News Release

Black Friday Opt Outside Hikes at National Lakeshore

Date: November 13, 2018

Instead of shopping on Black Friday, “Opt Outside” for a free, expert-led, family-friendly hike at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on Friday, November 23, from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm at West Beach. Co-sponsored by Save the Dunes, the interactive hike will be led by regional experts in fields such as birding, botany, insects, geology, and ecology.
 
We will hike up to 3.5 miles based on conditions with easy cut-offs back to the parking lot for shorter hikes of 1 mile and 2 miles in length. The hike is moderate in difficulty with over 250 stairs and some sections of loose sand.
 
For those who cannot make the afternoon hike at West Beach, we will also offer a ranger-led, "Opt Outside Hike" from 9:00 am to 11:00 am through the gorgeous Miller Woods. Meet the ranger for this morning hike at the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education. 
 
These hikes were inspired by REI’s #OtpOutside movement, in which millions of people and hundreds of organizations are involved in outdoor activities on the day after Thanksgiving, aka Black Friday. Everyone is invited to share these events or share their “opt outside” story by using the hash tag #OptOutside.
 
For the afternoon hike, please meet at the West Beach parking lot, located at 376 North County Line Road in Portage, about one half mile north of U.S. Highway 12. For the morning hike, meet at the Paul H. Douglas Center located at 100 North Lake Street, in the Miller neighborhood of Gary. 

For more information on these or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, call 219-395-1882 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/indu and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IndianaDunesNL. For information about the Save the Dunes organization, please visit www.savedunes.org and www.facebook.com/savedunes.