Indiana Dunes State Park, Porter Police, and Indiana Dunes Tourism are
alerting the public that Fourth of July weekend is historically one of the
busiest weekends at the Indiana Dunes.
Folks are advised that—if the weather is warm and sunny on Friday, Saturday,
Sunday, or Monday of the Fourth of July weekend—traffic backups are likely
on Ind. 49, entering the park.
Brandt Baughman, park manager at Indiana Dunes State Park, said the peak
hours for entering the park are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. He urges visitors to
arrive earlier in the morning, or wait until about 3 p.m., when traffic
usually clears up and many of the early arriving guests leave and free up
parking spaces.
Baughman said that guests can help speed up the entry process by paying with
cash rather than a credit card.
Indiana Dunes Tourism Executive Director Lorelei Weimer added that West
Beach, located on Lake/Porter County Line Road in Portage, like Dunes State
Park, has extensive parking and is a good option for holiday weekends. Many
of the beach access points with smaller parking lots fill up much earlier in
the day than West Beach and Dunes State Park do.
The bottom line, said Porter Police Chief James Spanier, is to “stay patient
and expect delays.”
Baughman said Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekends are
generally the busiest weekends if the weather is good.
