The Indiana portion of the Lake Michigan shoreline is nothing short of ridiculously awe-inspiring. The lake is so vast that it looks – and often feels – like the seashore much more than an inland lake (albeit an enormous one). It’s easily one of the most popular state parks in Indiana – Indiana Dunes National Park – but did you know the region is also one of the most dangerous regions of Indiana? Year after year, bodies are fished out of Lake Michigan in and nearby the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; the average is a not-insignificant three to four per year, but why?
The long and short of it: drownings.
Save the Dunes/Flickr Beneath the tranquil-looking waters sparkling just off the shores of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (as well as the majority of Lake Michigan shorelines across multiple states) is a rip current that has claimed the lives of even very experienced, strong swimmers.
The easternmost shores of Lake Michigan tend to have the highest number of fatalities every year, more than likely due to the strong rip current in the area.
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory/Flickr And while Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is astonishingly beautiful thanks in part to the massive lake that brings visitors from all over the world, it’s also the single most dangerous state and/or National Park we have.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore came in 10th place in a list of state and/or National Parks in the US with the highest number of drowning deaths. Considering it’s one of the lesser-visited parks when compared to parks that see millions of visitors every year, that’s a bit of a concerning ranking.
Tom Gill/Flickr Between 2007 and 2018, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore saw 17 drowning deaths; some years saw numbers higher than others.
It could be that the rip current in Lake Michigan is simply just not talked about often enough; when polled, plenty of folks admitted they had never even considered there might be one.
Tom Gill/Flickr Some folks felt that rip currents were only an oceanic thing; unfortunately, they are not - especially with a body of water as large as Lake Michigan.
Perhaps most unsettling of all is that as of the time of this writing, there have already been a few fatal incidents at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore this year.
Andrew Reilly/Flickr In June 2022, a heroic man visiting from Florida drowned while rescuing a teenage girl near Porter Beach (he did succeed in saving her life). He was found just 20 to 30 feet from shore and had been pulled underwater by the rip current for 15 minutes. In July, a 72-year-old man drowned in just seven feet of water when he went under and never resurfaced.
The dark secret that Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore - and the rest of Lake Michigan - harbors is this:
Tom Gill/Flickr ….no matter how beautiful it is - no matter how peaceful it looks - Lake Michigan is still #1 in terms of drownings and fatalities year after year, and the beautiful shores of Indiana Dunes are no exception.
The importance of respecting the water (and the power of nature in general) cannot be overstated. While Lake Michigan is an amazing place (and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore portion of it is pretty much the best ever), it can also claim the lives of even the strongest swimmers who dare to underestimate it. Never, ever visit the lake without a life vest (if you must wander into the water very far) – it can literally mean life or death.
Save the Dunes/Flickr
Beneath the tranquil-looking waters sparkling just off the shores of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (as well as the majority of Lake Michigan shorelines across multiple states) is a rip current that has claimed the lives of even very experienced, strong swimmers.
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory/Flickr
And while Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is astonishingly beautiful thanks in part to the massive lake that brings visitors from all over the world, it’s also the single most dangerous state and/or National Park we have.
Tom Gill/Flickr
Between 2007 and 2018, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore saw 17 drowning deaths; some years saw numbers higher than others.
Some folks felt that rip currents were only an oceanic thing; unfortunately, they are not - especially with a body of water as large as Lake Michigan.
Andrew Reilly/Flickr
In June 2022, a heroic man visiting from Florida drowned while rescuing a teenage girl near Porter Beach (he did succeed in saving her life). He was found just 20 to 30 feet from shore and had been pulled underwater by the rip current for 15 minutes. In July, a 72-year-old man drowned in just seven feet of water when he went under and never resurfaced.
….no matter how beautiful it is - no matter how peaceful it looks - Lake Michigan is still #1 in terms of drownings and fatalities year after year, and the beautiful shores of Indiana Dunes are no exception.
Of course, Lake Michigan is far from the only dangerous place in Indiana.
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Address: Indiana Dunes National Park, 1215 N State Rd 49, Porter, IN 46304, USAAddress: Indiana Dunes State Park, Westchester Township, IN 46304, USA
