Memorial Day Camping at Indiana Dunes
We braved the rain forecast and enjoyed three days in the state and national parks
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The first time we visited Indiana Dunes was shortly after we got back into camping with the kids. The state park is typically booked all summer long, but we managed to get a spot in August. Even though it meant a camping trip after school started, we made the reservations and enjoyed the park after a two-hour drive from Fort Wayne.
The next time we went to Indiana Dunes was a couple of weeks before we made the big move to Texas. My husband’s siblings and parents decided to join us for a mini-reunion during the Fourth of July weekend. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to Lake Michigan before moving south.
Honestly, we never thought we would camp there again. But after we moved back to Indiana, it worked its way up our Indiana state parks list of places we wanted to revisit. When we made our Memorial Day reservations as soon as they opened up online, we jumped at the chance to camp near our favorite lake at the end of May.
I had been giddy all of Friday. It was the last day of school for both kids, but I was still facing a return to school for two days after Memorial Day for exams and to finish grading. Still, I could not wait to leave. I was ready for a couple of days to enjoy my family, nature, and rest before finishing the school year.
The forecast for the weekend wasn’t great. The entire Midwest was supposed to be battered by storms all weekend. But we still headed north and Jeff safely navigated us through some scary wind, rain, and lightning before arriving at a clear northern Indiana campsite. Despite the late arrival, we had enough sunlight to set up camp, for the kids to take a few laps around with their bikes, and for me to put the pulled pork enchiladas on the grill for a late dinner. (See the video below for the recipe.)
The next day our son couldn’t wait to get onto the dunes. It was the only fully clear day in the forecast, so as soon as we finished breakfast we packed up the truck and drove to the nature center, which we quickly realized was completely unnecessary. Everything in the state park is an easy walk or bike ride, but we had forgotten just how close everything was. Our kids toured the nature center, we checked the hiking maps, and then we embarked on the 3 Dune Challenge, a 1.5-mile hike with climbs of 552 vertical feet while digging shoes or bare feet into soft sand. It was not without challenges, but it was a beautiful, clear day and we could see Chicago thirty miles across Lake Michigan.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the beach, stopping at the National Park visitor center to get our stamp and information, and hanging out at the campground. As an extra fun side trip, we found the Schoolhouse Shop in the national park. It’s an old schoolhouse that was turned into a house and then eventually a series of specialty shops. It was a fun stop.
Concerned about the incoming rain, I told my family I was determined to see at least one sunset over Lake Michigan. A friend came over from Valparaiso for some campfire and beach time, so we walked to the beach while the rest of the family rode their bikes. I’m not sure how much of the sunset my kids saw. They were both pretty focused on skipping rocks on the little inlet next to the big lake.
I had hoped for a hike on Sunday morning before the rain hit, but by the time we wrapped up breakfast, the sky was spitting at us. Instead, we decided to complete the Indiana Dunes Coffee and Sweets Trail, courtesy of local tourism boards and the National Park. We stopped at four local coffee and pastry shops and tried out the local goods, rewarded with a new mug when we returned to the visitor center later in the day.
Since we were already out, we also made a quick stop at the Albanese Candy Factory Outlet in Hobart, Indiana, and left with a pile of messed-up gummies. By the time we arrived back at the campground and I walked both dogs, it had cleared out enough that we were able to finally return to the national park so we could do the Diana of the Dunes Dare, finishing one more dune hike before the weekend was complete.
We wrapped up the weekend with one more bike ride to the lake to watch the sunset over Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. I could have stared out over my favorite lake until well after sunset, but then we would have had to ride our bikes back in the dark. A campfire awaited us, and after more s’mores and pies we packed up the outdoor gear before a little more rain fell on its way out of the region.
I found Adam Grant’s words on Instagram particularly timely as we prepared to pack up and head home on Monday. I saw the weekend as a perfect end to the school year and I felt refreshed as I headed back to school on Tuesday morning. This was how I wanted to start summer with my family.
And of course, what trip to a campground would be complete without a stop to put my first book into a Little Free Library before my next book comes out. You can read the first section of the book for free by going to this BookFunnel free giveaway!
Want to see all of the pictures from our weekend? You can access the full gallery here.
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