Kemil Beach and Dune Ridge Trail Parking Lot — Local services in Chesterton

This was my first time visiting for a birthday bbq. The park rangers were friendly and helpful. The trails and historical homes were fun to see. My family and I enjoyed the beach, which is absolutely beautiful. I'm giving 3 stars because parking is scarce. The reception is non existent and we had to walk about 20-30 minutes, in the heat, from the 1st parking lot all the way to where our bbq was being held. My 75 year old mother had to take continuous stops while walking because of arthritis. My 2 little ones enjoyed the walk up to a point before their little legs started to cramp not to mention I'm 7 months pregnant. Overall it's beautiful and very peaceful. It's a nice place to unplug. Arrive Early. If you have to take that Walk from the 1st parking lot to the other lots bring a bike or scooter and a stroller for the little ones. Speak with your party and get all the location details before arriving because the reception isn't great....

It's open later than most places which I really enjoy. It is nice getting to walk the beach and see the dune forest, then watch the sunset and wait for the stars to come up. The fee they started is fine, but really wish they would mail us our passes because I work during all their open hours and no way to display that I have a pass in my dashboard-tried writing out my numbers on a paper for them but it was not good enough. Add 4 dollar fee to the already yearly fee and u can mail us our passes to display...

Great dog beach but very limited parking. Be prepared to walk from the parking lot but it’s not much of a walk really. I’ve been to a few dog beaches in Illinois and Indiana around Lake Michigan and this one by far is the cleanest and most expansive. Public bathrooms at parking lot so if you have to go, go before you head to the beach to save...