Best Glamping near Merrillville, IN

Compared to the other popular campground in the state park this is way less crowded. There’s tons of trails to do along the lakeshore and none are really far from one another. I grew up in NWI so I didn’t camp in Indiana often but I did here and loved it! There are a bunch of raccoons that can come steal food so beware of that! Overall nice though!

One of my favorite campgrounds in Indiana. Very popular

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

This is a nice park with good infrastructure. The spacing was ok, but not a lot of privacy. The campground although nearly full was relatively calm and quiet. Unlike the craziness of other Indiana state parks I have visited. The bathrooms were good….a solid B+ on par with other Indiana state parks. There is a trail directly to the beach, but the beach was insanely crowded. I left within five minutes of arriving there. I opted instead to drive the national park and hike out to Mt. Baldy beach which was delightfully uncrowded. I took my first swim in one of the Great Lakes!

Advertised as $25 a night, but you must have an Indiana Dunes park pass, which is only good for this specific park. Site was fine, facilities were decent.

our visit to the Indiana Sandune's campground was great. We were able to get in there anytime in the automated that ticket service was really helpful. All the campgrounds are big and spacious.

We arrived on a fall night, after the sun had set and we were thrilled to wake up to such an amazing display of Northern Indiana fall foliage. Campsites, facilities and trails were all super well maintained.

Convenient to Indiana dunes, each site is easily accessible and spacious. The facilities are fairly clean and showers are available though we didn’t use them. Would recommend as a stop over. As a solo female traveler I felt safe.

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.

You gotta love Indiana dunes national lakeshore! A quick drive from chicago this campsite is a real good place to get away from the city and enjoy the outdoors. It’s one of my favorite places to go within an hour’s drive. The campsite has everything you need. Modern bathrooms and showers, running water. Good for tent camping. It’s clean and a quick drive to a quiet beach at Beverly Shores. I highly recommend!

The Indiana Dunes area is beautiful and this campground is a great location for exploring both the state and national park. The pit toilets near our site were not kept clean and they were smelly. The showers were also not clean, but the water was hot. The fire ring at our site was in bad shape and in an odd location. There was garbage left in and near the fire ring ( foil and corn cobs) from the previous campers.

We’ve stayed at Indiana dunes every year on our road trip. We’ve stayed here in the past because it was beautiful, quiet, and clean. This year we got in a little late on Tuesday evening and the entire campground was packed and the showers and bathrooms were FILTHY. We’ll never go there again. The only change we could see was the put huge advertisements for the campground everywhere which obviously attracted the wrong crowd. It’s a shame.

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.

The dunes here are lovely and feel a little less busy than Indiana Dunes. You can also access it all by hiking directly from the campgrounds. The campsites are a mixed bag. Some are right on top of each other and some have nice vegetation between them. Regardless, it isn’t ideal for a a quiet getaway but if you get the right site it’s not bad.

This is a great area for those who (like us) have made I-80 a semi-annual migration pattern ;-) All kidding aside, this is a perfect spot either to or from the Chicago area. From Indiana Dunes State Park all the way up the coast to New Buffalo, the area is dotted with great little restaurants, wineries, and breweries. Tourist-y without being tacky.

There are plenty or rentals for those looking for a house-type stay.

Quick Tip: Prepare for cold water! Lake Michigan is usually pretty cold until later in the summer.

A shout out to Dune Wood campground in Indiana Dunes National Park. Big, clean sites. They are sand/dirt pads and they rake them clean between each guest. We were impressed!

There is a small paved parking area at each site big enough for 2 cars or epic sidewalk chalk for the little ones.🙂. Plus clean restrooms. No hook ups means it’s perfect for tents and small campers.

The nearby state park campground is a sea of packed RVs. I’m so glad we’re here!

There are several beaches within 5-10 minutes.

The only downside- Mosquitoes! Bring the bug spray.

I’ve not camped at this park, only hiked it. I’ve probably hiked it two dozen times at least and it’s got nice trails for the part of Indiana that it’s in. Most of them are relatively flat with some trails,like number two, having some hills and stairs in them. My favorite trail is probably number one, which is a 1 mile weird loop that has some neat scenery, especially in the summertime.

    Many are still under the impression this state park turned into a National Park. Untrue! This has been a state park since 1925 & it's beautiful. The most beautiful state park in Indiana IMO. We've camped here before, but not since they completely redid the campsites & put in brand new bath houses sometime in the early 2000s. 

          There's 140 campsites. All with 50 amp. They are typical state park sites, which means yes, your neighbors will be close. The bath houses are nice. I recently walked through the campground on my way back from a hike & I took pictures of what I think are the best sites. I would stay out of the interior sites. They are close to each other& there's no vegetation to shield you. The outer sites are pretty good. Watch for pit toilet & dumpsters though.

  The best site in the campground is site 63. The most private & faces the woods & ravine. Your neighbors aren't as close. 

  Sites 26 & 62 if you have kids. You can watch them from your site in the playground. Site 8, 100 & 113 are the best outer sites.

  The worst site is site 25. Right by the trail to the beach, which gets high foot traffic & is right next to  a pit toilet.

         All of the trails, the beach & the Nature Center can be accessed from the campground. Trail 4s trailhead is actually IN the campground. Of course some walking is involved. 

Enjoy the sunsets & fabulous Lake Michigan! We visited Indiana Dunes State Park, no overnight stay

...although you probably wouldn't want to camp in the Indiana winter. I grew up coming here mostly to sled on the hills! But, there is a lot more to do. It surrounds Worster Lake and there are cabins, RV sites, and tent sites along with horse trails and bike trails. In the winter, there's sledding hills and ice fishing. The campgrounds are pretty standard, nothing special. If you live in the area, it's a fine little getaway.

We have been blown away by the efforts put into Indiana’s state parks and Potato Creek is no exception. Well kept, beautiful grounds and trails. Restrooms are a bit dated, but clean and functioning. Our daughter loved the play area and huge grassy area to run around on. The Peppermint Hill mountain bike/hiking loop was really fun and not to be missed. Seems like a very popular place, even in the off season, so you’re best bet is to make a reservation or call ahead to make sure they can accommodate you.

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.

We’ve always had great experiences staying at state parks. They are well-maintained and managed by happy employees. Indiana Dunes State Park is no exception.

The park features lots of greenery. The restrooms were cleaned regularly, although by the end of the day they were a little rough after so many sandy visitors. The employees were out daily maintaining the grounds. As an aside, remember to secure your trash before going to bed! Raccoons frequent the park.

We never had to unhook our truck during the five days. We were able to bike everywhere, including into town. The people working at the Pavilion were super friendly! We enjoyed having a drink at the rooftop bar overlooking Lake Michigan. Be sure to hike the 3-dunes challenge and visit the nature center!

This is a great park. We will be back.