Indiana Dunes seeks more visitors with national park status

PORTER, Indiana: Northwestern Indiana tourism officials are hoping the recent elevation of the Indiana Dunes to national park status will lure more visitors to the scenic stretch of dunes, woods and beaches. The dunes, which were formed over 10,000 years ago, are mounds of sand that can reach altitudes of up to almost 200 feet.
The former national lakeshore, which some view as North America’s most biodiverse area, became Indiana’s first national park in February.
Since then, the Indianapolis Business Journal reports that Indiana Dunes National Park workers have received calls from people around the nation wanting to visit the park.
The national park includes 15,000 acres of woodlands, prairies, savannas, bogs, wetlands and sand dunes along Lake Michigan just east of Gary. AP