Hikers who complete the popular 3 Dune Challenge at Indiana Dunes State Park between Sept. 6 and 18 can receive a free, reusable water bottle if they pick up trash along the way.

Park managers are calling the project the 3 Dune Cleanup Challenge. Participants should check in at the park nature center before their hike to receive a trash bag. The bag can be returned to the nature center to receive a free water bottle provided by the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center.

The 3 Dune Challenge (3DuneChallenge.com) began in 2014 to encourage visitors to tackle the toughest fitness experience in the dunes. A person must run or hike a 1.5-mile course on Trail 8, climbing Mount Jackson (176 feet above Lake Michigan), Mount Holden (184 feet above Lake Michigan) and Mount Tom (192 feet above Lake Michigan). Some trail sections feature 40-degree slopes.

The popularity of the challenge has come at a cost. Empty water bottles litter the ground throughout the route.

Cleanup participants are also eligible for the same incentives as those who finish the 3 Dune Challenge without also cleaning up. That includes free commemorative stickers and postcards, and the chance to buy a special shirt at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center.

"Visitors completing the 3 Dune Cleanup will gain more than a fitness walk," said the park's interpretive naturalist, Brad Bumgardner. "The cleanup will bring greater awareness to the stewardship that goes into taking care of the dunes environment."

Indiana Dunes State Park (stateparks.IN.gov/2980.htm) is at 1600 North 25 E. Chesterton, 46304.

To view all DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.


Media contact: Brad Bumgardner, interpretive naturalist, Indiana Dunes State Park, (219) 926-1390; Ken Kosky, Indiana Dunes Tourism, (219) 926-2255.