Indiana Dunes seeing more visitors with national park status

The Indiana Dunes National Park saw its highest number of visitors this summer after receiving national park status.

The 15,000-acre park along the southern shore of Lake Michigan in northwestern Indiana became Indiana's first national park in February.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center has tallied 131,662 visitors in the first eight months of 2019, breaking its all-time annual record. The park drew in over 42,000 July visitors, more than doubling totals from the same period last year.

Park officials say the higher visitor numbers indicate the public has responded to the national park designation.

The giant sand dunes were formed over 10,000 years ago and reach almost 200 feet tall in some places.

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9/23/2019 3:26:09 PM (GMT -4:00)