Best Glamping near Indiana Dunes National Park

While you may not think of Indiana first when you think of nature lovers’ bucket list spots, Indiana Dunes State Park is an underrated gem. With a tandem national park, Indiana Dunes has one major campground in the state park and one in the national park.

There are a few campsites in the state and national park sections, but reservations are always a good idea. You can reserve a spot ahead of time on the state park website. Of the two, you may find the national park area is usually a bit more secluded. With more than 100 large, RV-friendly sites, RV and tent campers can enjoy this patch of Indiana. The best camping near Indiana Dunes State Park is in the national park or Dune Acres. You should be able to get a spot when you want one, but if you want more amenities, you can stay in nearby Chesterton, IN.

Best Glamping Sites Near Indiana Dunes National Park (25)

    1. Dunewood Campground — Indiana Dunes National Park

    126 Reviews
    Beverly Shores, IN
    0 miles
    Website
    +1 (219) 395-1882

    $25 / night

    "Indiana Dunes National Park hugs 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan and has much to offer."

    "General: Dunewood campground is located within Indiana Dunes National Park, established in 2019 (The national seashore was established in the 1960s)."

    2. Indiana Dunes State Park Campground

    47 Reviews
    Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN
    4 miles
    Website
    +1 (219) 926-1952

    $23 / night

    "The state park is located within the boundaries of the Indiana Dunes National Park (formerly National Lakeshore), so don't get confused by this."

    "We pulled in around 4:30 in the evening. The sight was spacious with plenty of room in between sites. Since the weather was cooler , it was pretty sparse with other campers."

    3. Michigan City Campground

    22 Reviews
    Indiana Dunes National Park, IN
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (219) 872-7600

    "Pool, laundry, nice playground, ponds and basketball hoop. Less than 15 min to Indiana Dunes National Park."

    "It's easy access, clean spacious sites, and how quiet it was considering it proximity to S.R. 421 brought us back again this year. We visited Indiana Dunes National Park and State Park."

    4. Warren Dunes State Park Campground

    67 Reviews
    Bridgman, MI
    25 miles
    Website
    +1 (269) 426-4013

    "We were with a large group so had a site you could drive right up to. Electricity hookups, bathrooms and showers, picnic tables and fire pit, etc. Easy access to the dunes and the beach."

    "The bathroom seemed newer (South modern loop) with clean bathrooms (cleaned at least twice a day) and private shower stalls."

    5. Lakeshore Camp Resort

    16 Reviews
    Portage, IN
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (219) 762-7757

    $49 - $57 / night

    "A lake with water rentals, floating water slide, playgrounds and sport courts, general store with the stardust’s “convenience mark-ups”,and water/ electric at all sites."

    "We were there the week before peak season opened so none of the pools or splash pads were open, but they were very accommodating so that we could still play mini golf and ride around on the pedal cars."

    6. Potato Creek State Park Campground

    48 Reviews
    North Liberty, IN
    33 miles
    Website
    +1 (574) 656-8186

    $20 - $90 / night

    "Bathrooms are cleanish…but they start getting a little wild as the weekend wears on. Perpetual mud and slop from the showers, but functional."

    "Our site was purposely located close to a bathhouse, but was not too close to have any bothersome noises. The bathhouse was a bit dated, but pretty clean."

    7. Lake O' The Woods Club

    1 Review
    Valparaiso, IN
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (219) 241-0739

    $35 - $60 / night

    8. Mini Mountain Campground

    7 Reviews
    New Carlisle, IN
    25 miles
    Website
    +1 (574) 654-3307

    "Staff were very nice and friendly."

    "There are ample hiking trails and activities for all ages. The swimming pool is awesome and a great plus when camping with kids. The woods are very thick and filled with amazing trees."

    10. Thousand Trails Bear Cave

    16 Reviews
    Buchanan, MI
    35 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 707-1477

    "Lots of very friendly other campers, a heated pool, playground for the kids, nice size lots with fire pits, picnic tables, electric& water (including at tent sites)."

    "We had reservations and there were some concerns when we arrived if they had a site large enough to accommodate our rig. We ended up in the loop along the river which was shaded and level."

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Glamping Reviews near Indiana Dunes National Park

491 Reviews of 25 Indiana Dunes National Park Campgrounds


  • Art W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 20, 2021

    Lakeshore Camp Resort

    One step above WALMART

    This campground hosts many permanent or monthly campers, as evidenced by semi permanent structures, fences etc. There is a small lake that offers swimming and fishing, but we did not use this area. It is a huge area, with 4 shower and bathroom facilities, but they were old and needed maintenance and updating. One of us was brave enough to shower there, the other one preferred to take a sponge bath in the van. Each site that we saw had electric and waste water and potable water, so this was convenient. There is a loud highway nearby. The camp is a ten minute drive from West Beach area of Indiana Dunes National Park. As we ate breakfast on the supplied picnic table, the neighbor next to us had a loud argument with another resident involving a presumed theft, and police visited.

  • K
    Jun. 8, 2021

    Michigan City Campground

    Decent Campground Close Enough to Many Activities

    Decent campground. Pool, laundry, nice playground, ponds and basketball hoop. Less than 15 min to Indiana Dunes National Park.

  • Tara S.
    Jul. 25, 2019

    Dunewood Campground — Indiana Dunes National Park

    Quiet campground, except for the train

    We enjoyed our stay at Indiana Dunes National Park with a few exceptions. First of all, as many of the other reviewers have mentioned, the bathrooms and showers were dirty. The noise from nearby trains was very loud, and it definitely felt like an urban camping experience. The campsite was clean and spacious, with plenty of room for our two tents and a hammock. 

    We really enjoyed hiking the Long Lake Trail through dunes and woods and the Cowels Bog Trail to a secluded beach. We watched the sunset from the nearby Kempil Beach. It was so lovely, but we spent much of the evening picking up trash, which was everywhere. I'm glad I paid a visit to our newest national park, but I'm not sure I would go out of my way to return.

  • Debbie S.
    Apr. 18, 2021

    Dunewood Campground — Indiana Dunes National Park

    Wow! A water paradise.

    You will be amazed with the beauty of this park. Whether you are seeking family time or solitude, it won’t disappoint.

    Indiana Dunes National Park hugs 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan and has much to offer. Whether you enjoy scouting for rare species of birds or flying kites on the sandy beach, the national park's 15,000 acres will continually enchant you. Hikers will enjoy 50 miles of trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers and peaceful forests.

  • Michael C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 16, 2021

    Lakeshore Camp Resort

    Trees and Rules

    Close to Indiana Dunes National Park. Easy access. Lots of rules thrown at you from the get go. Don’t park on the grass, Don’t drive over 5 mph, Don’t have alcohol outside your space. Lots of rules. Few smiling faces. Lots of trees. A mix of semi permanent residents and transient sites 

  • Ari A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 15, 2020

    Indiana Dunes State Park Campground

    Nice layout and a ton of nature activities

    The state park is located within the boundaries of the Indiana Dunes National Park (formerly National Lakeshore), so don't get confused by this. There also is a national park campground, but it's closed in the winter.)

    This state park has a nice layout because the sites seem to be staggered so that they don't back up to each other. Also, there is a good buffer space behind the sites and decent space between each site. 

    All sites have 20- 30- and 50-amp service available, plus almost all are a combination of a concrete pad and asphalt apron. Note that just because they're paved doesn't mean all of them are level. Each site has a fire pit and it appeared they all have grill grates on them.

    One nice touch is that some sites have wider asphalt aprons so if you have a longer rig, you can put your towing vehicle or your towed vehicle off to the side once your rig is in place. Also, the ADA sites are nicely laid out with larger concrete pads so that even the fire pits are in the concrete section for ease of access. 

    Note that after Nov. 1, the water is shut off and bathrooms are shut down until spring, although there are vault toilets available. 

    You will hear a pretty regular stream of train whistles at this campground, but they aren't so loud as to be disruptive. 

    You can hike to the 1929 Dunes Pavilion and a large beach on Lake Michigan. The best hiking activity, however, and also easily accessible by walking from the campground, is the series of dune trails. The Nature Center, which sits between the campground and the trails, has some good visitor's information about the dunes, the flora and fauna, and the history of the area. 

    Once you finish seeing what you want in the state park, there's still the entire national park to see. Plus, there's a multi-use trail that runs for 9 miles along the state park and into the national park. 

    Cell service for Verizon was two bars but speeds seem to be good. Less signal and speed for Google Fi, but not terrible.

  • A
    Aug. 7, 2021

    Michigan City Campground

    Getaway to the Windy City

    We stayed at this campground last fall. It's easy access, clean spacious sites, and how quiet it was considering it proximity to S.R. 421 brought us back again this year. We visited Indiana Dunes National Park and State Park. Also jumped on the South Shoreline commuter train that took us into downtown Chicago for a day trip.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 31, 2021

    Dunewood Campground — Indiana Dunes National Park

    Choose your site carefully

    General: Dunewood campground is located within Indiana Dunes National Park, established in 2019 (The national seashore was established in the 1960s). The Park is spread out for many miles along the coast of northern Indiana and depending on the direction you approach the campground from, it can be confusing. We approached from the east and the visitor center is nowhere near the campground and since we arrived after 6 pm, we had no maps or other information. Fortunately, there was cell service, and we went to the NPS app for some information. The campground is divided into two loops plus a walk-in section for a total of 66 sites; all require advance reservations. Don’t confuse it with the nearby state park called Indiana Dunes State Park. 

    Site Quality/Facilities: The sites are very wooded with sufficient privacy between them. Unfortunately, our site (31) was quite possibly the worst one for a campervan(would not be suitable for an RV at all) but would have made a fantastic tent site(wood stakes separated the“driveway” from the rest of the site). 13 of the 34 sites in the Mather loop were empty both at 7 pm and 7 am the next morning yet since they were all reserved, we were not able to move. The pads were all paved and most of the sites were generous in size. None of the sites have any hookups. We did hear occasional trains passing nearby. 

    Bathhouse: Large, clean restroom facility with showers, not the norm for national park campgrounds. 

    Activities: hiking, beach walking. There were some trails that could be accessed from the campground, but we did not explore these. After going to the Visitor Center the next morning and reading the NPS app, we decided to try the Diana Dunes Dare. The story behind this is fascinating but alas, it was humid and buggy, and we could see more rain was on the way so we only did one of the three loops (If you do all three, you can get a sticker). While there is no fee to enter Indiana Dunes National Park, there is an “amenities” fee of $6 per car ($3 if you have the senior pass) from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

    We had originally planned to spend two nights here but between the weather and bugs, and our site not working for us, we only spent one night. I would have given this campground three stars based on our personal experience, however, overall, the campground and facilities were well maintained and nice.

  • Gay G.
    Aug. 19, 2021

    Thousand Trails Bear Cave

    Great Campground

    This is a nice, family friendly campground. Lots of very friendly other campers, a heated pool, playground for the kids, nice size lots with fire pits, picnic tables, electric& water (including at tent sites). Pool has an ADA lift chair. 2 shower/bath houses, camp store, a real bear cave you can tour in (free), a creek that meanders through it. The resort sits on the St. Joseph river & this park has a boat ramp & dock for fishing. There is a gate that campers need a code to get into so it keeps out unwanted’s. Nice staff. Yolanda is a great manager. Security, a ‘honey wagon’. Laundry center. Quiet hours are 10p-8a. It’s near Buchanan Michigan and the RED BUD Motor Cross track. Very friendly people, always stopping and talking.


Frequently Asked Questions

How does glamping differ from traditional camping at Indiana Dunes National Park?

Traditional camping at Dunewood Campground — Indiana Dunes National Park offers a more rustic experience with sand/dirt pads that are raked clean between guests, small paved parking areas, and basic amenities. You'll be closer to nature but with fewer comforts. In contrast, glamping near Indiana Dunes provides amenities like real beds, electricity, climate control, and sometimes private bathrooms and kitchenettes. While Indiana Dunes State Park Campground offers traditional camping with a nice layout and staggered sites within the national park boundaries, glamping accommodations typically include more luxurious furnishings and conveniences for those seeking comfort alongside their outdoor adventure.

Where are glamping accommodations available near Indiana Dunes National Park?

While Indiana Dunes National Park itself doesn't offer glamping, several nearby options provide upscale outdoor experiences. Michigan City Campground offers comfortable accommodations less than 15 minutes from the national park with amenities like a pool, laundry facilities, and a playground. Lakeshore Camp Resort provides another nearby option with lakeside views and swimming opportunities. For those willing to travel slightly further, luxury camping experiences can be found within a 30-45 minute drive, offering the perfect balance of comfort and access to Indiana Dunes' breathtaking landscapes.

What types of glamping options are available at Indiana Dunes National Park?

While Indiana Dunes National Park doesn't offer glamping within its boundaries, the surrounding area provides several upscale outdoor accommodation styles. Thousand Trails Bear Cave offers a family-friendly environment with heated pools and amenities that elevate the camping experience. For those seeking unique stays, look for private glamping providers in the region offering safari tents, yurts, and tiny cabins with premium furnishings. Some accommodations feature queen beds, electricity, air conditioning, outdoor kitchens, and private fire pits. These glamping options provide the perfect balance of luxury and nature while still being close enough to explore Indiana Dunes' 15 miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.