Discover the Best Beaches in the Indiana Dunes

9 Beautiful Beaches, 15 Miles of Shoreline, and Pure Lake Michigan Adventure

Life in the Indiana Dunes really is like a day at the beach. That’s because along miles of award-winning Lake Michigan shoreline, you'll find nine scenic, swimmable Indiana Dunes beaches to explore, each offering its own mix of sun, sand, and serenity. 

Start your morning with a hike up a windswept dune, cool off with a freshwater swim, or unwind with a lakeside picnic as the sun sets. Whether you're casting a line from a fishing pier, grilling at a nearby shelter, or simply enjoying the ocean-like breeze, the beaches of the Indiana Dunes offer the perfect mix of nature, beauty, and relaxation.

National Park and State Park Beaches

The Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park offer some of the most beautiful—and accessible—beaches in the Midwest. While both parks share the same stretch of shoreline, each has its own character and amenities:

• Indiana Dunes National Park features multiple beach access points along its 15,000+ acres, including local favorites like West Beach, Portage Lakefront, Kemil Beach, and Central Beach.

• Indiana Dunes State Park is home to a large, centralized beach with lifeguards during the summer, a historic beach house, and access to the famous 3 Dune Challenge trail.

Together, these parks cover over 17,000 acres of protected land, where you can explore not just beaches and dunes, but also prairies, oak savannas, wetlands, and forests. With nearly 2,000 plant and animal species, the Indiana Dunes area is one of the most biodiverse areas in the U.S.

Indiana Dunes Parks

The Indiana Dunes National Park and the Indiana Dunes State Park offer access to dune-lined shores and endless outdoor adventures. Here you can explore beaches, dunes, prairies, oak savannas, wetlands, rivers, bogs, and forests. In the two parks' combined 17,000+ acres, nearly 2,000 different species of plants and animals have been identified. That makes Indiana Dunes one of the most biodiverse areas in the United States!

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