Explore Biological Diversity in the Park

Indiana Dunes National Park provides habitat for approximately 1,130 native vascular plants, including the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle. The park is home to populations of 30% of Indiana’s listed rare, threatened, endangered, and special concern plant species. Shaped by glacial events and changing climates, the dunes landscape contains disjunct flora representative of eastern deciduous forests, boreal forest remnants, and species with Atlantic coast affinities. In addition, the national park is part of the upper and eastern most limits of the tallgrass prairie peninsula and supports high quality remnants of this ever diminishing vegetation type. The presence of many unique dune and wetland plant community types has lead to a long history of botanical exploration and research. Lands within the national park have been called the birthplace of American ecology as a result of early work on plant succession performed by Dr. Henry Cowles over 100 years ago. Investigations related to several areas of plant ecology continue today and are viewed as essential to preserving the dynamic ecosystems of the Indiana Dunes.
 

Park Explorers

Use these pages to help explore specific areas or trails of Indiana Dunes National Park.

History of Science: Plant Succession

Watch a video and answer corresponding questions that highlight Indiana Dunes' role in the history of ecology.

Indiana Dunes National Park Virtual Tours
 

Hiking Trails: Indiana Dunes National Park

Details

Activity

Self-Guided Tours - Walking

Pets Allowed

Yes

For details about pets in the park, including our B.A.R.K. Ranger program, see our Pets Page.

Activity Fee

Yes

7-Day Park Entrance Pass - Motorcycle Pass - $20.00
Per motorcycle (valid for 1-7 days from date of purchase)

7-Day Park Entrance Pass - Family-Size Vehicle Pass - $25.00
Per private family-sized vehicle (valid for 1-7 days from date of purchase).

7-Day Per Person Entrance Pass (Organized, non-commercial groups) - $15.00
Visitors 16 years of age or older who enter on foot, bicycle, boat, or as part of an organized group not involved in a commercial tour.

Commercial Tour Fee - Sedan (1-6 persons) - $25.00
Entry for commercial sedans with 6 or less people. Cost is $25.00 plus $15 per person (not to exceed next highest rate).

Commercial Tour Fee - Van (7-15 persons) - $40.00
Entry for commercial vans with 7-15 people.

Commercial Tour Fee - Mini Bus (16-25 persons) - $40.00
Entry for commercial mini bus with 16-25 people.

Commercial Tour Fee - Motor Coach (26+ persons) - $100.00
Entry for commercial motor coaches with 26+ persons.

For the most current information on our fee program, see our Fees and Passes page. 

Location

Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education

The park is comprised of over 15,000 acres of dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests. It contains 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline spanning the distance from Gary to Michigan City. Lake Michigan is part of the largest complex of freshwater lakes in the world. The national park's beaches are the park's most significant recreational resource.

Reservations

No

Season

Year Round

Accessibility Information

Some trails in the park are accessible. Most trails are lightly packed dirt or loose sand. Some trails have stairs. Some sites have trail-friendly accessible equipment available. For more information on accessible trails and equipment availability, visit our Accessibility page.

Great Blue Heron landing in the Great Marsh as the sun sets.

J. Conrad

Duration:

11 minutes, 36 seconds

In the 1890s the dunes now protected as Indiana Dunes National Park hosted the first research on plant succession. That research helped establish ecology as a science, made succession an enduring concept, and explains why you mow your lawn.