Long Lake (Indiana)
Long Lake is a large wetland in the Indiana Dunes area of Northwest Indiana. It used to be about 8 miles long, but development and drainage shortened it. The lake covers about 34 hectares (roughly 84 acres) and is up to 1.8 meters deep (about 6 feet). It has three small islands and about 4.6 kilometers of shoreline. County Line Road divides the lake into an eastern part and a western part. The eastern part is in Ogden Dunes, Porter County, and the western part is in the Miller Beach area of Lake County. Most of Long Lake sits inside the Indiana Dunes National Park, with a small eastern end used by the American Water company for a water purification plant.
Along the south side run the Norfolk Southern railway, the South Shore Line, and U.S. Route 12. The north side was once crossed by the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, but that line has been replaced by the Marquette Trail and Long Lake Trail, which are used by hikers, cyclists, and birdwatchers.
Long Lake helped inspire conservation efforts for the Indiana Dunes, including work by Diana of the Dunes. In the 19th century, ice from the lake supported Miller Beach; people cut and shipped ice and even skated on the surface between Miller and Baillytown. In the early 20th century, the lake supported a recreational fishery, with species such as largemouth bass and yellow perch.
In the 1920s, County Line Road connected the western and eastern parts, but there was no culvert, so the western part could dry out in hot summers, hurting fish and plants. The western shore is mostly cattails, while the eastern shore has more diverse vegetation. In summer, open water is often covered with pond lilies and water lilies.
Fish kills occurred in 1990 and 2000, reducing the number of species. Recent surveys found green sunfish, bluegill, black bullhead, golden shiner, common carp, and fathead minnow. Amphibians in and around Long Lake include tiger salamander, blue-spotted salamander, chorus frog, spring peeper, American toad, Fowler’s toad, green frog, and bullfrog. Reptiles include snapping turtle, common musk turtle, painted turtle, common garter snake, racer, Eastern hognose snake, and six-lined racerunner. There has been an unconfirmed sighting of the rare Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake nearby, and the slender glass lizard is found in the area.
Long Lake is a popular stopover for migratory birds, and warblers nesting in nearby forests often forage along the shoreline.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:54 (CET).