Indiana Dunes National Park

Along the southern curve of Lake Michigan, wind and waves have piled sand into dunes that rise sixty metres above the water, and behind them lies one of the most botanically diverse stretches of ground in the country: because northern boreal species, eastern woodland, prairie and desert-adapted dune plants all meet here, the park records well over a thousand plant species in a small area, a fact that helped found the science of ecological succession. Beaches run for miles with the Chicago skyline visible across the water on a clear day. The Three Dune Challenge climbs the three highest dunes in quick succession and is harder than it sounds. Steel mills stand immediately either side, which is part of the park's odd character.

What you actually see

• The dunes and beaches - miles of sand with the Chicago skyline across the water.
• The Three Dune Challenge - the short, steep climb over the three highest dunes.
• The plant diversity - boreal, prairie and dune species meeting in one place.
• The Pinhook Bog - a rare quaking bog, visited on ranger-led walks.

When to go

May to October for swimming and walking, with summer weekends extremely busy as Chicago empties onto the beaches; September and October are quieter and pleasant. Winter brings ice shelves along the shore, which are spectacular and dangerous.

Honest expectations

This is not wilderness: working steel mills stand on either side and are visible from the beaches, which some visitors find jarring and others find honest. Summer weekends are packed and parking fills by mid-morning. Swimming carries a real risk from rip currents and structural currents near the piers, and drownings happen most years.

Nearby

Chicago is an hour west; the Indiana Dunes State Park sits inside the national park boundary.