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| We visited the Dunes National Lakeshore east of Gary, Indiana in 2017. 9/7/2017 dwm photo |
The Indiana Dunes National Park has been part of the Federal system for some time, but the effort to name it a national park started in 1916!
In 1966 it became a National Lakeshore. Other than the new name now in place, nothing's changed for a beautiful stretch of land saved for people to enjoy in the middle of dozens of factories.
There is a lot to save.
The dunes are home to wetlands, prairies, and oak savannas. There are a lot of different flora and fauna - hundreds of bird and mammal species and 1,100 types of native plants.
I was surprised to learn the dunes move, up to four feet a year!
The more established dunes can be anchored by native grasses and trees, as they move further inland.
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| Lake Michigan and the weather add to and move dunes each year. 9/7/17 (dwm) |
My parents spent their honeymoon along the Indiana Dunes Lakeshore. 56 years later, I got a look at the main attraction.
Just its location on the lake pulls people in, but the mountains of sand are awe-inspiring.
Indiana Dunes are the closest National Park to a large swatch of the Midwest.
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| On actively moving dunes - trails are carefully marked. (dwm) |
It was already attracting tens of thousands of visitors a year; I suspect its new status will entice more to plan a trip.
Lake shore dunes are abundant as you drive up the west coast of Michigan. There are so many, some are used for dune-buggies and motorized recreation while others are protected as state or county parks.
You will want to shake out your shoes after visiting or be careful walking barefoot and wiggling your toes on the beach.
I'm glad the Indiana Dunes is the 61st National Park - especially because it isn't somewhere you might suspect (like the Rocky Mountains, in the desert, or the open prairies).
It's a reminder that wonderful sections of nature are around us - even in the midst of industry.
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