The easiest hikes in Indiana Dunes National Park, by the numbers
Of the 19 trails in Indiana Dunes National Park in our dataset, 13 (68 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; all 13 are listed here, lowest rating first.
Bailly Homestead / Chellberg Farm Trail has the lowest rating: 56 ft of gain over 1.1 miles, 51 ft per mile.
Across the 13, gain runs from 40 to 238 ft and distance from 1.1 miles to 5.8 miles; the median gain is 99 ft and the median distance 3 miles.
5 of the 13 are loop routes; the rest are out-and-back (3) or point-to-point (5).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bailly Homestead / Chellberg Farm TrailNorthern Indiana | 1.1 | 56 | 51 | 5% | 629 to 677 | 11.1 | |
| 2 | Hobart Woodland TrailNorthern Indiana | 2.2 | 40 | 18 | 3% | 616 to 656 | 13.3 | |
| 3 | Long Lake Loop TrailNorthern Indiana | 1.6 | 87 | 54 | 7% | 610 to 652 | 16.7 | |
| 4 | Dunes Kankakee TrailNorthern Indiana | 1.8 | 83 | 46 | 4% | 598 to 680 | 17.3 | |
| 5 | Little Calumet River / Mnoké Prairie TrailNorthern Indiana | 3 | 80 | 27 | 9% | 608 to 682 | 21.9 | |
| 6 | Trail 9Northern Indiana | 3.6 | 99 | 28 | 9% | 606 to 684 | 26.7 | |
| 7 | Porter Brickyard TrailNorthern Indiana | 3.5 | 102 | 29 | 5% | 615 to 684 | 26.7 | |
| 8 | Trail 10Northern Indiana | 5.8 | 63 | 11 | 12% | 583 to 642 | 27 | |
| 9 | Tolleston Dunes TrailNorthern Indiana | 2.9 | 127 | 44 | 9% | 608 to 662 | 27.1 | |
| 10 | Bailly Chellberg - Little Calumet LoopNorthern Indiana | 3.4 | 120 | 35 | 9% | 607 to 682 | 28.6 | |
| 11 | Trail 8 - 3 Dunes ChallengeNorthern Indiana | 2.2 | 238 | 108 | 10% | 604 to 724 | 32.4 | |
| 12 | West Beach 3-LoopNorthern Indiana | 3.5 | 223 | 64 | 20% | 589 to 671 | 39.5 | |
| 13 | Cowles Bog TrailNorthern Indiana | 4.7 | 202 | 43 | 15% | 587 to 689 | 43.6 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Indiana Dunes National Park" here means the 19 trails in Indiana Dunes National Park in our dataset, not every trail in Indiana Dunes National Park.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Bailly Homestead / Chellberg Farm Trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other parks in our dataset.