Paul H. Douglas (Miller Woods) Trail

Location: 100 N. Lake St., Gary, IN 46403

Hours: 6:00 am to 11:00 pm

Trail Length: Douglas Center Loop .9 miles; Beach trail 3.4 miles.

Entrance Cost: Requires a National Park Pass: 1-7 day vehicle pass: $25 per carload/$20 per motorcycle; Walk-in, bike-in, boat-in 1-7 day pass: $15 individual/$25 family; Indiana Dunes National Park Annual Pass: $45/year; America the Beautiful Annual Pass (entrance to over 2,000 federal recreation sites): $80/year. Passes can be purchased at the Douglas Center or at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, 1215 N. State Road 49, Chesterton, IN.

Parking: Yes, both at the Education Center and across the street from the center.

Dog Friendly: Yes, on a leash

Restrooms: Yes, in the Education Center

Miller Woods Trail is one of my favorites! It’s off of Lake Street in Miller. Simply take Highway 12 to Lake and then head towards the beach.The trail consists of a short “loop trail” and then a longer trail to the beach which is approximately 3.4 miles there/back. I would recommend the beach trail. I was surprised at the ponds, open dunes and oak savanna that I came across. There are some beautiful stops for photos and the ponds around the area are gorgeous. I look forward to going back to this trail when the leaves have changed more.

In addition to a small parking lot off of Lake Street, there is a large lot across the street from the Douglas Nature Center. Access to the nature center is via the pedestrian bridge across Lake Street which has an ADA ramp for strollers, and people with disabilities. Miller Woods is the only place in the national park to see globally rare dune and swale as well as one of the finest oak savannas globally. In May, there is a spectacular bloom of millions of lupines that is beautiful and inspiring.

More information about Miller Woods can be found here.