News Release

New federal report highlights scale and breadth of recreation at Indiana Dunes National Park

Date: July 15, 2026
Contact: Leo Lestino

PORTER, Ind. — A newly released federal report highlights both the scale of visitation and the wide range of recreational experiences at Indiana Dunes National Park.

The FY 2024 Interagency Recreation Visitation Data Report was developed by the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation pursuant to Section 132 of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act, known as the EXPLORE Act. Enacted in January 2025, the law calls for more consistent, transparent visitation estimates for federal recreation sites and common categories for reporting recreational activities across agencies.

With more than 2.65 million recreation visits, Indiana Dunes National Park was the 70th most visited of 1,824 federal units reporting numeric totals and the 36th most visited of 398 National Park Service units with reported data, putting it in the top 5 percent nationwide and the top 10 percent within the NPS.

The report estimates that approximately 2.34 million visits involved sightseeing, a category that includes enjoying landscapes and wildlife, photography and viewing cultural resources. Approximately 1.27 million visits involved hiking, walking or running, while nearly 279,000 involved interpretation, education or nature study.

Other reported activity estimates included:

• 57,979 biking visits.
• 39,209 motorized-boating visits.
• 33,825 nonmotorized-boating visits.
• 24,137 fishing visits.
• 21,368 camping visits.

“People make millions of visits to Indiana Dunes each year, experiencing the park in many different ways,” said Acting Superintendent Leo Lestino. “Some come to spend the day along Lake Michigan, while others hike through forests and wetlands, ride bikes, paddle, fish, camp or participate in ranger programs. These numbers show both the tremendous scale of public use and the breadth of experiences the park provides.”

The report’s activity categories describe what visitors do rather than the setting they visit. Under the report’s definitions, enjoying the lakeshore may be reflected under “sightseeing,” walking along the beach under “hiking, walking and running,” and swimming under “other recreation.” Because a visitor may participate in several activities during a single trip, the activity estimates overlap and should not be added together. Definitions and data-collection methods may also vary somewhat among agencies and individual units.

“This information helps us better communicate how the public uses Indiana Dunes National Park and why continued investment in visitor services, trails, facilities, public safety and resource protection matters,” Lestino said. “Every one of these visits depends on the work of park employees, volunteers, and partners who help make meaningful experiences possible while protecting the resources visitors come here to enjoy.”

The complete report is available at Recreation.gov. 

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About the National Park Service. The National Park Service preserves America’s most treasured natural and cultural places for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations. Learn more at nps.gov.