The lowest rate was chosen by the park service because of the location of Indiana Dunes near a “large, underserved population,” the agency said. Passes will be on sale at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, the Paul H Douglas Center and, seasonally, at the West Beach entrance station or online at www. Lorelei Weimer met with Bruce Rowe, supervising park ranger at Indiana Dune National Park, to ask him about the new entrance fees. Indiana Dunes National Park will begin charging an entrance fee Thursday for all visitors, with discounts available for seniors.
You can visit as many Indiana Dunes National Park sites as you want with these passes and they are valid for up to seven days. Like any community, Indiana Dunes National Park must ensure that trails, beaches, historic sites, public buildings and everything else within the park are kept vibrant, clean, and well maintained. The park also surrounds the separately managed Indiana Dunes State Park, whose separate fee structure will not change. Indiana Dunes State Park spans over 2,000 acres with a swimming beach, a nature center and more than 16 miles of hiking trails.
However, if you stop at the park to walk along a trail, go to the beach, eat at a picnic shelter, or use other park facilities, an entrance fee must be paid. The Indiana dunes are made up of two different parks, the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Indiana Dunes State Park. Another 20% would go to a fund shared by national parks that have no quota, a fund that has benefited Indiana Dunes until now. Don't forget to “leave no trace” when you visit the Indiana dunes and take everything you bring with you when you leave.
Indiana Dunes passes will be sold at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, in Indiana 49, just outside the park in Porter, and on Paul H. Park Day, the first day of National Parks Week (April 16, 2020), the anniversary of the U.S. Outdoor Act (August 2020).