News Release

Beach at Mount Baldy to Reopen at National Lakeshore

Date: July 12, 2017

INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE: The National Park Service has announced that the beach at Mount Baldy, located in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, will reopen on July 14th at noon. The Mount Baldy area has been closed since the summer of 2013 when holes began opening up on the dune’s surface from decaying trees. Safe access to the beach was also destroyed by beach erosion.

Even with the beach open, the dune at Mount Baldy will remain closed for public safety and dune protection. Access to the beach is from the Mount Baldy parking lot via a designated trail directly west of the dune. The trail is about 1/2 mile long and somewhat strenuous. The trail travels through an oak woodland and a newly marked trail will guide visitors from the wooded trail down to the beach.  Please use only the marked route for your safety and resource protection and pay attention to all park signs.

This is a very popular beach area and the parking lot is expected to fill quickly. Visitors are advised to arrive early on weekends and holidays to get a parking spot. The beach is open from 6:00 am – 11:00 pm. With high lake levels the beach area may be limited. There are no lifeguards at this beach so swimmers must understand the dangers of Lake Michigan before entering the water. Swimming is strongly discouraged when there is rough water or large waves due to the danger of potential rip currents. Even with calm water, non-swimmers and children should always be very closely monitored by an adult. There are no trash cans provided, so beach goers are asked to pack out their trash.

While visitors can no longer climb the Mount Baldy dune, weekly ranger-guided hikes are offered to the top of the dune. During the summer, these tours are offered everySunday at 10:00 a.m. along with sunset tours on August 5^th and September 2^nd.  For more information and to reserve a spot on one of these free hikes, call the park visitor center at 219-395-1882. 

www.nps.gov/indu

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of 417 units of the National Park System ranging from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. Located in Northwest Indiana, the park includes 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 15,000 acres of biologically diverse beaches, woods, prairies, and marshes. Up to 2 million visitors come to the Indiana Dunes each year. Check our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IndianaDunesNL.