Parking
Start at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, the south trailhead at 1215 North State Road 49. It has ample paved parking; restrooms and potable water are available while the center is open.
Overview
About Dunes Kankakee Trail
Why go
- Paved and wheelchair accessible
- Connects with the Calumet Trail and Dune Park South Shore station
Heads up
- Roadside setting, rather than a dune hike
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Indiana Dunes map
Full mapElevation600–682 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Indiana Dunes alerts
- ClosureTrail closures and flooding-related access limitsSeveral Indiana Dunes trails are closed or partially inaccessible because of tree damage, riverbank collapse, flooding, and Marquette Greenway construction; stay out of closed sections and use…Official details
- ClosureBailly/Chellberg Trail stair sections closedPortions of the Bailly/Chellberg Trail with stairs are closed through October 30, 2026, to allow completion of a boardwalk replacement project. Check current park conditions before setting out.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Indiana Dunes Tour Guide
Your drive to Dunes Kankakee Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Indiana Dunes National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Indiana Dunes Visitor Center0:00 / 0:34
“Up ahead is the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, a useful stop if you want help choosing a beach or trail. The indoor exhibits and two short videos give a compact introduction; don't expect a large museum.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Indiana Dunes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Lake Funnels Birds
- Indiana Dunes State Park Beach and Pavilion
- A Campaign from a Living Room
- Tremont Picnic Area: A Shaded Lunch Break
- 51 audio storiesacross Indiana Dunes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bald Eagle, Sandhill Crane, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 34 trails, 30 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Dunes Kankakee Trail
An easy way to connect two park stopsDunes Kankakee is a 3.
Dunes Kankakee is a 3.6-mile out-and-back between the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center and the Indiana Dunes State Park entrance, along SR 49 and back. The route is paved and listed as wheelchair accessible. I’d choose it for a straightforward walk or roll between the two access points; it’s a roadside connector rather than a walk through the dunes.
Mostly level, with two highway risesThe path is flat apart from the US 20 and US 12 overpasses.
The path is flat apart from the US 20 and US 12 overpasses. The route gains about 83 feet over the full outing. The shorter published 30-minute estimate is for biking; allow roughly 1½ to 2 hours on foot for the full return walk.
Useful connections and the startThe route links with the Calumet Trail and Dune Park South Shore station, but those extensions…
The route links with the Calumet Trail and Dune Park South Shore station, but those extensions are outside this out-and-back. Start at the Visitor Center and return there; it has paved parking, restrooms and potable water when the building is open. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Indiana Dunes
85 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
48 sightingsSandhill CraneMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
113 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
23 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
49 sightingsBeaverMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
13 sightingsBarred OwlMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Indiana Dunes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
