West Beach Picnic Area
West Beach Picnic Area is a picnic site in Indiana, at a modelled elevation of 186 m. Mount Lieber stands 214 m to the west-southwest, 1.4 miles off. The nearest named place is West Beach Recreation Area, a park 0.2 miles away. The Indiana Lincoln Highway Byway passes 9.7 miles off. 44 named summits stand within 25 miles.
What to expect
- Operated by
- National Park Service
How to reach it
- 9.7 mi off the The Indiana Lincoln Highway Byway
- 18.4 mi off the Lincoln Highway, National
- 27.4 mi off the Historic Route 66, National
Named places within 25 miles
- West Beach Recreation Area: 0.2 mi
- Polliwog Pond Park: 0.7 mi
- Kratz Memorial Field: 1.0 mi
- Water Works Triangle: 1.1 mi
- Nelson Reck Park: 1.2 mi
- Long Lake Park: 0.6 mi
- West Side Park: 0.6 mi
- Ski Hill Place Green: 0.6 mi
- Ski Hill Steep: 0.7 mi
- Ski Hill Park: 0.7 mi
- Southernmost Point of Lake Michigan: 2.2 mi
- P-51 Mustang: 2.4 mi
- Chanute Glider: 2.4 mi
- Nike Missile Site C47: 6.4 mi
- John Stewart Memorial Settlement House: 6.8 mi
- Tuskegee Airmen: 2.4 mi
- Octave Chanute: 2.4 mi
- Father Marquette Monument: 2.5 mi
- Mayor Richard G. Hatcher Monuument: 6.6 mi
- Elbert H. Gary Monument: 6.6 mi
- Entrance Garden: 1.1 mi
- Formal Garden: 12.0 mi
- Hosta Garden: 12.0 mi
- Daylily Garden: 12.0 mi
- Welcome Garden: 12.5 mi
- Indiana Dunes National Park Tremont Picnic Area: 8.6 mi
- Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Lake View: 12.0 mi
- Eggers Grove Picnic Grove 2: 17.0 mi
- Green Lake Woods Picnic Grove 4: 17.8 mi
- Green Lake Woods Picnic Grove 3: 17.8 mi
- Scallop Dune: 0.3 mi
- Smoking Dune: 0.4 mi
- Mount Chicago: 0.5 mi
- Suicide Hill: 0.6 mi
- Mount Everest: 0.8 mi
- West Beach: 0.3 mi
- Ogden Dunes Beach: 1.0 mi
- East Shoreline: 1.3 mi
- Portage Lakefront: 1.7 mi
- Marquette Beach: 2.3 mi
- Genesis Convention Center: 6.7 mi
- Splash Down Dunes Waterpark: 7.6 mi
- Jump: 11.0 mi
- Jump: 11.0 mi
- Jump: 11.0 mi
- Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education: 3.1 mi
- Nelson Algren Museum: 3.2 mi
- Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center: 5.7 mi
- Gary Land Company Building: 6.5 mi
- Michael Jackson Childhood Home: 7.5 mi
- Breakwater Light: 17.1 mi
- Michigan City East Pierhead Light: 17.2 mi
- Tool Shed: 17.2 mi
- Oil Shed: 17.2 mi
- Old Lighthouse Museum: 17.2 mi
- Rest Area Trucks Only: 15.1 mi
- Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis: 20.3 mi
- Indiana Welcome Center: 23.0 mi
- Tremont: 8.9 mi
- 1 Foot Falls: 12.9 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of West Beach Picnic Area. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Lieber | WSW 254° | 214 m | 1.4 mi |
| Chanute Hill | W 265° | 195 m | 2.9 mi |
| Mount Holden | ENE 70° | 194 m | 8.7 mi |
| Mount Tom | ENE 70° | 193 m | 8.5 mi |
| Mount Jackson | ENE 71° | 192 m | 8.8 mi |
| Mount Baldy | ENE 68° | 185 m | 15.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:53 | 18:25 | 19:01 |
| June solstice | 05:15 | 19:45 | 20:27 |
| September equinox | 06:37 | 18:11 | 18:48 |
| December solstice | 07:13 | 15:38 | 16:22 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 25 | 28 | 38 | 48 | 59 | 69 | 73 | 72 | 65 | 54 | 42 | 31 |
| Precip in | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Indiana Dunes NP, 6 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Indiana Dunes National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Jan and Feb; busiest: Jul.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap element way/600899371
Day trips start here
- Lake Station · 4 mi
- Portage · 4 mi
- Indiana Dunes National Park · 6 mi
- Gary · 7 mi
- Hobart · 7 mi
- Merrillville · 11 mi
Take the scenic way to West Beach Picnic Area.
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