Regional Guide · 38 beaches
Great Lakes Beaches
Great Lakes coverage spans Michigan's Lake Michigan dunes coast (Ludington, Silver Lake, Sleeping Bear, Petoskey), the Chicago lakefront in Illinois, Indiana's southern Lake Michigan shore (Indiana Dunes, Miller Beach, Michigan City), Wisconsin's Door County peninsula, Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay (Tawas Point, Port Crescent), Lake Superior (Marquette), Lake Erie (Maumee Bay, Cedar Point, Edgewater), Lake Ontario's south shore (Hamlin Beach, Selkirk Shores), and Presque Isle in Pennsylvania. The largest single freshwater system on earth — no jellyfish, no sharks, no rip-current-by-headland on most beaches, but real wind-driven surf when fronts move through.
When to Go
Beaches open Memorial Day through Labor Day; water warms comfortably by mid-July on the southern lakes and by August on Superior. Peak visitation is July–August; mornings and early fall are dramatically less crowded.
Watch Out For
Lake Erie and Lake Michigan have real surf and dangerous rip currents during onshore wind events — check the NWS Beach Hazards statement before swimming. Harmful algal blooms (cyanobacteria) occasionally close beaches in late summer, especially on western Lake Erie. Many beaches close during E. coli advisories after heavy rain.
Michigan · 13
All Michigan beaches →Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Great day for a beach walk.
Holland State Park Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Empire Beach (Lake Michigan Beach Park)
Great day for a beach walk.
Petoskey State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Lakeport State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Ludington State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Wilderness State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Grand Haven State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Silver Lake State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Tawas Point State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Port Crescent State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Presque Isle Park (Marquette)
Great day for a beach walk.
Warren Dunes State Park
Decent day for sunbathing.
Illinois · 9
All Illinois beaches →12th Street Beach (Chicago)
Great day for a beach walk.
Foster Avenue Beach (Chicago)
Mixed conditions today.
Montrose Beach (Chicago)
Skip the beach today.
North Avenue Beach (Chicago)
Skip the beach today.
Oak Street Beach (Chicago)
Skip the beach today.
Ohio Street Beach (Chicago)
Skip the beach today.
31st Street Beach (Margaret T. Burroughs Beach)
Skip the beach today.
63rd Street Beach (Chicago)
Skip the beach today.
57th Street Beach (Hyde Park)
Skip the beach today.
Ohio · 5
All Ohio beaches →Maumee Bay State Park
Skip the beach today.
Cedar Point Beach
Skip the beach today.
Headlands Beach State Park
Skip the beach today.
Sims Park Beach (Euclid)
Skip the beach today.
Edgewater Beach (Cleveland)
Skip the beach today.
Wisconsin · 4
All Wisconsin beaches →Bradford Beach (Milwaukee)
Ideal for a beach walk.
Whitefish Dunes State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Cave Point County Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Peninsula State Park (Nicolet Bay Beach)
Great day for a beach walk.
Indiana · 3
All Indiana beaches →Washington Park Beach (Michigan City)
Mixed conditions today.
Indiana Dunes National Park
Skip the beach today.
Marquette Park Beach (Gary, Miller Beach)
Skip the beach today.