This Is the Cheapest U.S. National Park to Fly to—and It Has 15 Miles of Dramatic Dune-covered Coastline

Travel + Leisure

16-05-2025

Traveling to a national park this summer might feel like an out-of-budget impossibility—and that might be true if you're trying to visit one of the most popular parks in the country, like Yellowstone or Yosemite. Trying to snag reservations far enough in advance is tricky in itself, but the real barrier to entry is traveling to these destinations. Booking flights into Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport or Fresno Yosemite International Airport can be incredibly costly, and after flying in you still need to navigate multi-hour drives to actually make it to the parks.
There's good news for travelers looking for easier, cheaper ways to visit national parks this summer. While Yosemite and Yellowstone might be going viral on social media, there are a total 63 national parks across the country to choose from. In that list, there actually are a few that are incredibly affordable to fly to, according to new data from Going. The most affordable national park to fly to was determined by an analysis of fares at airports within 300 miles of each park and how many times Going has identified deals to each airport.
All that number crunching yielded one clear result: Indiana Dunes National Park.
The national park is located just 40 miles away from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and about 50 miles away from both South Bend International Airport (SBN) and Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). Going found that average flights are $138 roundtrip and has sent 42 deals to subscribers to MDW in the last year.
Indiana Dunes is not only the cheapest national park to fly to, but it also offers a ton for nature lovers of every type. To start there's 15 miles of dune covered coastline right on Lake Michigan. Then, there's more than 50 miles of hiking trails, swimming beaches, horseback riding, bird watching, and guided tours. The varied landscapes of the park, which includes those dramatic dunes, prairies, bogs, and marshes, is home to at least 350 different species of birds.
The National Park Service has recommended itineraries for half day and day trip visits to the park—making it even easier to add a national park visit to your next trip to Chicago. The city is only a 45 minute drive from the park, making it one of the most accessible in the country.
Looking for even more affordable national parks to fly to this summer? Here are the 10 cheapest parks according to Going: Indiana Dunes National Park White Sands National Park in New Mexico Big Bend National Park in Texas Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota Congaree National Park in South Carolina Lassen Volcanic National Park in California Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona
Just remember that no matter which national park you plan on visiting this summer, you should strive to be more respectful and patient than ever. A federal reduction in staffing means that we all need to do our part to keep the parks and their ecosystems pristine.