06/11/2025
Good to know which pass is needed.
Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park are two different parks with different fee structures
It’s confusing, to be sure.
On the one hand, Porter County is home to Indiana Dunes State Park, owned and administered by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
On the other hand, Porter County—along with Lake and LaPorte counties—is also home to Indiana Dunes National Park, owned and administered by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of Interior.
Two utterly different parks with no connection at all except their names and proximity (the State Park is actually sandwiched between large swaths of the National Park on its east and west sides).
Which means that entry fees for one are NOT applicable to the other, and that each requires a DIFFERENT fee or pass to enter.
Fortunately, Indiana Dunes Tourism has prepared a handy guide to the relevant fee and pass structures for each.
ANNUAL PASSES: INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK
*$45: Only useable at Indiana Dunes National Park sites.
*$80: American the Beautiful National Parks Pass (covers entrance fees for all national parks in the U.S.)
*$100 maximum: Commercial fee for buses.
ANNUAL PASSES: INDIANA DUNES STATE PARK
*$50: In-state annual pass, useable at all Indiana State Park sites.
*$75: Non-resident annual pass, also useable at all Indiana State Park sites.
DAY/WEEK PASSES: INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK
*$15: Seven-day pass per person for walk-ins, bike-in, and boat-ins ($25 maximum per family group.
*$20: Seven-day motorcycle pass.
*$25: Seven-day carload/family pass.
DAY PASSES: INDIANA DUNES STATE PARK
*$7: In-state daily vehicle/family pass.
*$12: Out-of-state daily vehicle/family pass.
WHERE TO PURCHASE PASSES: INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK
*The Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education, 100 N. Lake St., Gary.
*West Beach Gatehouse, 376 N. County Line Road, Gary.
*Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center, 1215 N. Ind. 49, Porter.
*At store.usgs.gov/recreational-passes
WHERE TO PURCHASES PASSES: INDIANA DUNES STATE PARK
*The Indiana Dunes State Park Gatehouse, 1600 N. C.R. 25E.
*At in.gov/dnr
WHICH PARK IS WHICH?
*There is only one vehicular entrance to Indiana Dune State Park: Via Ind. 49. If you’re at the Pavilion, the Nature Center, or Wilson Shelter—if you’re taking the 3 Dunes Challenge or hiking the Trail 10/2 Loop—you’re in Indiana Dunes State Park.
*If you’re at any of the following sites, you’re in Indiana Dunes National Park: Chellberg Farm and Bailly Homestead; Porter Beach; West Beach; Kemil Beach; Lake View Beach; Central Ave. Beach; Mt. Baldy; Pinhook Bog; the Paul H. Douglas Center; Miller Woods; the Great Marsh; Cowles Bog; Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk; the Heron Rookery.
