The dunes stretch along 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Swimming is allowed anywhere along the sand. A short walk away from the beaches, several hiking paths crisscross the dunes and woodlands. The best are the Bailly-Chellberg Trail (2.5 miles) that winds by a still operating 1870s farm, and the Heron Rookery Trail (2 miles), where blue herons flock. Oddly, all this natural bounty lies smack-dab next to smoke-belching factories, which you'll also see at various vantage points.
