Festival FAQ's
What is the Outdoor Adventure Festival?
The greater Indiana Dunes region is packed with outdoor adventure opportunities and this festival brings together all these activities with over 100 events. The festival showcases the region’s natural and cultural significance through hiking, paddling, biking, and other activities such as yoga, photography, and birding. There are events for everyone including families, beginners, experts, and those with limited mobility.
On Saturday, September 16th, and Sunday, September 17th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, visit the national park’s Chellberg Farm for our Duneland Fall Festival celebration. There will be food venders, musical groups, live entertainment, and demonstration booths showcasing skills that farmers would have used in the early 1900s.
Leon’s Obstacle Course Race will take place on September 9th and 10th. There will be a 5K and 10K race over obstacles placed throughout the trails at West Beach in the Indiana Dunes National Park. The Leon’s American Race Series helps support U.S. military, veterans, injured veterans, first responders, and law enforcement. Register for the race at www.leonstriathlon.com.
When is the festival?
The Outdoor Adventure Festival (OAF) runs from Friday, September 8, through Sunday, September 17. Please note that the entire festival takes place in the Central Time Zone with the exception of one event (Lydick Bog Hike), which is in the Eastern Time Zone.
Where is the festival being held?
There are events throughout Porter, Lake and La Porte Counties. Highlights of the festival include Duneland Fall Festival, Leon’s Obstacle Course Race at West Beach, paddling trips on the Little Calumet River, dozens of hikes and bike rides led by experts across the entire region, and access to natural areas not normally open to the public.
How can you hold so many events in one weekend?
The festival is possible because of the following organizations which lead events and help put on the festival: Friends of Indiana Dunes, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Dunes State Park, Lake County Parks, Northwest Indiana Paddling Association, Save the Dunes, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society, Indiana University Northwest, Columbia College, Isaac Walton League - Miller Chapter, Art Barn School of Art, Midwest Biological Consulting, Indiana Nature LLC, and the Dunes Learning Center.
What do I do if I have questions, need directions, etc.?
Please stop by or call the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center at 219-395-1882.
Do I have to register?
Please check out the festival's Schedule page and see if your event requires pre-registration. Fill up on as many events as you can fit into your schedule!
Is there a fee for the festival?
The Indiana Dunes Outdoor Adventure Festival itself is free. The national park is not charging an entrance fee on Saturday and Sunday, September 16th and 17th, but will be charging 7-day per car entrance fee of $25 for the other days of the festival. The state park will be charging a daily per car entrance fee of $7 in-state / $12 out-of-state.
Where do I meet for the events?
Please check the program description on the Schedule page for the meeting location. Although Chellberg Farm is the main hub for the festival, almost no programs will start from there. It is important to be at the meeting location of your event 10 to 15 minutes early. For event location addresses and GPS coordinates, please see the festival Schedule page.
Tell me about the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center?
The visitor center is located at 1215 North Indiana State Road 49, Porter, IN, approximately one mile north of Interstate 94 and just south of U.S. Highway 20. State Road 49 can also be accessed from the Indiana Toll Road (Interstates 80/90) and U.S. Highway 12.
The hours of the visitor center during the festival will be 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Central Time each day. The phone number of the visitor center is 219-395-1882.
Where do I go for questions?
The best sources for information are the staff at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center (219-395-1882 or stop by) and the festival’s website https://www.dunesoutdoorfestival.com.
Where do we go for food?
The closest concentration of restaurants and stores is on Indian Boundary Road in Chesterton, about two miles south of the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center. However, there are countless options across region.
Will the Indiana Dunes State Park charge an entrance fee?
Yes, the Indiana Dunes State Park will charge a daily per car entrance fee the weekend of the Outdoor Adventure Festival. The fee is $7 for Indiana license plates and $12 for out-of-state license plates.
Will the Indiana Dunes National Park charge an entrance fee?
Yes and no. The Indiana Dunes National Park will not charge an entrance fee on Saturday and Sunday, September 16 and 17. On September 8-15, the national park will charge an entrance fee. See the following website for details: https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm
Do you need an accommodation to participate in an event?
If you have a disability and require an accommodation in order to fully participate in an event, please contact Rafi Wilkinson at 773-573-6413 or rafi_wilkinson@nps.gov.
Do I need anything special for the birding events?
The birding hikes are greatly enhanced with binoculars. If you own a pair or can borrow some, please bring them. We will have a couple of pairs to share during the event.
What if the weather is bad?
This is the festival for outdoor adventures, so we will hold the event unless there is active lightning or torrential rainfall. Check the "Schedule" page on the this website or call the visitor center 219-395-1882 for the latest event information. We will relay information back to the visitor center and update the Schedule page.
Will you reschedule an event if it is cancelled due to the weather?
Possibly. Check the resources listed in the previous question.
Will there be an Outdoor Adventure Festival in 2024?
Yes! Next year’s festival will be held on September 6-15, 2024.
The greater Indiana Dunes region is packed with outdoor adventure opportunities and this festival brings together all these activities with over 100 events. The festival showcases the region’s natural and cultural significance through hiking, paddling, biking, and other activities such as yoga, photography, and birding. There are events for everyone including families, beginners, experts, and those with limited mobility.
On Saturday, September 16th, and Sunday, September 17th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, visit the national park’s Chellberg Farm for our Duneland Fall Festival celebration. There will be food venders, musical groups, live entertainment, and demonstration booths showcasing skills that farmers would have used in the early 1900s.
Leon’s Obstacle Course Race will take place on September 9th and 10th. There will be a 5K and 10K race over obstacles placed throughout the trails at West Beach in the Indiana Dunes National Park. The Leon’s American Race Series helps support U.S. military, veterans, injured veterans, first responders, and law enforcement. Register for the race at www.leonstriathlon.com.
When is the festival?
The Outdoor Adventure Festival (OAF) runs from Friday, September 8, through Sunday, September 17. Please note that the entire festival takes place in the Central Time Zone with the exception of one event (Lydick Bog Hike), which is in the Eastern Time Zone.
Where is the festival being held?
There are events throughout Porter, Lake and La Porte Counties. Highlights of the festival include Duneland Fall Festival, Leon’s Obstacle Course Race at West Beach, paddling trips on the Little Calumet River, dozens of hikes and bike rides led by experts across the entire region, and access to natural areas not normally open to the public.
How can you hold so many events in one weekend?
The festival is possible because of the following organizations which lead events and help put on the festival: Friends of Indiana Dunes, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Dunes State Park, Lake County Parks, Northwest Indiana Paddling Association, Save the Dunes, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society, Indiana University Northwest, Columbia College, Isaac Walton League - Miller Chapter, Art Barn School of Art, Midwest Biological Consulting, Indiana Nature LLC, and the Dunes Learning Center.
What do I do if I have questions, need directions, etc.?
Please stop by or call the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center at 219-395-1882.
Do I have to register?
Please check out the festival's Schedule page and see if your event requires pre-registration. Fill up on as many events as you can fit into your schedule!
Is there a fee for the festival?
The Indiana Dunes Outdoor Adventure Festival itself is free. The national park is not charging an entrance fee on Saturday and Sunday, September 16th and 17th, but will be charging 7-day per car entrance fee of $25 for the other days of the festival. The state park will be charging a daily per car entrance fee of $7 in-state / $12 out-of-state.
Where do I meet for the events?
Please check the program description on the Schedule page for the meeting location. Although Chellberg Farm is the main hub for the festival, almost no programs will start from there. It is important to be at the meeting location of your event 10 to 15 minutes early. For event location addresses and GPS coordinates, please see the festival Schedule page.
Tell me about the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center?
The visitor center is located at 1215 North Indiana State Road 49, Porter, IN, approximately one mile north of Interstate 94 and just south of U.S. Highway 20. State Road 49 can also be accessed from the Indiana Toll Road (Interstates 80/90) and U.S. Highway 12.
The hours of the visitor center during the festival will be 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Central Time each day. The phone number of the visitor center is 219-395-1882.
Where do I go for questions?
The best sources for information are the staff at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center (219-395-1882 or stop by) and the festival’s website https://www.dunesoutdoorfestival.com.
Where do we go for food?
The closest concentration of restaurants and stores is on Indian Boundary Road in Chesterton, about two miles south of the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center. However, there are countless options across region.
Will the Indiana Dunes State Park charge an entrance fee?
Yes, the Indiana Dunes State Park will charge a daily per car entrance fee the weekend of the Outdoor Adventure Festival. The fee is $7 for Indiana license plates and $12 for out-of-state license plates.
Will the Indiana Dunes National Park charge an entrance fee?
Yes and no. The Indiana Dunes National Park will not charge an entrance fee on Saturday and Sunday, September 16 and 17. On September 8-15, the national park will charge an entrance fee. See the following website for details: https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm
Do you need an accommodation to participate in an event?
If you have a disability and require an accommodation in order to fully participate in an event, please contact Rafi Wilkinson at 773-573-6413 or rafi_wilkinson@nps.gov.
Do I need anything special for the birding events?
The birding hikes are greatly enhanced with binoculars. If you own a pair or can borrow some, please bring them. We will have a couple of pairs to share during the event.
What if the weather is bad?
This is the festival for outdoor adventures, so we will hold the event unless there is active lightning or torrential rainfall. Check the "Schedule" page on the this website or call the visitor center 219-395-1882 for the latest event information. We will relay information back to the visitor center and update the Schedule page.
Will you reschedule an event if it is cancelled due to the weather?
Possibly. Check the resources listed in the previous question.
Will there be an Outdoor Adventure Festival in 2024?
Yes! Next year’s festival will be held on September 6-15, 2024.