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? Then 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
The first hike with a ranger will feature spring woodland wildflowers.
– Heron Rookery Trail – April 25th 2026
– Hobart Woodland Trail from Robinson lake, May 2nd, 2026
– Great Marsh Trail, May 9th, 2026
– Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Trail 1.5 mi.; May 16th, 2026
– Miller Woods, Paul Douglas Trail, May 23rd, 2026
– Pinhook Bog Trail and Upland Trail, May 30th
– 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
– 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
– Glenwood Dunes Trail, (Including Calumet Dunes) July 18th, 2026
– Little Calumet River Trail, July 25th, 2026
– Dunewood Trace Trail from USGS Office, August 1st, 2026
– Cowles Bog Trail, August 8th, 2026
– Glenwood Dunes, Rt 20 Trailhead and Extension Trail, August 15th, 2026
– Mount Baldy Summit Trail, and Kintzle Ditch, August 22nd
– Bailly, Chellberg and Cemetery Trail, August 29th, 2026
For more information on this and other programs at Indiana Dunes National Park, call 219-395-1882, visit our website, download the official National Park Service app, or view our Facebook page.
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 . . .
Grand Opening of the Marquette Greenway Trail From Miller Beach to Indiana Dunes
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Gary Indiana Celebrates Ground Breaking At Ivanhoe Nature Preserve with Shirley Heinze
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Watch Our Indiana Dunes Hiking Video, Click HERE
Marquette Greenway Trail Opened To Indiana Dunes National park
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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
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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
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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.
