Crowds by month
Compare the full year’s monthly recreation visits and normal weather.
Indiana Dunes visitation by year
47 years of annual recreation visits, 1979–2025. This count covers the National Park, not Indiana Dunes State Park. The chart shows the long-run shape; the table keeps every total and its change from the previous year.
| Year | Recreation visits | Year-over-year |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 1,606,166 | |
| 1980 | 1,222,874 | -23.9% |
| 1981 | 1,023,436 | -16.3% |
| 1982 | 1,066,573 | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 1,510,630 | +41.6% |
| 1984 | 1,560,428 | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 1,800,326 | +15.4% |
| 1986 | 1,676,583 | -6.9% |
| 1987 | 1,576,238 | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 1,885,376 | +19.6% |
| 1989 | 1,791,902 | -5.0% |
| 1990 | 1,919,901 | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 2,058,801 | +7.2% |
| 1992 | 1,973,098 | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 1,763,094 | -10.6% |
| 1994 | 1,699,958 | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 1,696,488 | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 1,526,166 | -10.0% |
| 1997 | 1,483,782 | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 2,108,789 | +42.1% |
| 1999 | 1,748,047 | -17.1% |
| 2000 | 1,820,228 | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 1,735,404 | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 1,989,941 | +14.7% |
| 2003 | 1,953,449 | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 1,810,330 | -7.3% |
| 2005 | 2,127,336 | +17.5% |
| 2006 | 1,938,132 | -8.9% |
| 2007 | 1,972,344 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 1,833,596 | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 1,944,568 | +6.1% |
| 2010 | 2,150,345 | +10.6% |
| 2011 | 1,840,513 | -14.4% |
| 2012 | 1,889,381 | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 1,681,695 | -11.0% |
| 2014 | 1,553,372 | -7.6% |
| 2015 | 1,640,195 | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 1,698,223 | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 2,158,471 | +27.1% |
| 2018 | 1,756,079 | -18.6% |
| 2019 | 2,134,285 | +21.5% |
| 2019 Redesignated National Park · Feb 15, 2019 | ||
| 2020 | 2,293,106 | +7.4% |
| 2021Highest | 3,177,210 | +38.6% |
| 2022 | 2,834,180 | -10.8% |
| 2023 | 2,765,892 | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 2,705,209 | -2.2% |
| 2025Latest | 2,629,497 | -2.8% |
What the visitation trend shows
Read the latest total alongside the record and earlier years.
2025 in the annual record. It ranks 5 of 47 annual totals, 17.2% below the 2021 maximum of 3,177,210. The latest total is down 2.8% from 2024.
The longer comparison. 2025 is 60.3% above 2015's 1,640,195 visits. This compares two endpoints, not uninterrupted growth or decline. Annual totals use one reporting unit and the same NPS data package throughout. Historical counting practices and park boundaries may differ; a change in recorded visits does not by itself establish what caused it.
Read individual years. The source records 1,756,079 in 2018 and 3,177,210 in 2021. The table retains each intervening year. Annual counts do not establish the cause of a change or predict crowding on a particular date.
Questions about Indiana Dunes visitation
How many visits did Indiana Dunes record in 2025?
2,629,497 recreation visits, compared with 2,705,209 in 2024. These are visits, not unique people. This count covers the National Park, not Indiana Dunes State Park.
What was Indiana Dunes's highest recorded visitation year?
The maximum in this 1979–2025 dataset is 3,177,210 in 2021. This count covers the National Park, not Indiana Dunes State Park.
Is Indiana Dunes visitation increasing?
The reported 2025 total is down 2.8% from 2024. This count covers the National Park, not Indiana Dunes State Park. Annual totals alone do not explain what caused a change.
What was Indiana Dunes's lowest recorded visitation year?
1981 has the lowest count in the 1979–2025 series: 1,023,436 recreation visits. This count covers the National Park, not Indiana Dunes State Park.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Official annual data
- NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. Each total sums twelve monthly TRV recreation-visit values for reporting unit INDU. The table covers 1979–2025.
- What is counted
- Visits, not unique visitors. Repeat visits are not combined into distinct people. The totals do not measure visitor spending, individual trails or parking availability.
- Reading changes
- Recorded changes do not establish causes. Year-over-year percentages compare a total with the previous year. Historical reporting practices and boundaries may differ. The series maximum makes no claim about years before 1979.
- Comparing years
- Indiana Dunes National Park only (INDU), not Indiana Dunes State Park. Annual totals use one reporting unit and the same NPS data package throughout. Historical counting practices and park boundaries may differ; a change in recorded visits does not by itself establish what caused it.