Welcome back for our 6th year of camping, caching, and fun!
Once in the Park, the above coordinates will take you to the
base camp for Saturday, a/k/a the Wilson Shelter.
*There is a fee to get into the park, in addition to your camping
fee:
Daily Non-resident Weekend $10.00 per day
Daily In-State Weekend $5.00 per day
Annual Non-resident $46.00
Annual resident $36.00
Indiana Dunes State Park is a beautiful State Park located in
Chesterton, Indiana. It is just 10 miles west of Michigan City,
Indiana off of I-94. There is a wonderful campground offering 140
sites with modern bathroom facilities. The Park offers over 16
miles of hiking trails, shelter facilities, several playgrounds, 3
miles of Lake Michigan frontage, and a Nature Center that offers
many programs that the entire family would enjoy. (You can pick up
a schedule at the front gate or at the Nature Center. They are also
posted on bulletin boards in each campground.) For those of you who
do not prefer to camp, there is a wide selection of hotels and
motels in the area. For the diehard cacher, there are nearly a
dozen of caches within a mile of the shelter.Many of the activities
enjoyed last year will be back, as well as some new, fun things! We
will be having a potluck dinner Saturday evening, and there will be
electricity in the large shelter we are using. We would recommend
making reservations as soon as possible, as this park can get full
quick. If you reserve online, you have to reserve two nights, which
would work well for this event as there will be night caching
Saturday and social time Friday night. (single night camping
requires you to call the reservation call center) Full schedule
will be posted as we approach the date.For Camping Reservations go
to: Central Reservations
System
For info on the park go to: Dunes State Park Page
Tentative Schedule: Activities in green indicate park interpretive programs being held
in conjunction with event.
Friday, Sept 24
2pm- Campground Check-in: campsites available for checking
in. Visit the Nature Center, or hit some of the park's geocaches
and earthcaches.
7pm- Campfire Social: GC number
GC2BQN3. Held at the Nature Center Program Ring. In case of
inclement weather, we'll be inside the Wilson Shelter.
Saturday, Sept 25
9am- Registration begins at Base Camp.
10am- Early Fall in the Blowout. Join
the naturalist at the Nature Center for an 1-1 ½ hour hike to the
spectacular view on top Beach House Blowout. We’ll explore
this dune creation and enjoy the early fall color
show.
10:30am- Event Cache Start: Meet at the
base camp for a short presentation and handout of this year's "Lost
and Found" Event Cache. Gather all the clues you need to solve this
photo scavenger hunt challenge. There will be no afternoon
activities planned to allow folks to complete this year’s
event cache. All cachers should plan to bring a digital camera
with either SD card or data cable and then sign the event prize
giveaway.
2pm- High-tech Scavenger Hunt.
We’ll introduce the public and any newbies to geocaching this
afternoon at the Nature Center. Prizes for the kids.
5pm- Event Cache Ends: All teams should report by 5pm to
submit their photos.
5:45pm- Group Photo: Please arrive on time!
6pm- Potluck Dinner: As in the past, please bring a dish, no
dish assignments... we've never had a problem.
6:30pm- Raffle Drawings: including the event cache
prize!
7pm- Night Caching!
7pm- Campground Critters. If
you’re not into night caching, then join naturalist Deanna
for an evening of exploration as we introduce you to the critters
living amongst the campers this weekend. Meet at the Campground
Shelter (by site 113).
Sunday, Sept 26
10am- Feed the Birds. Join the
naturalist outside the Nature Center for the daily feeding of our
birds. Get up close views of chickadees, cardinals, woodpeckers and
more. Great fun for the kids.
10:30am- Cache in Trash Out event at the Nature Center. GC
number
GC2BQMP. Project details to come…
2pm- Indiana State Parks: 100 years of
Fun! As the state parks gear up for their 100th anniversary (and
there’s a state park geocache challenge going on now!), come
to the Nature Center for this new PBS documentary that highlights
the early history of our first state parks. Total time about 50
minutes.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING A RAFFLE ITEM! If you have questions on
what to bring please email me. Also, please don't forget to sign up
for your dish to pass for the potluck by posting a note on this
site stating what you are going to be bringing! Every year we have
had AWESOME food!
Full schedule to come soon!
We're hoping to see many of the area geocachers join us for a
great early fall weekend in the park!
More info to come!
*With the threat of the Emerald Ash Borer, and
the Federal laws on moving firewood, we ask that if you are
traveling from anywhere in Indiana, Ohio, or Michigan you DO NOT
bring your own firewood. In addition the USDA does patrol the
campgrounds on weekends,and does hand out fines up to $500 a log
for second and third time offenders! There is a camp store at the
Park where you can purchase it, and they do deliver right to your
site! In addition, we will very likely have extra park wood at the
shelter that you can take some logs back for your own campfire
Friday and Saturday night. Thanks for your help in this evil
pest.