Chicago to Indiana Dunes by Bike: Route, South Shore Line and Park Rules

This is the long ride out of Chicago that ends at a national park. Two plans work. Ride both ways and make a day of it, or ride out and let the train carry you home. Either way, the route follows the lake from the Loop to the dunes. It sits in Routes & Trails beside the Lakefront Trail.

The ride out

Out Our Front Door, a nonprofit, starts its route at Buckingham Fountain and lists it at 125 miles round trip, 95% paved and 5% crushed limestone⁷. It offers two ways. The off-road route adds 10 miles⁷. On the road route, the road narrows to no shoulder at all within 3 miles of the state park⁷. Take the off-road route unless you ride roads with confidence.

The route passes through Jackson Park and by the 1893 World’s Fair site⁷. The Lakefront Trail carries you south. The Park District runs it as an 18-mile bike trail beside an 18.5-mile pedestrian trail, split in 2018¹⁰. The Park District’s repair work begins at 6300 south and works north one section at a time to Foster Avenue beach¹⁰. Check the Park District page for work zones before you leave.

Past the Lakefront Trail, the Burnham Greenway runs from Chicago’s South Side to I-80⁹. In September 2023 the Active Transportation Alliance reported that Cook County wanted the Burnham Multimodal Connector finished by 2027⁹.

Across the state line

Indiana’s trails take over near Hammond. In 2011 a Chicago Reader writer reported that the Erie Lackawanna, Oak Savanna and Prairie Duneland paths run almost uninterrupted for more than 30 miles from Hammond to Chesterton⁸. The same writer logged 108 miles on the trip⁸, and saw no sign for the Erie Lackawanna Trail, which begins in Hammond⁸. Download a route before you go.

The South Shore Line’s own trail list names the Lakefront Trail, Big Marsh Park, Erie Lackawanna, Calumet and Dunes Kankakee among the rides near its stations³.

Riding the South Shore Line

The South Shore Line runs between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and Northwest Indiana⁴. It began operating in 1903 and its system is 99 miles long⁴.

In 2024 its Bikes on Trains program ran from April 1 to October 31³. Racks sit in marked cars, free, first come, first served³. No additional fare applies for a bicycle³. The rules that follow come from the line’s 2024 page.

Rule	Detail
Boarding	High-level platforms only3
Which end	Rear of westbound trains, front of eastbound3
Bike size	Front tire no wider than 2.5 inches3
Not allowed	Recumbents, tricycles, tandems, cargo trailers3
Space	Not guaranteed on the outbound or return trip3
Blackouts	Lollapalooza and the Chicago Air & Water Show3

The line also prohibited bikes from November to March unless they were collapsible and bagged³. Confirm the current season on the South Shore Line site, and read the bikes on the South Shore Line guide.

Inside Indiana Dunes National Park

The park runs about 15 miles along Lake Michigan and covers 15,349 acres⁵. It was redesignated a national park on February 15, 2019⁵. Its interconnected trails span 37 miles¹, and most are open all year¹.

Trail	Surface and length
Calumet	Gravel, 19.0 miles round trip1
Dunes Kankakee	Paved, 3.6 miles round trip1
Porter Brickyard	Paved, 7.0 miles round trip, some hills1
Prairie Duneland	Paved, 22.4 miles round trip1
Marquette	Gravel, 4.6 miles round trip1
Oak Savannah	Paved, 17.8 miles round trip1

The Calumet Trail runs about 9.1 miles on crushed limestone, roughly parallel to U.S. 12 and the South Shore right-of-way⁶. Built in 1976, it is the first dedicated bicycle trail in Indiana⁶. The park warns that gravel on the Marquette and Calumet trails can be uneven and rough, and you may need to walk your bike¹.

Fees, e-bikes and 2026 closures

Anyone 16 or older who enters on a bicycle needs an entrance pass, $15 per person for seven days². Children under 16 do not². The national park and Indiana Dunes State Park charge separately, and passes do not work at both².

E-bikes are allowed where traditional bikes are, but riding on the motor alone is prohibited¹. As of March 2026, the park listed Marquette Greenway construction throughout 2026¹. Segments of the Glenwood Dunes system were to close from April 1 through December 31, 2026, and Little Calumet segments from May 1 through December 31, 2026¹. Check the park before you ride.