Join a park ranger for a hike through Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s beautiful Miller Woods every Sunday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, Meet the ranger at the Paul H. Douglas Center and then enjoy a hike through this spectacular black oak savanna. This same hike will be offered every Sunday afternoon. (Please check for exact times)
Hikes will vary in length depending on the interest and abilities of visitors. This ranger-led hike starts at the Paul H. Douglas Center and continues through Miller Woods to the shore of Lake Michigan. This amazing hike goes through a globally rare black oak savanna and around towering sand dunes and interdunal wetlands. Wear sturdy shoes, bring water, and insect repellent.

The Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education is located in the western portion of the national lakeshore at 100 North Lake Street, about one mile north of U.S. Highway 12 in the Miller neighborhood of Gary. For more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, call 219-395-1882 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/indu and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IndianaDunesNL.
Indiana Dunes National Park is one of 419 units of the National Park System ranging from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. Located in Northwest Indiana, the park includes 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 15,000 acres of biodiverse beaches, woods, prairies, and marshes. Up to 3 million visitors come to the Indiana Dunes each year.
Passes are required. For more information, visit our
Fees & Passes page.
National park Calendar click here.
Friends of the Indiana Dunes Events
Indiana Dunes State Park Calendar of Events
Indiana Dunes Related Articles . . .
More Indiana Dunes Related Articles . . .
Indiana Dune’s Mount Baldy Closed Thru Mid – June 2026
The Mount Baldy Access Site will be closed from late March to mid-June 2026 as the Indiana Dunes National Park Service undertakes a key project to manage sand movement and stabilize the shoreline. Over the years, windblown sand has covered parts of the parking area and sanitation facilities. This effort is designed to…

Mount Baldy is No Longer Bald
Story by Friends of Indiana Dunes Mount Baldy is a 126-foot-tall sand dune located at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, lying near the eastern end of Indiana Dunes National Park and just west of Crescent Dune . This parabolic dune began forming some 4,000 years ago and is continually changing because of natural and…
EPA to Spend 200 Million Dollars to Clean Up Grand Calumet River
While long-term dredging in the Indiana Harbor Canal (Phase 2) began in 2021, new major cleanup projects for both the Indiana Harbor and the Grand Calumet River are set to begin in late 2026, following a 2026 EPA announcement of over $200 million for sediment remediation and restoration to remove pollutants. (More info…
Hobart Marsh Plan by the IDEM and Lake Michigan Costal Program
During our research on the effect of the Hobart Data Center on the environment, we found the Hobart Marsh Plan document worth looking into. This 21 page document was published in 2016, further emphasizes the importance of the Hobart Marsh Ecological importance. The area location is bounded by Interstate 65 to the west;…
New Report Published about the Effects of Data Centers On the Great Lakes
The Hobart Indiana Data Center is located closer to Lake Michigan than most folks realize. It’s actually 12 miles as the crow flies, and 16 miles using a 100% waterway, from Deep River (Hobart) to Lake Michigan. The effect of Data Centers on the Great Lakes is an important issue that should be…
Studies Say the Bird Population will Die On Lake George (Hobart) with Data Center Operations
Lake George, in Hobart Indiana, is a vibrant stopover and a winter haven for a diverse array of water birds, from the year-round mute swans (your ~5 residents) to the seasonal influx of 36 plus trumpeter swans in winter. Sandhill cranes forage in the nearby fields and lake shallows and there’s an ever-present…
Proven Documentation that Data Centers Damage Wetlands
The Deep River wetlands around Hobart Indiana’s Deep River flows through Lake County Indiana towards Lake Michigan. Deep River wetlands refer not just to a single swamp or marsh, but to a network of wetlands, riparian corridors, floodplains, forested bottomlands, marshes, woodlands, savannas, lakes, rivers, ravines, bottomland forests and prairie habitats that are scattered…
Ivanhoe South Nature Preserve Project Completed – Gary Indiana
—Shirley Heinze Land Trust invites the public to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday, October 30 at Ivanhoe South Nature Preserve, located at 750 Colfax St, Gary, IN 46406. This ceremony will celebrate the many partners and funders who contributed to the project. Attendees will see the new pavilion,…
Learn More About Hiking The Indiana Dunes with this Youtube Video with Ron Seman
Hikers Will LOVE this Video with Indiana Naturalist Ron Seman Talkin about His Hiking Adventures at the Indiana Dunes! Beachesandbeyond Learn about ShirleyHeinze Land Trust; Indiana Dunes National Park; Monarch Butterflies Migration; Salamanders; Wolf Lake Hammond In; Heron Rookery; Native Plant Sale at Friends of Indiana Dunes, Inc. Office (New Location) Porter County Parks and Recreation; Great Lakes Marsh Marsh in Miller Beach; Ambler Flatwoods Hiking Trail and Sandhill Cranes at Miller Beach, Gary, IN
CLICK HERE TO WATCH YOUTUBE
VIDEO
National Park’s Cypress Log Cabin Available for Lodging
The Cypress Log Cabin is a significant piece of American history. Originally built for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, at the Fair’s end in 1935, the home was transported to Beverly Shores and has stood as a testament to the era’s rustic aesthetic ever since. After serving as a private home for several decades, it…
La Porte Lakefest Announces Schedule
The City of La Porte is counting down the days until it is time for the third annual LakeFest! With their first two years being such a success, they are eagerly anticipating the upcoming 2025 summer celebration. The festival boasts three days of music, art, food and…
Indiana Dunes Paul H. Douglas Center Gets Renovated
The Paul H. Douglas Center at Indiana Dunes National Park has been closed for several months due to extensive renovations. Celebrate its reopening on Earth Day, April 22nd, 2024 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm with a variety of family-friendly activities. Kids will love the outdoor Nature Play Zone with its shovels, buckets, sticks, and rocks that…

Indiana Dunes Native Plant Sale – Pre-Orders Suggested
The 2025 Native Plant Sale is back and pre-sale ordering is highly suggested WILL TAKE PLACE on Saturday, May 10th. 2025 from 9am – 1pm. The Order Forms are available for printing at the Friends’ website (dunefriends.org) or from a link on our Facebook page. Paper copies of the 26th Annual Native Plant Sale Order Form…
Sand Sculpting Festival – Michigan City
– The return of the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival to Michigan City’s Washington Park will feature a new amateur competition that will help raise funds for local LaPorte
County charities.
The Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival Community Challenge will take place on Saturday, July 18th, 19th & 20th 2025 as a part of the three-day sand sculpting festival. The Community Challenge will allow local businesses, professional groups, service organizations and anyone that wants to participate a chance to raise funds for the charity of their choice.
Continue Reading . .
Discover More About the Indiana Dunes:
Century of Progress Tour
Things to Do in Michigan City
Dunes Learning Center
Indiana Dunes Becomes a National Park
Songbird Prairie Bed & Breakfast awarded “Best Romantic Getaway”
Chautauqua in the Dunes
Lake Michigan Beaches
Free Beach Shuttles at Indiana Dunes
Birding Festival (May)
Maple Sugar Time (Spring)
Visit Mount Baldy
Outdoor Adventure Festival (Fall)
Apples Festival (Fall)
Local Family Fun Amusement Parks
Things To Do in Chesterton
Things to do in Valparaiso
Things to do in Portage

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