Dunewood Camp Ground

I would really only recommend this place for the walk-in sites. The sites along the lot are exposed and practically right in a traffic lane.

We got there on Friday morning at 10am (only an hour and a half drive from Chicago) and there were only 4 of the 24 sites left. (It was memorial day weekend) We chose site W-24 a lovely, privately wooded site.

They're really serious when they mean "No Alcohol." Although signs were posted everywhere we softies are used to camping in California where rangers couldn't give 2 F--ks. We figured as long as we're respectful and quiet they wouldn't bother us --- WRONG!

Around 11pm a ranger hear my depositing our bottles in the recycling. A few minutes later he returned and gave us a 20 minute tedious lecture on the rules of the park while going through all our stuff (coolers, tents, trash bags) We had had a few beers with dinner and a bottle of wine, WERE NOT at all drunk, rowdy or dancing on tables.

He decided not to kick us out of the camp site, instead left us with a $75 ticket.

Other than that, we only spent our evenings at the site, the rest of the time we watched the sunset from Mount Baldy, hiked around one of the old pioneer trails, and played Frisbee at the Indiana Dunes State Beach.

We bought all our food at the Jewel-Osco about 10 miles away (also a great place to purchase firewood) and returned back to Chicago relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated.

This campsite was kept clean, the bathrooms were clean and always had toilet paper. The showers have awesome hot water ! Something I looked forward to every morning to start my day along with my coffee and was a happy camper :D the staff seemed to make their rounds , I ran into quite a few of them and they were all very pleasant . I really like camping here and enjoying all that this area has to offer . I had a great time !

We reserved one of the walk-in sites (site 67) for two nights last week. The sites themselves seemed well maintained and the bathhouse was honestly one of the cleanest I've ever seen at a campground. Those are the good things.

Unfortunately, from our campsite you could hear both the highway and the train all. night. long. Not an ideal camping experience at all. Next time will try the IN Dunes State Park campground instead.

Great campground in the National Lakeshore!
If you want to commune with nature, this is the place! This is no parking lot camp ground! Quiet and heavily wooded. Clean bathrooms and private showers. Close to beaches, shopping, casino. No hook ups, but if you have a NPS compliant generator you're good to go!
One has options of reserved or open campsites.
We feel it's a hidden gem!
We'll be back for a quick get away!

Really clean and nice, close to the dunes and easy access to stores. Most definitely will return.
(More details in tips section from me)

Dunewood campground near the Indiana Dunes State Park isn't called Dunewood campground on their sign when you arrive, so it's a bit confusing. It's miles from lake access, which was disappointing. I was mislead by the booking site. When you arrive, you get a volunteer campground host that's so enthralled talking about herself that it takes forever to check in. Even she complained about the campground, setting our expectations low. FYI, none of the sites have power or water, yet the campground was full, which doesn't seem possible, given what you DON'T get. There is a dump station. Then we get to our space 45 and it's extremely out of level, so much so that it's almost impossible to level our 32' motorhome. When finally done my entry step was 10" off the ground. The spaces are small and more appropriate for tent camping where a level car isn't needed. Then there's the train that comes by regularly, just a block away. You hear the horn blow like it was next door. I'm glad we stayed only one night.

As for Indiana Dunes State Park about 5 miles away, THERE ARE NO DUNES! Maybe there's one dune, but no "dunes". It's just a bunch of sand with trees and brush growing in the sand, making all of the so-called sand dunes totally unusable for kids to play and hike, etc. You have to go to the Indiana State park entrance to access this so-called "dune". BTW, that dune is next to the Porter Beach parking lot. They charge $7 for Indiana residents to get in the state park and $12 for non residents, which is a true rip for what you get. And get this......the entry gate is open until 11pm to collect that entry money, not like the typical state park routine of shutting down at 5 or 6pm, letting people come in for free to see the sunset. It was also off season, mid Sept when there's few visitors. The parking lot was almost totally empty when we got there at 5pm.

After checking out "the dune" we went over to the campground within in the state park to check it out, thinking we might move there to get hookups. But even though we paid $12 to get in the state park, they wouldn't let us take a quick 5min drive through the campground to check it out. Just rude. Indiana really sucks with their state park policies, very unfriendly for travelers. I don't recommend coming to Indiana for that reason. It's one of the worse states we've been to, and this year we visited 25 states. That night we decided to leave Indiana and go to Michigan where gas is cheaper and park policies are more friendly, helpful, and thoughtful.

We were at the state park for 1hr, and paid $12. I was so unimpressed with Indiana I didn't take one photo. Not one. The state isn't worthy.

If you're looking to go camping with the conveniences of the modern world nearby, this is the place to be. Located off of golf way rd and duneway pkwy, this campground is located roughly about an hour from Elkhart, if that's where you're coming from. They have a few options as far as sites go. Sites 1-34 are reservable online and the remainder of the sites are first come, first served. Also keep in mind, sites 1-54 you're able to park your car/RV. However, sites 55-67 are walk in only. There are showers and restrooms located center of both areas. There are also water stations which are very convenient. Most of the campsites are fairly close, but far enough where you are not sitting on top of each other. This time around I opted for the walk In. For starters, let's just say to be prepared for whatever weather may come. My luck, it poured the entire time and was windy. Furthermore, each site has designated fire rings that have a grill. The experience was awesome, it's $25 a night that you pay at the automated kiosk. There are rangers that drive around during the day and there are signs posted with all the latest updates, rules/regulations. Overall, great experience, definitely look forward to coming back!

Stayed here on our way out west from the east coast (5/21/18), and then again on our way home (6/7/18).

The first time we came at 8pm and paid at the self pay station. We didn't see anyone around and maybe one or two other campers. The second time we came at 7, had no problem finding a spot but it was much more crowded.

When we came in early June the mosquitos were crazy! Definitely bring bug spray!! The mosquitos swarm as soon as you get out of the car or tent. It's also pretty buggy in the bathrooms and showers.

The bathrooms are pretty clean and there are 4 hot water showers. Tent sites aren't very private, and the trains can be heard throughout the night. Overall we had two good experiences here.

I love this campground. It's very clean and well maintained. Very clean restrooms and showers. I live in the area and it feels like you are miles away. I highly recommend camping here.

Great experience. Came in on a Saturday at 9am, sign said campground full. There was a ranger by the kiosk with a list of available sites who recommended a couple. The campground was almost full but there were definitely a few good options. Thing is, if you're waiting for someone to vacate, they have until noon so you may need to wait.

Each site comes with a fire pit and a cooking grate. You're not supposed to bring your own wood, but next time I definitely will. Here's why: theres a general store that supplies firewood to the campers. It's 5 bucks a bundle, and a bundle goes in like 30 minutes. You want a fire going all day? 100 bucks easy.

Very strict no alcohol policy and the rangers patrol hourly. If you pee in the woods, make sure no one can see you. Don't bring beer cans or bottles of anything. Best way is to have ur drinks premixed in a discreet container, or flask it. Just be smart and keep ur shit low key.

Mosquitoes. It's a problem so be prepared. I had three citronella candles, 100 deet spray, and one of those wristbands. I sprayed every couple hours and tried to stay within the candles. Was there one night, and now that I'm home I'm counting roughly 15 bites, mostly on one foot that I didn't spray much, so be thorough.

The beach is a 7 minute drive away and a great time. There's not much else to do in the area unless you enjoy hiking, so have your time planned out.

Oh yeah - middle of the night a pack of something weird rolled through. Sounded like 4 or 5 coyotes. Strange howls, creepy af but cool at the same time. Will definitely be back.

Fantastic layout. The sites are spacious and woodsy, we had neighbors but we weren't on top of each other. The camp groundskeeper was polite and informative; after we set up he came to check on us and verify we were at the right site. He let us know that mosquitos are out in full force and poison ivy was thick in the woods, and the check out time.
The campground was clean and monitored regularly, and for the most part quiet hours were obeyed. At 630 the trash truck picked up the dumpster garbage, so that was quite the wake up. The campground also requires tents to be set up on the dirt pads, so tent campers are going to have a firm bed for sure.
The bath house was clean; toilets on left and individual showers on the right. Toilets were well-lit, stocked with toilet paper and soap every time I used it, and had air dryers. The showers you absolutely need shower shoes; dirt and sand get trudged in, but the water pressure was decent and you can control the temperature.
Overall this campground maybe isn't for first-time tenters with the bugs and hard dirt sleeping ground, but for people who need a place to stay and want woodsy camping, this is it. It's ten minutes from the closest beach, and 20 from Michigan City.