Join a ranger and hike all the trails in Indiana Dunes National Park. This hiking challenge will take place over the course of the summer with each week featuring a ranger-led hike on a different trail. There will be a total of 19 hikes covering 66 miles to honor the year, 1966, when the park was established. Can’t make them all or want to do some self-guided hikes instead CLICK HERE?
The first hike with a ranger will feature spring woodland wildflowers.
– Heron Rookery Trail – April 25th 2026, CLICK HERE FOR MORE
– Hobart Woodland Trail from Robinson lake, May 2nd, 2026
– Great Marsh Trail, May 9th, 2026 CLICK HERE FOR MORE
– Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Trail 1.5 mi.; May 16th, 2026
– Miller Woods, Paul Douglas Trail, May 23rd, 2026 CLICK HERE FOR MAP AND MORE
– Pinhook Bog Trail and Upland Trail, May 30th, CLICK HERE FOR MORE
– Harbor Belt Trail 3.5 mi starts at Douglas Center; June 6th, 2026
– Dune Ridge Trail – Beverly Shores – Century Of Progress Homes, June 13th, 2026
– West Beach Loop 3.5 mi (West Beach Parking Lot); June 20th 2026
CLICK HERE FOR MAP AND FULL DETAILS
– Marquette Trail 5.3 mi. (Douglas Center to County Line Road) June 27th, 2026
– Salt Creek and Burns Harbor, Marquette Greenway Trail, July 4th
– Tolleston Dunes Trail, July 11th, CLICK HERE FOR MORE
– Glenwood Dunes Trail, (Including Calumet Dunes) July 18th, 2026, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
– Little Calumet River Trail, July 25th, 2026, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
– Dunewood Trace Trail from USGS Office, August 1st, 2026
– Cowles Bog Trail, August 8th, 2026, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
– Glenwood Dunes, Rt 20 Trailhead and Extension Trail, August 15th, 2026, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
– Mount Baldy Summit Trail, and Kintzle Ditch, August 22nd, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
– Bailly, Chellberg and Cemetery Trail, August 29th, 2026, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
For more information on this and other programs at Indiana Dunes National Park, call 219-395-1882, visit THEIR website, download the official National Park Service app, or view our Facebook page.
YOU CAN ASK FOR information about the hikes at the Visitor Center, the Paul H. Douglas Center, or look on our website at www.nps.gov/thingstodo/1966-hiking-challenge.htm
Indiana Dunes National Park has an entrance fee of $25 per car for a 1–7-day pass. A $45 annual pass for the national park is also available. Please purchase passes or pay the entrance fee at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, Paul H. Douglas Center, West Beach Entrance Station (after April 1st) or at www.recreation.gov/sitepass/indu. Veterans/Military/Gold Star Family, Access, and 4th Grade passes are available for free. For more information on national park passes go to www.nps.gov/indu.
More Indiana Dunes Related Articles . . .
Porter County Parks Opens a New Park: Hawk Ridge County Park
Hawk Ridge is a 167 acre park that will be opening mid-2026 is located at 544 E 1600 N, Michigan City, IN 46360. Even though is has a Michigan City address, it is located in Porter County, Indiana. The park is scheduled to open in mid-2026. Developed by Porter County Parks…
Indiana Dunes Succession Trail To Be Replaced
Indiana Dunes National Park is planning to replace the aging boardwalk along the West Beach Dune Succession Trail, with construction scheduled for fall 2026. The project will address the deteriorating 45-year-old wooden structure to enhance safety, and it may include removing the central staircase. The new boardwalk will still offer scenic views of…
Logs To Lustrons Architectural Tour Coming to Indiana Dunes May 2nd
From rustic landmarks to Mid-Century Modern, experience a century of architecture at Indiana Dunes National Park on our May 2nd, 2026. Logs to Lustrons tour, featuring log structures of early settlement days, frame homes from the Victorian period, and mid-century homes of glass, stucco, and metal. On a 3.5-hour guided tour, participants will travel by…
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,…
Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival Presented by Arnett Construction Announces Sculptor Line-up
The return of the fourth annual Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival will be held July 18-20, 2025 in Washington Park. This year’s line up has been released by Bill and Marianne Knight of the Sand Lovers, LLC, which includes two additional master sculptors. The festival is presented by Arnett Construction. “Michigan City has some amazing leadership…
Gary Indiana Celebrates Ground Breaking At Ivanhoe Nature Preserve with Shirley Heinze
On Monday, May 12th, 2025, the City of Gary celebrated new investments at Ivanhoe South Nature Preserve, with support from elected officials and partners including the Gary Common Council, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, American Water, and Berglund Construction. Thanks to major funding, the 50-acre preserve will see new trails, boardwalks, a pavilion, and a sidewalk…
Watch Our Indiana Dunes Hiking Video,
Marquette Greenway Trail Opened To Indiana Dunes National park
Another recently completed Next Level Trails project was the Marquette Greenway in Portage. This new section closed a gap in the Marquette Greenway system by constructing 0.94-miles of trail through part of Indiana Dunes National Park, including a pedestrian bridge over Salt Creek
Continue Reading. . .
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, 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…
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! Beaches and beyond Learn about Shirley Heinze 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…
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 2026 Native Plant Sale is back and pre-sale ordering is highly suggested WILL TAKE PLACE on Saturday, May 9th. 2026 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 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
Read More about the Indiana Dunes Click Here!
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.
