Almost every September, I fly to Chicago for a work conference. More often than not, my hotel room isn’t ready when I arrive in the morning. I leave my bags with the hotel and go walk the city. But this time, I rented a car and made the hour drive to check out a National Park!

I flew from TPA to MDW and landed at 9:00 AM. I only had a carry-on bag with me, so I took the shuttle to the rental car facility at MDW, picked up my car, and headed southeast. 

Indiana Dunes was originally named a National Lakeshore in 1966. In 2019, it was designated as our 61st National Park. I arrived at the west entrance and spoke with a great park ranger. I let him know that it was my first visit and I was not as prepared as I normally am for a National Park. He provided a map, directions, and recommendations. 

With limited time, I chose to do the West Beach Trail. You can do this full trail, or take a shorter route to the dunes and the beach. I wanted the full experience so I started my trek up the many stairs ahead of me! The trail was great – in addition to a lot of stairs, be ready for a lot of sand! I kicked my shoes off when the stairs finally ended and went barefoot the rest of the way. 

At the beach, there is a large area with restrooms, showers, and a concession stand.  

Alltrails stats for West Beach: Length – 1 mi; Elevation Gain – 75 ft; Route Type – Loop; Difficulty – Easy