites for RV's.

We ran out of time to explore the beach (I'm a teacher and it was a school night), but that is always a popular option, especially in the warmer weather.

You can easily spend days exploring the different trails, so I can see why this is such a popular camping spot!  This map shows the various trails the park offers, from easy to rugged.

Your first stop when visiting the Dunes, however, should be the Visitor Center, which is for both the State Park and the National Park.  You can get maps, information, and more, including getting your National Parks Passport stamped.  There is a small giftshop, too, with both state and national park merchandise.

To claim your free sticker, you can get it from the Interpretive Naturalist at the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center (three oval options as of October 2024) or from the National Park Ranger at the Visitor Center (three oval options + three circle options as of October 2024).  I am pretty sure choosing the sticker was the most stressful part of the day.  This wasn't a decision I was prepared to make!

And remember to go back and take a selfie or a picture because you totally did it, I mean DUNED IT!

Indiana State Parks Hoosier Quests

I just visited the Indiana Dunes State Park and the bulletin board display at the Nature Center caught my eye.  There were special patches and pins with requirements!  Once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout and I'm a sucker for a good patch or pin program, even as an adult.  While my around half day visit, the Explore program was perfect.

You essentially are completing five steps and they are geared to be completed over a day or weekend.  The wording for the steps comes directly from the Explore brochure from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources:

• Attend one interpretive program led by the interpretive naturalist. Check program schedules in advance at calendar.dnr.IN.gov. If no programs are available during your visit, call ahead for a self-guided activity/hike/tour option.
• Hike, bike, or paddle for at least 30 minutes on park trails, roads, or navigable waters.
• Complete a site-specific activity assigned by the park.
• Complete one hour of volunteer time. Unless otherwise instructed, pick up litter along the trail, by the pond or lake or river side, or around the playgrounds and picnic areas.
• Report to the interpretive naturalist or staff person about how your volunteer time benefited the property and yourself.

During my visit, the Interpretive Naturalist led a program called Sensational Sassafras.  First, we took a "short hike" (it was a total of five minutes there and back - I felt bad recording it as a workout on my watch) to see a Sassafras tree and it's three different designs of leaves on one tree as well as how much the deer loved the bark (ie: were eating it or rubbing against it).  Then, we headed back to the Nature Center to make beaded bracelets with Sassafras branches and drink Sassafras tea.  It was a great experience, lasting around 45 minutes, and included with the cost of admission to the park.

My friend and I spent around an hour hiking the Three Dune Challenge while there, but it would have been easy to hike any trail for half an hour.  Trails were clearly marked and there was a wide range of options for all ability and mobility levels.

Our site-specific activity assigned by the park was a list of six options by the Interpretive Naturalist at the Nature Center.  I recommend picking this up early in your visit since it may guide your day.  Again, the wide variety of options appealed to different skill levels and abilities.

For volunteering, my friend and I asked if they had garbage bags when the Interpretive Naturalist mentioned litter picking for an hour.  I asked for two bags and she said she would be sad if we brought back two full (grocery store sized) bags.  I pulled a spare pair of gloves from my first aid kit and we went to work and explored new areas of the park.  After an hour of walking around, we did fill one bag and brought it back to show the Interpretive Naturalist, but then promptly put it in the trash can outside.  Moving forward, I'll always make sure to keep extra bags and gloves in my car, along with my trash grabber.

Our volunteer time definitely made the park a cleaner place for guests and helped improve the natural habitat for all of its permanent residents.  One small boy, who was picnicking with his family, asked what we were doing when he saw us picking up trash.  We explained what we were doing and stressed how we were only doing it because we had gloves on and you always need gloves on when picking up trash.  I saw the grateful 'thank you' from his parent so he isn't picking up cigarette butts on their walk (we got a lot!).  The next generation is inspired!

Overall, adding the Explore pin into our trip is a great way to guide a visit to an Indiana State Park.  At only $2 a pin, it is an amazing price for a souvenir.  There are 35 different pins to collect, which make this a perfect activity or even "got to collect them all" goal for people who live nearby.  The Interpretive Naturalist can sign off as you complete each activity at a park so it doesn't have to be done in a day, like we did.  She said some people have been working on their Explore pin for YEARS at different parks,  and are tracking it all on the same worn piece of paper.

The Discover and Challenge programs will take more time to do.  They can be earned by kids and adults and are very affordable.  I can see myself earning the Challenge patch on a camping trip.  

If the above links are broken, this is the main website page: https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/programs/state-park-pin-and-patch-hoosier-quest-program/