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Indiana Dunes National Park Trip

     Mid-October of last year (2022) my two girls and I took a day trip to Indiana Dunes National Park, and it did not disappoint! We started the day early as we had lots to explore and only a day's time to do so!  

    We started off with the famous 3 Dune Challenge. Here we were able to climb three of the tallest sand dunes in the state park. The challenge starts on trail 8, was 1.5 miles in length, and labeled as the toughest trail in the park with 552 vertical feet! One step forward at times felt like two steps back. None of this stopped my adventurous four- and six-year-old, they had an absolute blast climbing up them!  

    At the top of each three dunes there is breathtaking view (which is a nice place to take a rest after all that climbing and to prepare yourself for the next climb) and of course a photo opportunity! 

                                                


Top of Mt. Jackson!



Views are top notch!  

    After finishing the 3 Dunes Challenge trail be sure to stop by the visitor center for a sticker of completion like we did.

              By the time we completed all of this, it was past lunch time, and we were starving. So, it was time to pop the hatch of our lovely Honda Odyssey and eat a picnic lunch. I love packing picnic lunches for the three of us!

After lunch we traveled over to the Park Pavillion and walked the beach to take in the view! (The food smelled amazing so I would recommend giving it a try!) The outline of the beautiful city of Chicago can be seen from the beach here! 

 Next on our to do list for the day was the Diana of the Dunes Dare! Once parked here at the west beach, the beginning of the one-mile trail will start off with a very tall staircase and at the top you will be rewarded with yet another spectacular view! (Chicago can also be seen from here.) The rest of the trail has its ups and downs with beautiful views throughout. I would highly recommend this trail. Once completed you can then go grab your sticker badge of completion form the visitor center!

                             



                              



The little bit of daytime we had left after this trail, the girls and I decided to hang out on the beach and play in the sand, run along the water line, and walk parts of the trails nearby to explore. 

Once leaving our last stop was to stop by the main Visitor Center to collect our stickers for completing our hikes for the day. All three of us got to choose which sticker we wanted, and the girls received their first National Park stamp here as well! 

 Visiting the Visitor Center would be a great place to start your day if your new to the area! Here you can gather all the information you'll need for the day and pay your park fees as well! The address to the Visitor Center is 1215 IN-49, Porter, IN 46304. Don't forget to snap a photo of the sign as well here! 

National Park Visitor Center

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