West Beach Picnic Shelters
This place has sites and nobody may sleep in them.Ask for camping here →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 15 of the next 15 nights read 15:22 UTC
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 3 notices
In the agency’s own words
Indiana Dunes National Park hugs 15 miles (24 km) of the southern shore of Lake Michigan and has much to offer. Whether you enjoy scouting for rare species of birds or flying kites on the sandy beach, the national park's 16,000 acres will continually enchant you. Hikers will enjoy 50 miles (80 km) of trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers and peaceful forests. Keep reading
Recreation
There is no one-size-fits-all trip to the dunes. Each season offers new and different ways to enjoy Indiana Dunes National Park. Spring splashes the river banks of the Heron Rookery with an abundance of colorful wildflowers in this birder's paradise. Lake Michigan summer sunsets paint the skies with vibrant rays that offer a picture-perfect picnic setting. In the fall, Maple trees burst with warm red and golden hues crafting a spectacular backdrop for a hike by the Chellberg Farm and winter brings a scenic canvas of virgin white snow begging for a cross-country skiing adventure in the Glenwood Dunes. As the seasons change, so do the recreational opportunities, park facility operating hours and closures and safety concerns. Here is a list of some of the activities that occur in the National Park: Beach-going & Swimming, Biking, Bird Watching, Camping, Fishing & Boating, Hiking, Geocaching, Historical Sites, Horseback Riding, Interpretive Programs, Picnic, Winter Activities and Guided Tours. Check the Calendar page on our website for our list of Ranger-led programs.
Facilities
West Beach offers eight universally accessible picnic shelters. Seasonal restrooms and potable water are available at the picnic area from mid-May through mid-October, while year-round restrooms and potable water are available at the contact station. A bathhouse with showers and lockers is open seasonally. The West Beach parking lot has 596 spots including 20 bus/RV parking sites. Please note the lot may fill up on holiday weekends.
Natural Features
Indiana Dunes National Park is a treasure of diverse natural resources located within an urban setting. The national park features communities that have both scientific and historic significance to the field of ecology. In addition, four National Natural Landmarks (including Pinhook Bog and Cowles Bog ) and one National Historical Landmark (the Bailly Homestead ) are located within its boundaries. The park is comprised of over 15,000 acres (6070 ha) of dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests. It contains 15 miles (24 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline spanning the distance from Gary to Michigan City. Lake Michigan is part of the largest complex of freshwater lakes in the world. The national park's beaches are the park's most significant recreational resource. For more information on our natural features visit the Nature and Science page on the park website.
Nearby Attractions
Visit the Nearby Attractions page on the park website. Charges & Cancellations
What the agency tells you
- Operating Hours. West Beach is open daily from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm. - Reservations. The shelters are reservable starting six months in advance of the arrival date. The reservation allows day use from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm. Note: the shelter reservation fee is separate from the park's entrance fee. - Park Entrance Fee. A valid entrance pass or receipt is required for all visitors. You may pay upon arrival at the Visitor Center on Highway 49 in Porter, IN, seasonally at the West Beach Kiosk, or purchase in advance. Indiana Dunes also honors Federal interagency passes (annual, senior, access, 4th grade, Golden Age, etc.). For more information, visit the Indiana Dunes Fees & Passes page. - No Collecting. The removal of rocks, shells, and fossils is strictly prohibited. - Pets. Pets are permitted everywhere on a leash (6' or shorter) with the exception of the lifeguarded swimming area, which is maintained from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through the Monday of Labor Day weekend. - No Glass Containers. Glass containers are prohibited on all beaches. - No Fires. Fires are prohibited on all beaches. - Restrooms. Year round restrooms and potable water at the contact station. Seasonal restrooms and potable water at the picnic area from mid-May through mid-October. - Bathhouse and Showers. Bathhouse with showers and lockers is open seasonally. - Accessibility. There are 8 covered picnic shelters near the West Beach parking lot that are wheelchair accessible. - Parking. The parking lot has 596 spots includng 20 for busses or RV's (parking lot can fill up on holiday weekends).
A valid entrance pass or receipt is requried for all visitors. For more information, go to the fees and passes page .
Use of any type of confetti or any other party favor that can be left behind is prohibited.
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- ACCESSIBLE FLUSH TOILETS on 8 of 8 campsite records
- Showers
- Seasonal Showers
- “A bathhouse with showers and lockers is open seasonally.”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- DRINKING WATER on 8 of 8 campsite records
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Beach
- Accessible Swimming
- Backpacking
- Guided Interpretive Walks
- Ranger programs
- Swimming
7 of 8 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 15:22 UTC
The agency files 8 records here and marks every one of them day use, not overnight. On its own record there’s nothing here to spend the night in.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 17
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 15:22 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
8 records
All 8 records
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Chellberg Farm Picnic SheltersIndiana Dunes National Park · 6.1 mi
Dunbar Group SiteIndiana Dunes National Park · 11 mi
Dunewood CampgroundIndiana Dunes National Park · 12 mi
Central Avenue Walk-in SitesIndiana Dunes National Park · 14 miThe address for West Beach is 376 North County Line Road, Gary, IN 46403
For more detailed directions for all areas of the park visit the Directions page on the park website.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Portage, IN
Typical weather
Typical October night 45°F, day 62°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 18°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
West Beach Picnic Shelters is in Indiana’s 1st congressional district. Its representative, Frank Mrvan (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
The agency’s own record files sites here and marks every one of them day use. The draft asks whether any could open to overnight camping, and if not, why.
- The member who votes the moneyFrank J. MrvanU.S. Representative · Indiana’s 1st district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationJim BanksU.S. Senator · Indiana
- Your senator, on the same appropriationTodd YoungU.S. Senator · Indiana
Read the draft, or change the wording
Asks them to put the same question to the agency in writing.
Subject West Beach Picnic Shelters has sites, and nobody may sleep in them
Dear Frank J. Mrvan, I’m a constituent in Indiana’s 1st district. West Beach Picnic Shelters, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana carries 8 records on the National Park Service’s own file, every one of them marked day use rather than overnight. I’m asking you to put one question to the National Park Service in writing: would they consider opening any of these sites to overnight camping, and if not, why not? Road trips and camping on public land are part of how this country knows itself. It’s where a lot of people meet the place they live in for the first time, and it has never been something you had to be well off, or well organised six months in advance, to do. Sent about West Beach Picnic Shelters (Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the same question to the agency in writing.
Subject West Beach Picnic Shelters has sites, and nobody may sleep in them
Dear Jim Banks, I’m a constituent in Indiana. West Beach Picnic Shelters, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana carries 8 records on the National Park Service’s own file, every one of them marked day use rather than overnight. I’m asking you to put one question to the National Park Service in writing: would they consider opening any of these sites to overnight camping, and if not, why not? Road trips and camping on public land are part of how this country knows itself. It’s where a lot of people meet the place they live in for the first time, and it has never been something you had to be well off, or well organised six months in advance, to do. Sent about West Beach Picnic Shelters (Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the same question to the agency in writing.
Subject West Beach Picnic Shelters has sites, and nobody may sleep in them
Dear Todd Young, I’m a constituent in Indiana. West Beach Picnic Shelters, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana carries 8 records on the National Park Service’s own file, every one of them marked day use rather than overnight. I’m asking you to put one question to the National Park Service in writing: would they consider opening any of these sites to overnight camping, and if not, why not? Road trips and camping on public land are part of how this country knows itself. It’s where a lot of people meet the place they live in for the first time, and it has never been something you had to be well off, or well organised six months in advance, to do. Sent about West Beach Picnic Shelters (Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana) via campanac.com