Indiana Dunes – A Day Trip From Chicago

Hey friends!  Taking a break from my normal work wear posts to bring you a fun day trip from Chicago to the Indiana Dunes.  Over on Instagram I posted about our recent trip to the Indiana Dunes and received so many comments that I figured I would do a blog post and have a permanent spot for this information.

The Indiana Dunes are located about an hour east of Chicago, which makes it ideal for a summer day trip.  They are located in Chesterton Indiana, which is helpful to know if you are checking the weather! There are a few beaches in the area and it can be confusing when selecting which one to go to.  We went to the Indiana Dune Beach located in the Indiana Dunes State Park.  Entry to the State Park $12 for non residents.  Once you enter the park the signage is clear and helpful to get you to the beach. 

Beach and Dunes

The beach is great here, tons of space to spread out for the day.  There is a huge parking lot and when we left around 3pm it was packed!  There is no chair or umbrella rental at the beach so you will need to bring everything yourself.  The actual beach is deep, so people line up and create rows from the water back.  If you can snag a waterfront spot I would.  People were about 4 rows deep when we were there.   

The sand is soft and smooth, but slightly rocky right at the water edge.  You can go barefoot easily, so water shoes are not needed.  Lake Michigan does have some intense currents so going chest deep is as far as the lifeguards let you go.  This wasn’t an issue for us as the knee deep water is where the kids play. 

Not far from the beach is a huge dune that is perfect to climb!  Walking in the sand is a workout alone, but going up the dune was intense.  There are plenty of places to rest along the way up the dune and the views are really cool from the top.  Everyone climbed up the dune a few times.  And we treated ourselves to a dip in the lake after cooling off.  

 

Facilities

The Indiana Dunes Beach has many facility options for a public beach. Here is what they have 

• Bathrooms – Public restrooms are available.  These aren’t top of the line facilities and later in the day they get dirty, but they serve the purpose. 
• Changing Rooms – While I didn’t use these it was a nice option to have if you can’t change in your car.  The girls are little enough that the car is still a great option.
• General Store – You can get light snacks (candy, chips, fun treats) and drinks like water and Gatorade.
• Water Fountains – They are available up by the bathrooms and you can refill your water bottles to stay hydrated!
• Outdoor Showers – Lots of showers available to rinse off your body and feet from the sand.
• Dunes Pavilion Restaurant – A sit down restaurant option right on the beach.  Shirt, shorts and shoes are required for entry.  The menu looked great and the outdoor dining was shaded and ideal for a summer day. 
• Dari-Dip – Located on the beach, this walk up snack shop has a lot to offer.  Hot dogs, nachos, ice cream and slushies were some of our favorites.  We grabbed food and sat at one of the picnic benches on the deck to eat.  It’s shaded and have a great view of the lake.
• Lifeguards – Lifeguards are on duty and the rules for swimming are pretty strict here for a public beach. It’s nice to know they are fully staffed in case something goes wrong, but the announcements were a bit much for me.

 

Beach Packing List

Since you need to bring everything yourself to the beach I tend to go on the lighter side.  While a lot people had chairs, tents and umbrellas I didn’t bring any of that.  Here is what I did bring.

• Wonderfold Wagon – I pack all my bags in here and can fit the kids in too if needed.
• Sand Cloud Blanket – It really works, the sand just brushes off of it.  I have the this blanket.
• Sand Toys – I have a collection of random things, but I love this set right now.
• Towels – Beach towels that I pack in this bag, its giant and fits the towels and sand cloud blanket
• Beach Bag – I use this bag to house sunscreen, diapers and wipes as well as all the snacks and water bottles.
• Beach Tote – I just picked up this tote and it’s perfect for all the clothes, dry or wet.  

Looking for another day trip from Chicago?  Check them out here.