Dunes, Cowles Bog & Lake Michigan Swim

A 4.7-mile loop through one of the most botanically significant landscapes in the Midwest — the bog was named for Henry Chandler Cowles, the University of Chicago ecologist who founded the science of plant succession here in 1899. The trail passes through interdunal wetlands, sedge meadows, and black oak savanna before hitting a mile of Lake Michigan beach. Boardwalk sections protect rare pitcher plants and sundew.

The most underrated picnic spot in the dunes region — a restored 1930s bathhouse, a breakwater pier extending 800 feet into Lake Michigan, and calm swimming waters protected from the open-lake chop by the pier. The riverwalk portion follows Little Calumet River through cattail marsh to the lake.

A casual lakeside grill near the Indiana Dunes National Park entrance offering burgers, fish & chips, and cold drinks — a practical pit stop between trailheads.

At 126 feet, Mount Baldy is the tallest 'living dune' in Indiana Dunes National Park — it moves inland roughly 4 feet per year as prevailing winds push the sand mass, slowly burying the forest behind it. Trees that were swallowed decades ago re-emerge on the lake face as silver ghost forms. Guided summit hikes are the only permitted access; the view from the crest takes in Chicago's skyline to the northwest and the Indiana shoreline curving east toward Michigan. The interpretive guided hike program operates seasonally — verify availability on the Indiana Dunes National Park website before visiting.