Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore - Operating Hours & Seasons (U.S. National Park Service)

one story building with a tall entrance, green roof and parking lot in front of building

Visitor Center

Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center
Open daily;
Summer hours 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Winter hours 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
The building is located near the southeast corner of U.S. Highways 49 and 20. Shared with the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission and Indiana Dunes State Park visitors receive information about the Indiana dunes and surrounding area.
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large building with tall grass in the foreground and flag pole next to building

Bath House

West Beach Bath House
9 a.m. - dusk from Memorial Day weekend till Labor Day; a user fee is charged.

$6.00 per car per day
$1.00 bicyclists/walk-ins per day
$30.00 per bus per day

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one story office building with flag pole and parking lot in front

Park Headquarters

Park Headquarters

8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday

small modern building shadowed by large trees

Contact Station

Bailly/Chellberg Contact Station
Open limited hours during some special events; associated parking lots and trails are open 7 a.m. till dusk.

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building surrounded by trees with stairs going up to it

Center for Environmental Education

Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education
Open for scheduled groups. There is a small parking for use by visitors hiking the Miller Woods Trail. The trail is open 7 a.m. to sunset daily.

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building with grass in the front and the American flag flying above the roof

Cowles Lodge

Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center
Available for groups scheduled for overnight educational visits. Call 219-395-9555 for more information.

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Front of a steep roof building with snow on the ground and United States flag flying on flag pole

Calumet Dune Interpretive Center

Calumet Dune Interpretive Center
This building, located at the corner of Highway 12 and Kemil Road, served as the national lakeshore's visitor center for many years. Today, it is operated as an Interpretive Center for scheduled programs for the public and education groups.

Calumet Dune, Ly-co-ki-we, and Dunewood Trace trails and parking lot are open from 7 a.m. till dusk, daily. They have restrooms and informational signs.
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All visitor center operations were moved to the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center in December 2007.