Plan Your Visit

How to Get to the Indiana Dunes

Before you lose yourself in the beauty of the Indiana Dunes, you’re going to want to find us. We’re perfectly positioned to give you more getaway and less getting here. In fact, half of the population of the U.S. lives within a 12-hour drive. We’re in the northwest corner of Indiana at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, just 45 minutes from Chicago, right off major interstates and highways. Of course, finding us is easy. The hard part will be leaving.

Area and Community Maps

Prefer the classic feel of a paper map or are you simply looking for more detailed information on the many communities and areas within the Indiana Dunes area? We’ve got you covered with a thorough collection of downloadable maps to get you to your vacation faster.

Porter County 50 Mile Radius – Download Map
Valparaiso & Vicinity – Download Map
Portage & Vicinity – Download Map
Chesterton & Vicinity – Download Map
Indiana Dunes Distance Map – Download Map
National Park Services Map – Download Map

Indiana Dunes Visitor Center

Start your trip at the Visitor Center and chat with our destination ambassadors. From activities and attractions to dining and shopping, they’ll help you curate the perfect vacation itinerary.

Digital Guides

Get immediate access to detailed information based on your interests, and start planning your vacation to the Indiana Dunes area today.

Printed Guides

Fill out our helpful online form to have an Indiana Dunes guide sent directly to your home.

Dunes Deals

Shake off the sand south of the Indiana Dunes! Dig up real savings with Indiana Dunes Deals and make the most of your vacation. Discounts ranging from a free scoop of ice cream to savings on…

Love & Protect the Dunes

Each of us who visit the Indiana Dunes can also help protect natural heritage, biodiversity, and local culture by taking a few simple steps.

Bed & Breakfasts

Feel like family with intimate accommodations that range from nature-inspired retreats in the woods…

Hotels & Inns

A convenient stay located near downtown? What about a country retreat heaped in Old World charm? Or…

A mug sits on a beach mat in from of a lake in the background. The photo is all black and white except for a brownish-orange color on the mug.

Indiana Dunes Coffee & Sweets Trail

Tour the county on our Coffee & Sweets Trail. You'll experience Indiana Dunes-themed drinks like the Cowles Bog matcha latte and the lavender-flavored Diana of the Dunes drink. Sign up and…

Birding a day ago

Silhouettes of birds in front of an orange-red sky and a white, setting sun

Four and Twenty Blackbirds Gracing the Sky

3 minute read

October is loud and raucous on the Kankakee Sands prairie. It can also be dark and ominous. In the early morning, you can hear them long before you see them. Off in the distance is a lone tree…

6 days ago

A white translucent spider sits atop a green and white flower

Just Like Kankakee Sands, You'll Be Golden!

3 minute read

It’s all too easy to overlook things, isn’t it? As we move so quickly from place to place, from task to task, we often miss the nuances and details that make life so interesting…

Best Of Lists 6 days ago

A brunette woman using a wheelchair looks at the fall colors in the distance. A park ranger points to something out of the picture.

Top Places to Enjoy Fall Colors in the Indiana Dunes

4 minute read

Starting around mid-October, the trees in the Indiana Dunes area explode with vibrant autumn colors. Here are five places you can view the canopies of warm reds, oranges, and yellows that…