Add This New National Park to Your Bucket List

pc: @thewanderleaf

As of February of this year, Indiana now has its first national park bringing the total to 61 national parks in the US—and 61 natural wonders to add to your bucket list!

Indiana Dunes National Park (formerly National Lakeshore) is on the southern coast of Lake Michigan, just 45 minutes from Chicago—most known for its beautiful beaches and Mount Baldy, a 140-foot dune. The park stretches across more than 15 miles of sandy dunes and offers visitors hiking, biking and water trails (pets are welcome!) and lakefront access where they can relax, explore, and enjoy all that nature has to offer. The Indiana Dunes are already Indiana's top tourist attraction, bringing 3.6 million visitors to its shores in 2018 and with the new national park designation, those numbers are expected to swell.

Want to visit for free this year and check it out for yourself? Here are the National Park Service's fee-free dates:

• April 20: First day of National Park Week
• August 25: National Park Service Birthday
• September 28: National Public Lands Day
• November 11: Veterans Day