Plans for the park were quashed during World War, when the lakefront property was needed for steel mills and then again during the industrialization of the Port of Indiana.

But Nature and the Dunes found a way to thrive.

Then again, in 2017 and 2018 Indiana lawmakers again presented the park legislation to Congress during the historic shutdown of 2019.

The park measure was passed days or 300 as part of the massive appropriations bill pushed through Congress to fund and reopen the government.

The fact that he was able to get it into the budget bill was a huge win for us, and it really none of us knew that was gonna happen, so it was one of the biggest pleasant surprises that we've had the designation from National lakeshore to National Park doesn't come with any regulatory or funding changes.

But it does give the dunes a similar status to the other big national parks such as Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Among the first to visit since the change villain Betty Smith from Connecticut, who have already been to the nation's 60 other national parks.

What I want to see our problem with the sand dunes.

I think that's probably the standout feature of this new national park.

I want to see some of the trail systems.

I just want to sort of get a sense of the price.

The park has a varied landscape of 483 kilometre long lake mountainous sand dunes that migrate more than a meter a year, and an intricate trail system with some of the most diverse and rare plants in North America.

There's always something special about a national park.

It's beautiful, it's unique.

There's precious in terms of natural resource is the natural beauty, the wild wife and so just a part of exploring this great country.

The park attracts more than 3.6 million visitors every year, and with its new designation, that number is expected to grow America.