I like beaches. A lot. Perhaps too much. This doesn’t make me particularly unique, of course, but I do take my passion seriously. I’ve got legit opinions on sand — from the weight of the grain to its color. I have thoughts about the right games to bring, depending on the landscape. I even have a few private beaches tucked away that I never share with anyone but my closest friends.
Still, I didn’t expect to see a beach in Indiana, just over an hour from downtown Chicago by train. Certainly not one like those at Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park. The lakeside beaches I’ve visited have often been stony or muddy or too small to accommodate crowds. Indiana Dunes is none of those things. It’s a white sand paradise. It’s massive. And in the hottest summer months, it absolutely comes alive with locals and those eager to ditch the Chi’s summer heat.
This is a midwest beach vacation at its best. The cool kid pretense of Venice and Montauk are gone. There’s no sense of exclusivity like in Malibu or worn down scruffiness like the Jersey Shore. It’s its own thing — the ultimate throwback, where lifeguards sit on tall wooden perches and colorful blankets dot the sand for miles. Like a forgotten stop on old Route 66.
As the summer heat starts to drag and people look to escape the big city, Uproxx’s Alia Stearns and I decided to lay out where to visit and what to try when heading to the Indiana Dunes (whether you start at the State Park or the National Park).
— Steve Bramucci, Editorial Director UPROXX Life
PART I: WHERE TO STAY
Go Camping
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If you really want to get out of your city rut, it’s essential that you spend your nights around a campfire. You have two options in the state park: a larger campsite, Indiana Dunes Campground, with 140 spaces and electrical hookups and a smaller location, Dunewood Campground, with 54 drive-in wooded sites and 13 walk-in ones without electrical hook-ups. Both have showers and restrooms, but the smaller site is definitely more rustic. If you prefer a more secluded, traditional experience, it’s the way to go.
Only the larger site takes reservations. The other is first come, first served and that’s a pretty big gamble if you take the train in from Chicago and don’t have a back-up accommodation in the region. -Alia Stearns
Stay in a Classic Motel
We like a good deal as much (if not more than) the next person, and if we find an affordable place to stay that also feels like walking into the past, we are doubly here for it. Al & Sally’s Motel in Michigan City is a straight-up motor lodge from days gone by. It’s one story. The rooms all open into the parking lot. Things are kept neat and tidy with a minimum of fuss. It really is a throwback, and it would make a great set for an Instagram photoshoot.
If you can’t get behind a budget motel, the Aberdeen Inn, though more floral for sure, has a lot of amenities, and is very close to the park. It also has a rich history that dates to the 1800s. You still get your throwback; you’re just throwing a lot further. -AS
PART II: WHAT TO DO
Take the Three Dune Challenge
You can’t go to the park and not see some dunes, right? And if you’re going to see them, why not climb them?
Mount Tom (192 feet), Mount Holden (184 feet), and Mount Jackson (176 feet) are the three tallest peaks in the park — accessible via trails eight, nine, and 10 — which highlight cool sights like dune blowouts and tree graveyards. But it’s specifically number eight that offers the shortest route to summit each of the three dunes, part of the Three Dune Challenge.
If you’re a fitness lover, you can make this trek more extreme by pushing yourself to set a personal speed record, or you can just take a chill hike down the trail with friends. The 1.5-mile course sounds easy enough, but it’s 552 vertical feet and there are parts of the trail with a 40-degree slope.
It won’t kill you, but it’s not a cakewalk either. -AS
Get in the some Beach Time
Chilling with a good book. An occasional dive in the water. Paddleball and a little body surfing. Indiana Dunes can provide all of these things in spades. Besides saltwater and readily-surfable waves (though they do roll in on occasion), there’s little to separate this destination from Laguna Beach or Long Island.
That’s a good thing, because those beaches are long flights from Chicago and Indiana Dunes is little more than an hour. If you want to “do the beach thing” with all that entails — from sun-kissed naps to Instagram posing — you’re going to be stoked here. -SB
Paddle the Little Calumet
The wetlands where the Little Calumet River meets the lakeshore are a bird lover’s paradise. 350 types of birds are found in the estuary, which just reopened to paddlers in 2017 after being closed for more than 30 years. If birds aren’t your thing, it’s still cool (and incredibly soothing) to hop in a kayak and go for a paddle. The newly restored waterway is a great chance to enjoy wildlife away from any of the summer crowds.
For rentals, hit up Lake Shore Kayak and score a kayak or a paddleboard for roughly $40 per day. -SB
Ride the Devil’s Slide (in Winter)
Indiana Dunes National Park is absolutely worth seeking out in the summer, that’s why we wrote this, after all. But it is also worth checking out in the winter. When you make your way back, be sure to come correct with a sled. When things get cold, you can ride down the Devil’s Slide — a large sand dune that becomes a completely wicked tubing and sledding hill. Grab some friends, head to the park, and spend the day sliding through the ice and snow. It’s a good way to fight the winter blues.
While you’re at the park during this time of year, check out the shelf ice on Lake Michigan. When waves crash into the floating ice that builds up around the shore and it refreezes adhered to the shore rather than the bottom of the lake, that’s shelf ice. It mimics an arctic landscape and is genuinely incredible to see in person. -AS
PART III: EAT & DRINK
Get Some Ice Cream at Valpo Velvet
When you’re in Indiana Dunes Country, there are a lot of places to have some good ice cream, but if you want great ice cream, make your way to Valpo Velvet. Named one of the top ten places to grab a cone in the state, this old-fashioned creamery offers up silky, rich treats and has done so since 1920. Starting back in 1947, the Brown family has been churning fresh ice cream weekly. They have roughly 50 flavors of sorbet, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sherbet to choose from. We recommend the Heavenly Hash and Rum Raisin, but all the classics are available as well. Plus, they make their own Drumsticks and hand-dipped frozen bananas. You might have to visit a couple of times during your trip.
You can grab pints at the shop, so consider bringing one back to your hotel or campsite and sharing it. Or stay at the counter and let a genuine soda jerk make you a classic ice cream soda. -AS
Check Out a Local Brewery
Plat 35 Brewery in Porter started out as 10 Mile Brewery in 2018, but the Ten Mile Brewing Co. in Long Beach wasn’t terribly enthused and issued a cease and desist letter. Thus, the name has changed, but the quality brews remain the same. Situated in a home built more than 150 years ago, Plat 35 can seat 25 in their taproom and 25 on their patio, but that’s the max. It’s not a very big place, which means it is great for meeting new people. They kind of do everything on a small scale, including their one-barrel brewing system.
Plat’s classic beers like the Fun Chubba IPA and Light and Fluffy (it’s a pilsner) are stellar picks, but the brewery also does a lot of fun experimentation. The Apricot Milkshake IPA and a Key Lime Pie Ale are perfect for the hot summer months. -AS
