Camping at Indiana Dunes State Park with Kids
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Today I am sharing the details of camping at Indiana Dunes State park with kids! Indiana Dunes State Park has been near the top of our list of places we’d like to visit for quite some time! It’s about a 5ish hour drive for us, and far and away the closest thing to a beach near our little Midwest-selves.
This summer, with our kids finally being the right age for a camping trip like this, we decided to go for it. However, when I started researching Indiana Dunes State Park and trying to get a feel for what the campsite would be like, beach access, etc. – I really could not find the information I was looking for.
So with that being said, today I am sharing the details, honest thoughts, and tip/tricks of camping at Indiana Dunes State Park with kids.
CAMPING AT INDIANA DUNES STATE PARK WTIH KIDS:
Where is Indiana Dunes State Park?
Indiana Dunes State Park is a popular destination located in northern Indiana, along Lake Michigan’s southern shore. It is positioned in Chesteron, Indiana.
Understanding the layout of the Indiana Dunes (there’s more than one place to camp!)
When I booked our campsite, I truly didn’t understand that there are places to camp outside of the State Park. I just didn’t understand the layout of the area, so I’m breaking it down for you here!
Because we’d never been to Indiana Dunes State Park, we didn’t realize how expansive the area is, and that there are beaches and campsites outside of the national Park. The State Park actually neighbors Indiana Dunes National Park.
Indiana Dunes State Park is the main park. As a kind employee of the Indiana Dunes visitor center told us, this is the gem of the area. You’ll find everything you might need within the park, and once in, really do not even have to leave unless you’d like to explore different parts of the area. There are designated areas for swimming as well as MILES of beautiful beach. As well as large sand dunes to climb and see, picnic areas, miles of trails, electric camping, a showerhouse, multiple bathrooms, a camp store/convenience store, restaurant, and even a the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center.
This is a VERY kid-friendly/family friend camp area.
Indiana Dunes National Park. This is actually the newest national park in the United States and has miles of sandy beaches. It includes a variety of habitats like wetlands, forests, and of course, sandy dunes. Not to mention historical sites that the whole family can enjoy.
Dunewood Campground is part of the Indiana Dunes National Park, and from what I understand, this is a more rustic camping experience off the beaten path (no electric) and more private.
If you’re looking for something more private, I would recommend Dunewood. As the state park was VERY family friendly, with lots of kids playing/biking/scootering around the site. We loved this, as our kids are just the right age for this. But if you’d like something quieter/more primitive, I may consider Dunewood.
Booking your campsite at Indiana Dunes State Park.
*The BEST recommendation I could give you is to plan your trip during the week as opposed to the weekend during the popular summer months. We checked in on a Sunday afternoon and experienced a *tiny* bit of the weekend craze, and that was enough. Thankfully Monday and Tuesday were our primary days visiting the park, and the park was much quieter then.
I had heard that spots fill up quickly within Indiana Dunes State Park, so I booked our campsite 6 months out. Apparently, booking this early is usually the only way to ensure a camping spot in the popular summer months. So planning ahead is key!
When booking our campsite, I narrowed to “tent only” because I assumed that’s where we would need to be. I was wrong about this! I’ve been to many campsites with mixed RV and tent only sites, and the RV sites are not usually a great set-up for a tent. In the case of Indiana Dunes State Park, even the RV sites are great for tent camping. We realized pretty quickly that as a tent camper, you can book either here – and many tents were set up in the RV sites.
Choosing your camping site within the park.
All-in-all, the whole campground is pretty shaded and everything has an electric. Every site also has a fire ring. The main thing to consider is how close you’d like to be to beach access trail if you plan on walking to and from.
We ended up at site #25, which is right beside one of the bathrooms. I was hesitant about this, but it was the only tent only campsite available when I booked. Again, as discussed above, you do not need to book a tent only site (I just didn’t know we could have reserved one of the RV spots).
THAT BEING SAID, we ended up loving this spot. The most notable feature is that we were the closest campsite to the beach trail and one spot down from the secluded, sandy playground. Meaning, we had the shortest walk of anyone to get to the beach and our kids had very easy access to the playground.
I was worried that being in this spot would put us in a high traffic area, but no matter where you are within this campsite, there are people walking/biking by. It was no busier than any of the other sites, and we were also conveniently right next to a bathroom. There are other bathrooms at the campsite as well as a shower houses, and many people are in RVs anyway. So we had very few people actually use the bathroom next to us.
The only thing I will say about the bathrooms is that they are just nice versions of porta potties. In the summer, you can imagine the smell and the flies. The shower house was much nicer as it has plumbing – so we simply walked there when needed.
Checking in at Indiana Dunes State Park Campground.
If you visit Indiana Dunes during the week (minus holidays), entering the State Park should be quick and easy. However, because we checked in on a Sunday, we had a bit of a different experience.
Before even heading into the state park on a Sunday afternoon, we stopped by the Indiana Dunes visitor center. I’m so glad we did, because we didn’t realize how much traffic there would be trying to get into the park on a weekend.
There is a screen at the welcome center that gives you an estimated wait time to get into the park. Because we were there in the late afternoon, we had around a 30 minute wait time. A worker there told us that it can be as much as a 2 1/2 hour wait during peek weekend hours. *insert horrified face*
Again, if you are checking in on a weekday, you will most likely not experience this. But come prepared if it’s the weekend, and if at all possible, come later in the day.
Once we were into the park, getting to our campsite was easy. You’ll take the first right at the round-a-bout and follow signs back to the campground. From there, you’ll enter a check-in area for the campground, where they will give you a map, a car permit, and direct you to your site.
Check-in AND check-out is at 2pm all week except for Sundays, when it’s 5pm. We did arrive at 3pm on a Sunday, and our campsite was empty – so they allowed us to go ahead and set up.
Accessing Indiana Dunes State Park beach from the campground.
If you are staying within the State Park, you will not need to access any other beach. This one is STUNNING, expansive, and has direct access from the campground.
You can access the State Park Beach via trail or parking lot. During the weekend if you’re planning to drive, you’ll want to drive over to the beach parking lot as soon as it opens to get your spot. Luckily it’s within easy driving distance. During the week, we found that the parking lot never really filled up. That being said, we chose to walk it because we were so close to the trail and enjoyed the walk.
Beach access trail runs directly beside the corner bathroom and our campsite (#25). So again, for us, getting to the beach was a breeze because we were so close!
The trail is about .25 miles, beautiful, and very easy terrain. Nothing steep or crazy. This is partly wooded trail, and partly boardwalk. We did this multiple times a day with a 4 year old and 7 year old, and they did just fine!
Indiana Dunes State Park Beach.
Technically, swimming is not allowed within the state park until 11am. However, with young kids itching to get to the beach, we wound up there every morning around 9am. We waded and built sand castles until there were life guards on duty at 11am.
We found that going right and walking down towards the dunes was our favorite place to be. Most people do not want to walk very far in the sand, so if you’re willing to put in the work to walk a bit down the beach – you’ll feel like you have the beach to yourself.
There are industrial plants on either side of the beach access. We knew this going on, but when I was researching I did see that many people were caught off guard by the “urban setting.” This didn’t effect our experience one bit.
There are no shells here, but tons of cool rocks and GREAT sand. We really felt like we were at the ocean.
The water is knee height for quite a ways out, so this is a very kid-friendly swimming spot.
We also saw lots of people attempting the “dune challenge” and climbing up some of the tallest dunes. So many outdoor adventures to be had here!
Touring outside of the State Park.
There is actually quite a bit to see and do, but the State Park has so much that we didn’t venture out too much.
The only thing outside of the beach that I cared about was visiting the Michigan City Pier Lighthouse. This is about a 20 minute drive from the campground, and is a $20 entrance fee. This $20 includes access to the beach there, so you could technically make a day of it. I do think the beach at the state park is a bit more kid friendly.
We decided to catch it at sunset, so we drove into Michigan City around 6pm for ice cream at Bubbles Ice Cream Parlor at and then the lighthouse. After checking at the pier, we stayed until the sun went down and let the kids wade and play in the sand there. It was absolutely beautiful, and something I’d highly recommend!
Bubbles Ice Cream was also a 10/10!
We also tried to tour Chellberg Farm (a historic Swedish immigrant homestead), but for some reason they were closed the weekday we visited.
We did end up still taking the short walk down to the homestead and letting the kids see the farm animals and beautiful maple trees. It was still a fun outing and absolutely beautiful, but I’m sure would have been quite a bit better had we been able to tour inside!
Our recommend things to bring/tips/suggestions.
- Box fan! If you’re camping here in the middle of July like we did, you’ll be grateful for this in your tent. Absolutely the best thing about having access to electric while tent camping.
- A wagon for carrying beach gear to and from the beach. We were able to bring our cooler, beach toys, snacks, towels, etc. in this and easily walk the trail.
- Clothesline. It’s INCREDIBLE how many clothes we went through being near so much water and sand. The playground at the campsite is also sandy, so there was just… sand. sand. sand. Bringing a clothesline to hang between trees and rinse/dry clothes was a lifesaver.
- A really good bug spray. The bugs were pretty bad in the evenings, especially being along the tree line like we were. Bring a good bug spray as well as a bug bite cream (because there will be bug bites).
- There were lots of kids on bikes and scooters are the campgrounds. Many people rode their bikes down to the beach from the campground.
Our kids were pretty sad that we didn’t bring their bikes, so if you are planning to stay for more than a day and have a way to bring bikes, I think it would make for an even better experience!
Raccoons!
I don’t know if every spot was like ours, but we had a raccoon issue that forced us to put all of our food inside of our car and throw away our trash bag before bed. We heard from neighbors that raccoons are bad there all the time, and to make sure that food is put away at night (even dog food!). One of those things that’s good to know!
An overall great camping experience at Indiana Dunes State Park.
While I do wish the campsite at Indiana Dunes State Park was a bit more secluded, I think the convenience of the beach access is completely worth it. The beaches are well maintained and the campsite was very family friendly. It was a perfect spot for young kids, and is highly recommended for an all-in-one camping spot!
We had the best time at Indiana Dunes State Park, and are already planning to go back next year! This is a great place for a family to unplug and experience some real quality time, as well as fun on the beach.
