Indiana Dunes named national park

An early-morning visitor climbs to the top of Mt. Baldy at sunrise. The 125-foot-tall sand dune is the trademark of the beach near Michigan City.

At the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Mount Baldy, a 125-foot sand dune, is a popular stop on the way to Lake Michigan.

Wooden steps lead to Lakeview Beach and Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes, near Beverly Shores, Indiana. President Donald Trump designation it the Indiana Dunes National Park.

Marram grass is the key to keep sands from blowing away. It sends deep roots into the sand to hold it in place.

Joe Eagle, 5, of Homewood, Illinois, leaps into Lake Michigan at Lakeview Beach near Beverly Shores, Indiana, as his father Jay looks on.

Joe Eagle, 5, of Homewood, Illinois, is framed by dad Jay left and mom Amy as the trio visit Lake Michigan at Lakeview Beach near Beverly Shores, Indiana.

Visitors crowd the sand at Porter Beach on the shores of Lake Michigan near Indiana Dunes National Park.

Visitors relax at The Dunes State Park pavilion beach front in Chesterton, Ind., on Aug. 10. 2015.

This photo, taken at the Indiana Dunes National Park by Nancy Flanigan, was named the winner of the 2004 Indianapolis Star Travel Photo Contest.You can get unlimited access to photos like this with an IndyStar subscription.

A clearing thunderstorm and a stand of trees create a striking image at sunrise on top of Mt. Baldy. The 125-foot-tall sand dune is the trademark of the beach near Michigan City.

Holly Jackson painted this scene of the Indiana Dunes, which was provided by the Indiana Dunes Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Sunset is the highlight at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which earned federal protection from an act of Congress in 1966. President Trump recently elevated its status to become the Indiana Dunes National Park.

Bicyclists ride on the Oak Savannah paved rail trail at Indiana Dunes National Park.

Trevor Sweeney and his dog Chloe set out across a wooden bridge in the of the Dunes Marsh after finishing hiking trails No. 9 and 10 in Indiana Dunes State Park.

Irene and Cal Couch of Fort Wayne have been coming to the Indiana Dunes State Park to camp for years. On this morning they sit reading newspapers, while waiting for their camping gear to dry out from a soaking morning rain.

A car travels through a canopy of leaves on East State Park Road in Indiana Dunes State Park.

Detail of autumn leaves at Indiana Dunes State Park.

The Indiana Dunes National Park is a natural gem with wildlife such as great blue herons surrounded by factories and highways.

A view up the beach from Mount Baldy in the Indiana Dunes State Park shows a cooling tower at the NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Co.) plant in Michigan City.

Sunshine after a rainy morning brings a few beachcombers out to the Lake View area of Indiana Dunes State Park in northern Indiana.

Gov. Edward Jackson, Indiana's 32nd governor who served from 1925-29, helped establish the Indiana Dunes State Park and the George Rogers Clark Memorial.

A sign warns park visitors that sections of the dunes are closed to protect and restore the sand dunes at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Geologists marked found another hole in Mount Baldy dune, measuring 7 inches wide and about 4-1/2 feet deep. Mount Baldy stands at the eastern end of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore east of Gary, Indiana.

Trees are buried in sand at Mount Baldy at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Some experts theorize that decomposing trees are creating holes in the dunes.