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The Tolleston Dunes area of Indiana Dunes National Park features a trail and overlook. It’s located south of West Beach, just to the east of County Line Road along US Highway 12, in Ogden Dunes, Indiana.
Tolleston Dunes Overlook
The overlook features a short accessible boardwalk that leads to a picnic area.
From the overlook, you can see the remains of an ancient interdunal pond. The area was a marsh before it dried up and became a black oak savanna.
Tolleston Dunes Trail
This 2.6 mile trail goes through a black oak savanna and 4,700 to 10,000 year old sand dunes. The dunes were formed at a time when Lake Michigan’s water level was 25 feet higher than it is today.
The extremely rare black oak savanna is actively being protected by the National Park Service. Controlled burning is necessary every six years in order to protect the fragile environment. Only .02% of the original high quality oak savannas in the Midwest survive today.
Along the trail it’s possible to see prickly pear cactus as well as the Karner blue butterfly, an endangered species.
