Indiana Dunes National Park sits about 45 miles west of South Bend along the Lake Michigan shore — roughly an hour by road. We run flat-rate trips out there from anywhere in Michiana, including round trips with a wait.
Getting there from South Bend
It's a quoted flat rate, not metered. The distance puts it outside standard local fares, so call and we'll price the trip before you book. You'll know the number up front.
Round trips with a wait are the usual arrangement. There's no realistic way back otherwise — public transport doesn't serve the park from this direction, and rideshare coverage out there is thin. Wait time runs $35 per hour.
One-way drop-offs work too if you're being collected by someone else or continuing on the South Shore Line, which stops at Dune Park and Beverly Shores.
Vans for groups. A family or a hiking group travels together with room for coolers, chairs and beach kit.
Book ahead in summer. Weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the busy season for the park and for us.
Full local fare list on the rates page. Long-distance trips are always quoted individually.
What's out there
The park itself
Around 15,000 acres along fifteen miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Protected as a National Lakeshore in 1966 and redesignated a national park in 2019 — America's 61st, and Indiana's only one.
Beaches
Swimming, sunbathing and picnicking along the lake, with Chicago's skyline visible across the water on a clear day. West Beach and Porter Beach are the usual starting points.
Trails
More than 50 miles of them across eleven trail systems. The Dune Succession Trail climbs the dunes for the lake view; Cowles Bog winds through a rare quaking bog that's a National Natural Landmark.
Birdwatching
Over 350 recorded species. The mix of dune, wetland, prairie and oak savanna in one boundary makes it one of the most biodiverse spots in the Midwest.
Century of Progress homes
Five houses built for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, barged across the lake to Beverly Shores. The House of Tomorrow is a National Treasure. Interiors open by reservation on limited dates each autumn.
Farms and homesteads
Over 60 historic structures in total, including the Bailly Homestead — a National Historic Landmark dating to the early 1800s — plus Chellberg Farm and Camp Good Fellow.
National park or state park?
There are two, and visitors mix them up constantly. Indiana Dunes National Park is the federal park wrapping most of the shoreline, run by the National Park Service. Indiana Dunes State Park is a separate 2,182-acre park run by Indiana DNR, sitting inside the national park's boundary at Porter — it's where the Three Dune Challenge and the main campground are.
They charge separately and have different entrance stations, so tell us which one you want and we'll take you to the right gate. Check current fees and hours before you set out; both change seasonally.
We also run to
United Cab has driven Michiana since 2006. Licensed by the State of Indiana, commercially insured, with background checks on every driver. Call and we'll quote the run to the dunes before you commit.