Mount Baldy’s parking area and beach access route re-opened to the public on Monday, June 15th, 2026 and a sand management project was completed. Visitors should be aware that the reopening applies only to the Mount Baldy access site, parking area and beach access route.
The Mount Baldy summit and dune face remain closed due to ongoing safety concerns, including unstable sand conditions and the continued risk of sand collapse. Visitors must stay on designated routes and follow posted closures.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently completed work to move approximately 27,000 tons of sand at Mount Baldy as part of ongoing shoreline management efforts. The work helped address sand accumulation near visitor infrastructure while returning sand to the beach system along Lake Michigan.
The park will continue monitoring slope stability and slope response along the new dune face following the sand removal work. That monitoring will help inform future management decisions at Mount Baldy, including any changes to access, visitor safety measures and long-term stewardship of the site.
Mount Baldy is one of the most dynamic and recognizable landscapes at Indiana Dunes National Park and remains one of the park’s most visible examples of landscape change. The dune continues to move inland and has affected visitor infrastructure, including the historic parking area and utilities. Park staff will continue using science, engineering, and monitoring to guide management of this rapidly changing Great Lakes coastline.
Visitors planning a trip to Mount Baldy should check current conditions before arriving. For more information, visit nps.gov/indu.
MORE ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE . . .
West Little Calumet River Wetland Restoration Project in Gary, Hammond and Hobart Indiana
The Wetlands Initiative (TWI) was awarded a $794,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) to complete this “Community-centered Final Design” phase. This project is being collaboratively facilitated by the Little Calumet River Conservation Collaborative. The West Branch of the Little Calumet River corridor covers…
The Benefits of Nature / Forest Bathing
By Ron Seman, Sage of the Dunes GoTakeAHikeAmerica.com In today’s world, many people spend more time looking at screens than looking at trees. We rush from place to place, surrounded by traffic, noise, stress, and endless notifications. Yet there is something simple, ancient, and powerful that many people have forgotten: nature heals. Forest bathing, known…
Grand Opening of the Marquette Greenway Trail From Miller Beach to Indiana Dunes
On June 6th, 2026 the official ribbon cutting of the new 2.7 mile section of the Marquette Greenway trail was opened. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to National Park Service Rafi Wilkerson and Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commision Mitch Barloga, and everyone else involved for our magnificent trail. The…
Valparaiso Council Seeks Moratorium On Data Centers
Valparaiso’s July 13th 2026 city council meeting Monday night began with recognizing the 2026 City Government Academy graduates. This program runs every year and is usually 8 weeks long, meeting every Wednesday for two hours. Each week a different department of our local government is explored and explained. Since its beginning over 200 residents…
Alarming Health Implications from Virginia’s Data Center boom
Many Hobart Data Center proponents site the successes of Virginia’s Data Centers as an example of their “safe” uses. That was then, this is now. Many Alarming impacts have come out after Virginia’s Data Center boom started published by George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. A new groundbreaking study uncovers the alarming Health…
Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
