I love when something wonderful happens and it's something you never expected, never imagined, never even knew about . . . that's how our hike to Indiana Dunes National Park happened and it goes like this:
Ranger Dave and Kalamity Karla had finally pulled the trigger on buying an RV for the 1st time. Me and Producerman had just traded in our 2004 (38 footer) for a 2019 (26 footer) and both of us needed to put some miles on the tires. So Ranger Dave, being who he is, came up with the idea (and location) to meet in Indiana at the (then) newest designated National Park - Indiana Dunes. Kevin looked at me, "what the heck's in Indiana?" But we know to trust Ranger Dave's choices and we set off for a little adventure.
We rendezvoused in the National Park at our campsites. We really liked the private feel of each site, with natural vegetation acting as a buffer between you and your neighbor. We had a lovely fire, clean and level site. It is only boondocking sites so come prepared. After discussing things and planning our hiking shenanigans for the next couple of days, we decided to move and stay in the State Park campgrounds. It turned out to be more convenient and closer to our hiking trails. (Neither of us had a vehicle to drive.) So it was "jacks up" and down the road to the Indiana Dunes State Park campgrounds. We were thrilled with our decision too. The campgrounds have full hookups, nice, clean facilities, and our sites were located right at the bottom of one of the hikes. Perfect!
The day we arrived was a little overcast and misty, but that didn't stop us from hiking the 1.5 mile 3-Dune Challenge and getting our toes wet in Lake Michigan. This was just the beginning of each of us taking turns saying, "Wow, this is a really cool hike!" "Wow, this is a really cool place!" "Wow, I have never hiked something like this, so diverse." Day two felt like the universe was showing off for us because we could not have asked for more beautiful day to see Indiana Dunes and Lake Michigan.
National Park #61 really is an unexpected treat! It's deep sand hiking + boardwalk + thick woods + marshy wetlands + sandy beaches . . . a feast for the eyes, ears, nose and soul. It was such a spectacular day that we filmed a little of it for you. Check it out in video below. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
