Climbing Dunes

Please note: A new National Park entrance fee has been added. Learn more here.

Visitors can enjoy a fantastic hike up Mount Tom any time of year in the Indiana Dunes State Park, or join a ranger on a scheduled hike to the top of Mount Baldy in the National Park.

At 192 feet above Lake Michigan, Mount Tom is the highest dune in the state of Indiana. Mount Holden, at 184 feet, and Mount Jackson, at 176 feet, complete the set of high dunes that are accessible on the Indiana Dunes State Park's Trail 8. This serene, forested trail takes visitors up and over all three of these beautiful dunes, starting at the Wilson Shelter and finishing on the beach at the Pavilion and Beach House.

At just 1.5 miles, Trail 8 is one of the more rugged trails in the park, but the view from the top of Mount Tom is definitely worth the 100-plus steps that must be climbed to reach the peak! Visitors can delight in the stunning views of Lake Michigan, or the skyline of Chicago on a clear day, from the peak.