Whihala Beach — Attraction in North Township

Calm, beautiful beach tucked away in a semi-private area of northwest Indiana. It feels like you are away from the crowded and loud city beaches that are typical of Chicago and even Indiana Dunes. Very relaxing due to its peaceful location. Ample parking available; pay for parking at the card machines then place your paper receipt on your dash to let security know you've paid; parking rates are decent in my opinion- on average for two hours: $12.50; you can add time in half hour or hour increments up to 6pm which is when it closes. Security was letting everyone know 6pm beach was closing down; large trash cans available on beach- beware of the bees which like to swarm around them!; outdoor showers available near parking lot if you need to rinse/ wash off sand. Large port-o- potties near showers too; No lifeguard on duty on beach- "swim at your own risk" water reached up to 5'6" which was comfortable ...the quaint town of Whiting was easy and interesting to navigate through on the way there. Felt like I was in another state.... Be aware that you may be stopped by a freight train(s), Amtrak, etc. for almost up to 30+ minutes right before the entrance to the beach which is what happened to me 🤦‍♀️! Everyone seemed impatient at first but when the gates lifted cheering could be heard from...

There's two halves to the park: the side that closes early (6pm) is covered in signs warning you about the need to pay to park, including clear signs directing you to meters. The other half stays open much later (8pm), offers no beach access, has far less signs warning about parking, and even less meters. They will hit you with a $100 fine within five minutes of leaving your vehicle. The entire park is under a blanket pay to park zone, and is (in my opinion) engineered to deceive visitors. I do not recommend visiting unless you arrive in the morning and pay $25 for a full day before unloading your car and riders. It doesn't matter where you park, there is no free parking anywhere, and...

I truly enjoy visiting this beautiful, serene and clean beach. I'm just a little disgrunted that they raised the parking fee from $3 to $4 per hour. They are inconsiderate of visitors who pay for full day parking of $20 and if the beach gets closed from them calling the police t order people out due to a storm, they will not give you a raincheck like the in water play ground company does. The weather can change and it's no body's fault or control of, so they need to be fair and considerate like out door water parks are and give their guest a raincheck. To charge $20 and not giving guest a full day parking is theft of...