Beach Parking

picnic shelter and large parking lot
Empty parking lot at West Beach

NPS Photo

Indiana Dunes National Park (INDU) is piloting a project to improve parking and traffic congestion issues at popular parking locations beginning April or May 2022. The project will use technology and guidance sensors to provide information about parking space availability at a given location in real-time via a mobile-friendly website, ensuring that more time is spent enjoying the beach/trails and less time is spent stuck in traffic on any given visit. Once the sensors are installed and the website is functioning, visitors will be able to check whether a select parking lot has available spaces or if it’s full in real-time, eliminating the need for visitors to circle the park looking for a space. Visitors will be able to access this real-time information from their smartphone, tablet, or computer via www.congestionmonitor.com/INDU. Parking space availability data will also be displayed in real-time at the Indiana Dunes Visitor’s Center at 1215 SR-49, Porter, IN 46304. For the 2022 season, parking space availability will be available at select locations, but there are plans to have this information available at all national park parking areas in the near-term. More information will be available when the parking lot locations are confirmed.

 
 

Parking Lot

Central Avenue Beach

  • 68 total spaces
  • 0 oversized spaces
  • 41.701488, -86.948473

Live Status

Paved parking lot with 68 parking spaces. 0 spaces are accessible. The beach is located 0.2 miles from the parking lot. An entrance pass, annual pass, or lifetime is needed to park in this lot. Visit https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm for more information.

Parking Lot

Dunbar Beach

  • 26 total spaces
  • 0 oversized spaces
  • 41.683551, -87.002856

Live Status

Dunbar Beach parking lot is paved and has restroom and potable water facilities located within the parking lot. The beach is located across the street from the parking lot. An entrance pass, annual pass, or lifetime is needed to park in this lot. Visit https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm for more information.

Parking Lot

Kemil Beach

  • 98 total spaces
  • 0 oversized spaces
  • 41.677357, -87.00895

Live Status

The parking lot is paved and there are restroom and potable water facilities located on site. The parking lot is located 0.2 miles from the beach. An entrance pass, annual pass, or lifetime is needed to park in this lot. Visit https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm for more information.

Parking Lot

Lake View

  • 27 total spaces
  • 0 oversized spaces
  • 41.686222, -86.996077

Live Status

The parking lot of Lake View is paved and accessible. Restroom and potable water facilities as well as a shelter are also accessible. There are stairs down to the beach. An entrance pass, annual pass, or lifetime is needed to park in this lot. Visit https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm for more information.

Parking Lot

Mt. Baldy

  • 92 total spaces
  • 3 oversized spaces
  • 41.706852, -86.929907

Live Status

The parking lot is paved, and restroom and potable water facilities are located on site. The beach is located 0.33 miles from the parking lot via a rustic sandy trail. An entrance pass, annual pass, or lifetime is needed to park in this lot. Visit https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm for more information.

Parking Lot

Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk

  • 106 total spaces
  • 0 oversized spaces
  • 41.630994, -87.178383

Live Status

Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk has 3 separate parking lots and has an accessible pavilion with restrooms and potable water facilities. An entrance pass, annual pass, or lifetime is needed to park in this lot. Visit https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm for more information.

Parking Lot

Porter Beach

  • 72 total spaces
  • 0 oversized spaces
  • 41.660272, -87.069387

Live Status

Porter Beach has 2 parking lots. The North parking lot is closest to the Lake and has restroom and potable water facilities. The South parking lot is also paved. The North parking lot is located at the beach, and the South parking lot is located 0.15 miles from the beach. An entrance pass, annual pass, or lifetime is needed to park in this lot. Visit https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm for more information.

Parking Lot

West Beach

  • 642 total spaces
  • 25 oversized spaces
  • 41.622934, -87.207747

Live Status

The parking lot is paved and there are accessible restroom and potable water facilities located on site. The beach is located 0.3 to 0.5 miles from the parking lot via a paved access road. There are 12 accessible picnic shelters at the parking lot and an accessible bath house at the beach with a concessionaire. An entrance pass, annual pass, or lifetime is needed to park in this lot. Visit https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm for more information.

Last updated: April 5, 2022

Park footer

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

1100 North Mineral Springs Road
Porter, IN 46304

Phone:

219 395-1882
Indiana Dunes Visitor Center phone number.

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