We've been doing all the outdoor things lately. By design since we have a dog we take everywhere with us. Our main reason for visiting Chicago was seeing friends, but we had Saturday to do whatever we wanted. It's been a few years since we visited Indiana Dunes National Park (read about that visit here). Last time, we step time at the State Park, but this time we hung out on the beach and hiked a trail on the sand dunes.
It was a hot day, but getting there later in the afternoon meant we missed out on the hot sun high in the sky. The sand wasn't hot anymore, the cold water still felt wonderful, and the beach wasn't overly crowded. All things that made us happy!
This National Park has several different segments. We chose Kemil Beach and the nearby Dune Ridge Trail because both were dog friendly. I had really hoped to check out Mount Baldy, but we didn't make the time to go. We did check out the 1933 World's Fair Progress Homes, which were super cool to see!
I forgot how many cool rocks are on the beach!
The Dune Ridge Trail wasn't long at all, but hiking on the sand is a killer!
This National Park is an easy weekend trip for us, so I don't feel terrible about missing some things in the park. I'll admit, that last hike up and down sand dunes did me in. I was happy to relax at our hotel....even though I had a kid who couldn't stop talking and asking me question, after question. I guess that's one way to end a day exploring!
** While the city the National Park is in has options for stays and restaurants, we went to nearby Merrillville, IN (about 20 minutes away from the beach) for a larger selection of hotels and amenities. We were traveling with our large black lab and hotels in that area gave us many more choices for a better price. The Airbnb's we looked into seemed pricey (compared to what we paid in Texas and New Mexico). The National Park is around one hour from downtown Chicago, IL. We've often paired our vist to this park with a visit to the city.