During the steamy summer months, Indiana Dunes State Park and its Lake Michigan beach fill with eager visitors seeking fun and recreation.
Long lines of vehicles gridlock Indiana 49 as far north as U.S. 12 as visitors from Northwest Indiana and nearby states journey to the park.
Last year, nearly 2 million visitors flocked to the popular park for its beaches, hiking trails and camping. Beachgoers and campers with big recreational vehicles must all pass through a single entrance along Indiana 49.
Improving congestion and emergency response time at the single entrance point has led state officials to begin exploring a second entrance for the popular park, although no timeline has been set for the improvement.
State Department of Natural Resources spokesman Marty Benson said the state initiated the project and conversations were in the initial phase.
“We look forward to discussing the possibility of a second entrance further with local officials and other stakeholders,” he said last week.
Tremont Road in Porter is the targeted site for the second entrance.
So far, Benson said the DNR has begun talking with officials at the Indiana Department of Transportation “with the goal of improving access to customers and emergency services at one of its most visited state parks.”
Porter Fire Chief Jay Craig sees the multi-jurisdictional layers that surround the park as the biggest hurdle to establishing another entrance.
The state park spans over 2,000 acres with about 16 miles of hiking trails, a campground, nature center and a pavilion/restaurant that overlooks the lake.
The Indiana Dunes National Park is located on both the east and west sides of the state park.
The state park lies within Westchester Township and Craig said it contracts with Porter for fire and emergency services at the park.
Craig, a career firefighter who’s been chief since 2018, said peak times can be dangerous for firefighters on firetrucks trying to get around backups.
One of the solutions is for firetrucks to go in the wrong lane of Indiana 49 to evade congestion.
“My biggest fear is having to take our emergency vehicles down the wrong lane of traffic,” Craig said. “We work well with the state park. When they know we’re coming, they’ll hold traffic.”
During summer holidays, Craig said the fire department will station firefighters on ATVs inside the park to respond quickly to emergencies.
Citing budget constraints and increases for maintenance and upkeep, the state raised entry fees to the state park for 2026.
The new out-of-state entry fee is $20, up from $12. The out-of-state annual pass for any DNR property increased from $70 to $120.
The DNR calculated that the nonresident fee hikes would increase revenues by more than $1.5 million. It includes $574,192 in daily entry fees and $155,744 from the sale of annual passes at Dunes State Park.
State Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, said he visits the state park regularly and sees traffic backups frequently.
Pol and other Northwest Indiana lawmakers sent a letter to state officials last month in support of the DNR’s consideration of a second park entrance. They said it would provide greater safety and security to visitors, first responders and area residents.
They said the state park and national park reported $236 million in direct spending and $135 million in total economic impact to the surrounding region last year.
The state park hosted 1,992,602 visitors in 2024.
The letter stated the park entrance has exceeded its functional capacity. The entrance being explored uses Tremont Road, less than a mile east of Indiana 49. It would ease the access for visitors and emergency responders, they said.
Pol said lawmakers heard concerns from constituents about the congestion in the summer and their safety worries.
“The Dunes is the most incredible place in Indiana and we have to ensure any more encroachments on this beautiful land are done with the smallest impact and only as absolutely necessary to safely enjoy the Dunes,” Pol said.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
