Indiana dunes national park visitor center | Informal Campsite

January 16th, 2023 by powers.corey.a

Little noise from the trains, bathrooms are not open 24/7 but was able to use my camp grill no problem. Saw another couple staying the night on the other side of the lot too

January 13th, 2023 by samschanstra

Stayed here for the night and had absolutely no problems. Didn’t see any signs that said I couldn’t park overnight.

October 22nd, 2022 by sierraindia87

Loved this spot! Gorgeous flora all around.
Pretty golden sunset against the foliage.
Outside grounds are dog friendly.
The parking lot is busy even after-hours since a lot of bikers come to ride the trail.
You can hear the highway but it wasn’t bad at night. I also heard a train but it never sounded close.
Picnic tables and trash bins.

There is a cell tower right across the street so Verizon signal was excellent.

September 18th, 2022 by jdchazin

Honestly kind of amazing that the visitor center allows overnight parking… There were a bunch of people hanging out there riding bikes and walking laps around the building into the early evening. We stayed just one night after hanging out at Indiana dunes. Our cat accidentally escaped us in the morning but we were able to recover her before nightfall. Also if you’re lucky you’ll find a geocache… can’t say where though ;-). There are portapotties all over and not many people. Fun stay.

September 14th, 2022 by itsthemannamedjack

epic spot. stupid cop patrolling the place too much, but it was safe and quiet and empty.

September 8th, 2022 by charl82

Very nice place to sleep. Little picnics tables in a garden full of flowers
Quiet and clean
Cars, Rv and bus park

July 29th, 2022 by amaranthsander

Such a great spot to sleep! Nice bathrooms when it’s open and port-a-potties when it’s not. Quiet, peaceful, beautiful wildflowers. We didn’t ask permission and we stayed two nights. A real gem of a place to park.

June 17th, 2022 by harvie.julie

Great spot! The toilets close when the visitor center closes, but they have a couple port-a-potties out in the parking lot

May 30th, 2022 by m.vermillion485

Easy and quiet spot. Free. Port-a-potties in lot. Asked inside for permission for overnight parking, they had me fill out a form and gave me a paper for my dashboard. Nice picnic table area as well.

April 27th, 2022 by nadia.arginteanu

we needed an easy place to stay overnight while driving cross country!

April 25th, 2022 by schlagelm

Nice stop. Got in late but no problems.
Pretty quiet until about 5am with traffic. Plenty of large parking areas.

April 23rd, 2022 by dkruis27

called ahead & confirmed before arriving, as others have said, a pass is no longer needed

April 7th, 2022 by Rambling Sid

Asked about the overnight pass and was told not needed and just to park where we didn’t hinder other motorists. We parked around the back of the center, the striping indicated that large vehicles would be welcome.

November 17th, 2021 by rachael809

*Updating from my previous 11/17/21 post.

I’ve been crashing almost every night for the last 3 weeks in a noticeable bright blue school bus, occasionally arriving before they close and staying until after they open in the morning. I haven’t gotten the overnight permit mentioned in previous posts. No staff have questioned me and no one patrols the lot when the visitor center is closed. The only person I’ve noticed around at night is whoever empties the garbage cans but I haven’t gotten a knock on my door yet.
**Normally I follow the “only boondock somewhere for a night or two” thing but I’m in the area for the holidays and don’t want to stay in family’s driveways that long for my sanity😅

There’s garbage cans, a dumpster, and a dog walking area.

September 29th, 2021 by roamingabout.com

Easy and level to park for any size rig. Trash, recycle, picnic tables, and place to take your dog. Friendly staff. Close to bike path, but have to drive to go hiking. Only negative, there is constant noise from highways and trains nearby. Settles down some at night.

September 19th, 2021 by andersenwc

Great place to boondock. The parking lot is spacious and far enough away from roads that nighttime serenades from crickets is all you hear. The parking lot lights aren't overbearing like big-box store lots are.

September 12th, 2021 by suzannewentley

I got a piece of paper that read “Do Not Tow” when I filled out a form at the visitors center. I doubt the four other rigs in the lot went through that step, but it was a quiet sleep and relatively near the great beaches of Lake Michigan.

September 9th, 2021 by sduenas0

Stayed last night and slept well. A lot of road noise but if you are in a camper, you should have no problem. We called ahead to make sure we could stay since we were going to arrive after hours to get the boondocking permit. They said no problem and thanks for asking. Very clean visitor center and friendly staff.

July 30th, 2021 by tulasendlesssummer

Overnight parking allowed at the visitor center. You can go in and ask for a overnight parking permit at the desk. Fill it out and they will give you a permit. Totally free.
I’m sure if you arrive after hours no one will bother you without a Pass for the night. Plenty of parking spaces big enough for a big rig.
The ranger said she thought the bathrooms even remained unlocked at night but she was not entirely sure.