Welcome campers!
Please read this information thoroughly as it contains important information that you need to know about overnight camp this summer at Dunes Learning Center.
If you have further questions regarding your stay, please ask your adult to contact the Dunes Learning Center office at 219-395-9555.
Where You're Going
You're headed somewhere pretty special.
Indiana Dunes National Park stretches along the shore of Lake Michigan, and it's one of the most packed-with-life national parks in the whole country. That means forests, wetlands, marshes, savannas, and of course, the dunes, all in one place. Scientists love it here. You probably will too.
Dunes Learning Center is right in the middle of all of it. People have been coming to this exact spot to explore and learn for over a hundred years. The original camp here, called Camp Good Fellow, got its start in the early 1900s. You're joining a really long line of kids who've done the same thing you're about to do.
DLC is the Official Outdoor School of Indiana Dunes National Park, which means we have a partnership with the National Park Service and you will get to meet and learn from real Park Rangers while at camp. Pretty cool.
Here's a little preview of what you'll find:
Dunes that climb as high as 200 feet
A lake so big you genuinely cannot see the other side
Trails that pass through totally different ecosystems in a single walk
It's a big, wild, beautiful place, and for the week, it's yours to explore.
What You'll Actually Do
Here’s an example of the kinds of activities you’ll encounter at camp. Not every program happens in every session, and the schedule changes, but this gives you a real picture of what camp days look like.
Dune hikes — You’ll hike through the national park, through forests, up and over the dunes, and along trails that pass through completely different ecosystems within a short distance. You will bring everything that you need to be successful on your hike, including water, bugspray, and sunscreen. Wear closed-toe, comfortable hiking shoes.
Night hike — During this time, you will be hiking around the Dunes Learning Center trails without a flashlight! Don’t worry, your eyes will adjust and you will get to experience what it would be like to be a nocturnal animal at the Dunes. Most campers consider this one of the standout experiences of the week.
Chellberg Farm — A real historic farm that has been operating since the 1800s, located inside the national park. You’ll visit the garden, meet the chickens, learn about the farming lifestyle from over 100 years ago, and play fun games about where your food comes from!
Animal adventures — Learning about native animals, their adaptations, their habitats, and how to find them in the wild. Salamanders, birds, frogs, and insects are common encounters.
Sit spots — You find a personal spot in nature, sit down, and have a moment of reflection. This is a unique opportunity for you to use most of your senses to experience the world around you!
The Coyote Game — A camp-wide game that is a mixture of a scavenger hunt, hide-n-seek, and tag! A camp classic that allows you to explore campus with your friends and DLC staff..
Specials — A rotating menu of activities to choose from: arts & crafts, learning a new skill, group games, and more.
Secret garden — A quiet, tucked-away space on campus where we grow food and native plants.
Most activities happen outside. Weather changes things sometimes. The program adapts, but the outdoors part doesn’t — rain or shine, camp happens outside.
Your People — Who Runs Camp
All staff pass background checks and are certified in First Aid and CPR. National Park Service emergency dispatch is available 24 hours. The nearest hospital is 4.5 miles from campus.
Environmental Education Fellows
These are the people leading your daytime programs. Each of our fellows is a highly qualified college graduate with a passion for the outdoors, education, and helping kids have the best summer ever.
Cabin Leaders
Our Cabin Leaders are college students who live in the cabin with you overnight and lead evening activities. They know the park, they’ve been trained for this, and they’re there specifically to help you get the most out of camp.
Camp Nurse
Every camper checks in with the nurse at arrival. The Nurse will manage your medications during camp, and is available to address any medical needs while you are at camp.
Sleeping and Eating
Cabins
You’ll sleep in a cabin with other campers your age. Your Cabin Leader stays in the cabin with the group overnight and is there to provide support and guidance through the evening. Cabins are on campus within the national park.
Meals
Three delicious meals a day, plus snacks, are all served at camp in Cowles Lodge. DLC is an allergen-aware facility — if you have dietary restrictions, your family noted them during registration and the food service team knows. Please leave snacks and candy at home, but don’t forget the water bottles.
Mail from home
People can send letters to you at camp, delivered by hand to your cabin. Email also works: messages sent to camper@DunesLearningCenter.org (with your name and cabin number in the subject line) get printed and delivered each evening. You can’t reply by email, but you can write a letter home if you bring a few addressed, pre-stamped envelopes, and you’ll also be provided with DLC postcards to send to home while you are here.
What to Pack
A complete packing list is available to download from your camp guide, below is the practical summary.
Bring this:
• Clothes that can get muddy
• Closed-toe hiking shoes
• Extra shoes (water/mud OK)
• Sweatshirt + long pants
• Rain gear
• Hat with a brim
• Sunscreen & bug spray
• Two water bottles
• Plastic bags for wet things
• Something to read and/or journal /sketchbook
Leave at home:
• Cell phone or other electronics
• Video games or tablets
• Expensive cameras
• Food, snacks, or candy (overnight camp)
• Pocket knives
• Sports equipment
• Anything you'd be upset to lose
• New or nice clothes
Optional but useful: binoculars, a rugged or disposable camera.
You won’t have your phone camera out here, and there’s a lot worth seeing.
Old clothes are the right call. You will get dirty. If it’s new, don’t bring it.
Label everything with your first and last name. Lost items are held for two weeks after camp. Whatever you bring is your responsibility to take home.
The Rules
Camp runs on one word: RESPECT. Here’s what that actually means:
1. Respect yourself — follow safety guidelines, try new things, take care of your health
2. Respect others — treat every camper and every staff member with kindness
3. Respect the facilities — the buildings and equipment are used by thousands of kids every year, use furniture as intended and keep spaces clean
4. Respect the environment — Because Indiana Dunes is a National Park, everything here is protected, including the plants, the animals, the dunes, even the rocks. That's not just a rule; it's actually what makes this place so incredible to visit. When we leave things as we find them, we make sure the next group of kids gets to experience the exact same thing you did. Take a lot of pictures and make memories, but leave everything else behind.
What happens if things go wrong
1st — A warning is issued. A staff member talks with you to understand and correct the issue.
2nd — A second warning. You speak with the Lead Staff or the Onsite Program Director — and you call your parent or guardian yourself to report what happened.
3rd — You’re removed from camp and your family picks you up. No refunds are issued due to behavioral infractions.
Serious infractions — fighting, weapons, controlled substances — result in immediate removal from camp.
No warnings.
About the No-Phone Policy
Your phone stays home. If you bring it anyway, it gets collected at check-in and held in the office until you leave. This applies to everyone, no exceptions.
This isn’t a punishment. Camp works differently from daily life. You’re outside, using your hands, paying attention to things in the physical world around you. Having a phone available changes how you pay attention, and not in a useful direction for what you’re doing out here.
Most campers who were anxious about leaving their phone say that by the second day, they stopped thinking about it. The week goes fast.
Other electronics such as games, tablets, and earbuds also stay home. Same reasoning applies.
Your family can follow along through DLC’s Photocircle for your specific camp week, make sure they check their email after drop off for the invitation!
If You're Nervous
That’s a completely normal response to going somewhere new, especially overnight. Almost everyone feels some version of that before camp starts, even kids who’ve been before.
The staff has worked with a lot of kids in this park, and helping new campers get oriented is part of what they do from day one.
Letters from home help. You can ask your family to write and send a few before camp even starts so they arrive during your stay. The Cabin Leaders are also there to talk.
Questions? Contact the Dunes Learning Center office: 219-395-9555 | curious@duneslearningcenter.org
