Indiana's Best Lakes and Waterfronts

Indiana's waterfronts range from the Lake Michigan shoreline to the glacial lake chains of the north to the Ohio River's historic ports.

Lake Michigan (Indiana Dunes)
Indiana's 45 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline — the beach at Indiana Dunes NP (West Beach, Central Beach, and Kemil Beach) is warm (Lake Michigan's southeast corner warms significantly in summer), sandy, and backed by active dunes. The contrast between the industrial Gary skyline to the west and the natural dune-and-forest landscape of the park is striking and unique. Sunrise over the lake from the dune crest is extraordinary.

Lake Wawasee and Tippecanoe Lake (Syracuse area)
Indiana's largest natural lake — Lake Wawasee (3,140 acres) in Kosciusko County is the centerpiece of Indiana's northern lake country. The area around Warsaw, Syracuse, and Winona Lake has hundreds of smaller glacial lakes. The lakeside resort communities have operated since the 1880s; the Winona Lake Arts District is a revitalized historic conference center complex.

Monroe Lake (Bloomington)
Indiana's largest reservoir — 10,750 acres in the Hoosier National Forest hills south of Bloomington. The lake's forested shoreline (in the Hoosier NF) gives it a more natural character than most Midwestern reservoirs. Indiana University students use it for sailing, kayaking, and beach recreation.

Ohio River (Madison, Aurora, Vevay)
The Ohio River towns of southeast Indiana — Madison's antebellum waterfront, Aurora's Hillforest mansion (1852 Italianate, on a bluff above the river), and Vevay (Switzerland County — Swiss immigrant wine production since 1802) give the Indiana Ohio River shoreline historical depth.

Indiana Dunes State Park Beach
A 3-mile Lake Michigan beach within the state park — the finest swimming beach in Indiana. The beach is wide (200 feet from dune crest to water at low water mark) and the warm southeast lake water makes swimming comfortable from late June through September.