State: Indiana
Link: https://www.nps.gov/indu/index.htm
Days: 2 full days spread across 3 days
Season: Summer
Hotel: Spring House Inn
Hikes: 8 = 7.1 miles
Ice Cream: The Beach Bucket, Valpo Velvet, Cowfe
Day 0
On our way, we drove to Grand River Brewery in Marshall, MI. The food there was good but the sweet potato fries were amazing! We drove for a few more hours and stopped at the Beach Bucket for some ice cream. The chocolate shake was a bit weird. The non-chocolate ice cream was much better. Our destination for the night ended at the Spring House Inn.
Day 1
First we went to Indiana Dunes National Park Visitor Center. From there we went on several hikes:
- Calumet trail – 0.5 miles
- Great marsh trail – 1.3 miles
- 3 Dune Challenge – 1.5 mile loop (state park)
We took a break and went to Gelsomo’s Pizza Buffet for lunch, which was very good. After that we continued on with some more hikes and places to sightsee:
- Dune ridge trail – 0.7 miles
- Bailly homestead & Chellberg Farm – 0.75 miles
We ended our journey for the day at Valpo Velvet to get some ice cream. This place was much better than the previous ice cream place we stopped at.
Day 2
In the morning, we had some relaxing time at a pool suite so we didn’t start start our exploration until later in the afternoon. First we went to Cowfe, an ice cream place. It was more yummy than the Beach Bucket but not as good as Valpo Velvet.
Next, we drove to Pullman NM in Illinois.
On our way back, we stopped for dinner at Marina Shores Yacht Club. We ate right by the marina. The food was great, service was good. We ended our night at Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Beach – 0.6 miles. It was a beautiful night with a perfect sunset.
Day 3
We started our morning doing Diana’s Dare at West Beach – 1 mile, which was easier than the 3 Dune Challenge. From there we went to the Paul Douglas Center. Next we went back to the Visitor Center to get our 3 Dune Challenge and Diana’s Dare stickers. Finally, we ended our time at the dunes by going to Mount Baldy – 0.75 miles.
On our way home, we stopped for lunch at Cool Running’s Restaurant and Bar. The food was great!
