Indiana Dunes National Park hiking guide
Dune Succession Trail
A 1-mile loop with 81 ft of climbing in West Beach, rated moderate.
Key facts
- Length
- 1.0 mi (1.6 km)
- Elevation gain
- 81 ft (25 m)
- Route type
- Loop
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Area
- West Beach
- Highest point
- 689 ft
- Lowest point
- 587 ft
About Dune Succession Trail
Climb 270 wooden steps up Diana's Dune, where the top looks out over the parking lot and the southern shore of Lake Michigan. The route passes forest and cottonwood stands before reaching open dunes, where waysides explain how beach sand becomes wooded dune over time. Sand cherries, hop trees and little bluestem mark the shifting plant communities, and the route ends at the beach, where Alice Gray once lived in a shack.
Route map
This route was checked by Parka editors.
