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When Indiana Dunes is busiest and quietest

Indiana Dunes draws about 2.3 million recreation visits in a typical year. July is the peak, with 19.1% of the year's visits. November is the quietest month that still draws a normal share, at 4.0%.

JulyBusiest month
NovemberQuietest open month
4.8xPeak month visits vs the quietest open month
424,085Visits in a typical July

Share of the year's visits, by month

Indiana Dunes: share of yearly visits by month3.1%Jan3.4%Feb5.7%Mar5.4%Apr8.9%May14.7%Jun19.1%Jul15.2%Aug10.7%Sep6.5%Oct4.0%Nov3.3%Dec

BusiestQuietest open monthOther months

Low months are not always the best months. January, February and December each draw under 4% of the year's visits. That usually reflects snow, closed roads or reduced services, so check the park's own conditions page before planning around them. The quietest month overall is January.

Typical visits per month

MonthTypical visitsShare of year
January 67,271 3.1%
February 75,957 3.4%
March 124,522 5.7%
April 121,670 5.4%
May 201,663 8.9%
June 342,069 14.7%
July 424,085 19.1%
August 346,637 15.2%
September 238,260 10.7%
October 149,530 6.5%
November 90,063 4.0%
December 76,276 3.3%

How this was worked out

We averaged 9 years of National Park Service recreation visitor counts (2015 to 2025, leaving out 2020 and 2021). Each month is shown as its share of that year's total, then averaged. The counts are monthly, so this cannot tell you about holiday weekends or a specific week. It is history, not a forecast. Full details are on the methodology page.