Frozen lake and pavilion.jpg
Meaghanjarnecke · CC BY-SA 4.0

Fort Hill–Dunes Nature Preserve Beach, 8 beaches is a 7.9-mile out-and-back in Indiana Dunes State Park near Furnessville, IN. The route passes Kemil Beach, Dunes Nature Preserve Beach, Dunes Nature Preserve Beach and 3 more before reaching Porter Beach at the turnaround, 3.9 miles in. It is mostly level, with 60 ft of elevation gain, and mostly sand. It scores 57/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.

Elevation

0 mi584 – 656 ft8.5 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 41.68145, -87.00971
Nearest town Furnessville, IN

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Fort Hill–Dunes Nature Preserve Beach, 8 beaches

7.9 mi · ▲ 60 ft · 2 hr 40 min

Elevation 583–656 ft

Out & Back · Indiana Dunes State Park

Trailhead: 41.68145, -87.00971

Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:34 AM · sunset 6:51 PM

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading S.
  2. 50 ftPass Kemil Beach.
  3. 50 ftPass Dunes Nature Preserve Beach.
  4. 0.3 miContinue straight onto 10, heading SW.
  5. 1.5 miPass Dunes Nature Preserve Beach.
  6. 1.3 miPass Waverly Beach.
  7. 100 ftSharp left, heading S.
  8. 50 ftTurn right onto Dunes Kankakee Trail, heading S.
  9. 500 ftContinue straight onto North 25 East, heading S.
  10. 50 ftContinue straight onto Dunes Kankakee Trail, heading S.
  11. 100 ftBear right onto North 25 East, heading S.
  12. 50 ftContinue straight onto Dunes Kankakee Trail, heading S.
  13. 50 ftBear left onto Wilson Road, heading S.
  14. 50 ftBear right, heading S.
  15. 50 ftTurn right onto Dunes Kankakee Trail, heading S.
  16. 0.2 miTurn right onto 3, heading S.
  17. 0.4 miBear right, heading N.
  18. 150 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  19. 150 ftPass Bird Observation Platform.
  20. 50 ftPass Porter Beach.
  21. 350 ftReach Fort Hill, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  22. 500 ftTurn right, heading N.
  23. 0.5 miTurn left onto Dunes Kankakee Trail, heading SE.
  24. 0.2 miTurn left, heading SE.
  25. 50 ftBear left onto Wilson Road, heading SE.
  26. 50 ftBear right onto Dunes Kankakee Trail, heading SE.
  27. 50 ftContinue straight onto North 25 East, heading SE.
  28. 50 ftBear left, heading NE.
  29. 50 ftContinue straight onto Dunes Kankakee Trail, heading NE.
  30. 50 ftContinue straight onto North 25 East, heading NE.
  31. 50 ftContinue straight onto Dunes Kankakee Trail, heading NE.
  32. 0.1 miTurn left, heading N.
  33. 50 ftSharp right onto 10, heading N.
  34. 3 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

75% sand10% paved15% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 6:34 AMSunset 6:51 PM

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