Indiana Dunes National Park, stretching along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, is a remarkable meeting place of water, wind, and sand. Across more than 15,000 acres, the park protects an ever-changing coastal landscape of beaches, towering dunes, wetlands, prairies, and forests. These shifting dunes and shorelines create habitats found nowhere else in the region, making Indiana Dunes one of the top ten most biodiverse parks in the entire National Park Service — all within an urban setting.
Established as a national park in 1966, these lands had long been shaped by human activity — from farming and industry to housing and transportation corridors. Today, resource managers work tirelessly to restore and protect the dunes and surrounding ecosystems, guiding the landscape back toward balance while addressing modern stressors like invasive species, pollution, climate change, and the impact of millions of annual visitors.
One of the crown jewels of this coastal ecosystem is the Great Marsh, a vast wetland tucked behind the dunes that serves as a critical stopover for migratory birds, a filter for water flowing into Lake Michigan, and a living classroom for understanding restoration in action.
Established as a national park in 1966, these lands had long been shaped by human activity — from farming and industry to housing and transportation corridors. Today, resource managers work tirelessly to restore and protect the dunes and surrounding ecosystems, guiding the landscape back toward balance while addressing modern stressors like invasive species, pollution, climate change, and the impact of millions of annual visitors.
One of the crown jewels of this coastal ecosystem is the Great Marsh, a vast wetland tucked behind the dunes that serves as a critical stopover for migratory birds, a filter for water flowing into Lake Michigan, and a living classroom for understanding restoration in action.
