Indiana Dunes National Park Mount Baldy — Attraction in Michigan City

I assumed the bike rental would be active but it stops Sept 1. I guess that's on me. Good luck trying to figure out the fee structure. This park is actually two parks in one and if you aren't sure where you're going you will probably need both.

The path I took to the beach was really overgrown and I had to brush through a lot of overgrowth which I dislike due to the risk of picking up ticks. The park is strange in the sense that it's not one big contained park. It has a lot of commercial businesses in the park and public roads and it's frankly confusing what is open to the pubic and what isn't.

I think to have a good time at this park you have to plan ahead and know exactly where you are going, what the fees are, how to get there and when to leave so you don't get locked in one of the parking lots or get a ticket.

Oh, don't trust the walking directions from google if you just type in "Mt. Baldy" it will take you to the front gate of the nuclear power plant. They don't like that, ask...

There is a decent amount of parking here but this place is very popular so be prepared. There are restrooms at the trailhead as well and even a vending machine but it was shut down when we visited in Sept 2021 (Covid ? related?). We made the whole .25 mile trip-out and back- with no shoes on - we took ours off- and it is a very easy trek to the overlook. The view from the crest of the trail is amazing and the decent to the beach is very very steep and super fun to run down. (maybe 50 feet incline) However there is a looming powerplant cooling tower to the east which is just gross to see. Lots of folks chilling on the beach and a good number of kids climbing the dunes that say DO NOT CLIMB all...

This part of the world is full of surprises. We were greeted and educated by park ranger Gen. He was able to help us maximize our adventure during our visit with just a few suggestions. I loved the experiences at the campground. The sites are more close quarters than anticipated, a weird train noise at night but the facilities were top tier which made the experience close to what I consider a luxury experience comparatively to other National park facilities. It was a great experience and would definitely...