Here’s an article submitted by Michael Burton a while back for the special carfree Derailleur zine– submitted without his permission, so don’t tell him– he’ll be pissed!!!

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Carfree Camping—Really Getting Away from it All!
Michael Burton

Four years ago, I joined the ranks of the auto emancipated when the City of Chicago towed my seldom-driven Chevy Nova and I decided to let them keep it. As the bicycle had become my primary mode of urban transportation, sending the ticket magnet (somehow, I always managed to always miss those darn street cleaning signs) to the crusher was a relief.

While biking and the occasional CTA ride got me everywhere I needed to go in Chicago, surrendering my cars keys left me uneasy about one transportation need—the urban get away. Over the past few years, my uneasiness has slowly given way to new adventures where the escape is often as enjoyable as the destination. Instead of starting out trips as a three hour prisoner of a bucket seat, my weekend travels now typically begin with invigorating bike rides or relaxing train rides.

One of my favorite Chicago weekend get aways is a little-known carfree camping trip to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The Dunes boasts about 15 miles of pristine Lake Michigan shoreline as well as dozens of miles of hiking trails. And when you factor in convenient, cheap rail access and a walk-in, carfree camping area, it’s difficult to understand why anyone would ever drive to the Dunes.

The trip begins at the downtown Chicago Randolph Street South Shore Train station, with trains leaving every 20 minutes or so on Friday afternoons. The hour and a half train ride costs about $7 and takes a scenic route through Chicago’s southside neighborhoods and the lakeside towns of northern Indiana.

The South Shore Rail Line is the last remnant of a vast network of interurban rail lines that connected most cities and towns in the Midwest during the early 20th century. Sadly, just as the automobile displaced urban streetcars, subsidized Interstate Highways and suburban lifestyles doomed the interurban train networks. On a happier note, the South Shore Line lives on as a reminder of carfreer times and perhaps inspiration for a carfreer future.

If you’re so inclined, the South Shore allows passengers to bring along wine, beer or other beverages to jumpstart your weekend. Don’t forget to toast the car encumbered who are suffering through the sobering traffic jams on the Sky Way!

There are two campground options at the Dunes. The Indiana State Park is about a mile and a half hike from the Dune Park Station. While the State Park enjoys a close proximity to the lake and many nice dune hiking trails, the campground itself resembles a WalMart parking lot—a vista crowded with cars, but separated by tents and firepits instead of yellow lines.

For those who prefer not to camp in parking lots, the National Lakeshore Dunewood campground (one stop further on the South Shore near the Beverly Shores station) offers a much carfreer camping experience. The campground is a quarter mile walk from the station (with two liquor stores conveniently located on the route). Dunewood offers 25 carfree, hike-in campsites, located in a grassy grove of oak and maple trees. There’s a nice trail that’s a two-mile hike through a dune forest to an interpretative center (and more trails) and the campground is mile walk down a little used road to a secluded Lake Michigan beach (I even heard tales of skinny dipping). There are plenty of hiking, swimming and beach combing activities to provide a full weekend of carfree Rand R.

The Dunewood campground is open April 1 to October 31 with sites costing $10 a night. Reservations are not accepted—all sites are on a first come, first served basis. On summer weekends, the park fills up. Typically, before Memorial Day and after Labor Day weekend, it’s easier to get a site. For more info call 219-926-7561,x225. Happy carfree trails!