Favorite Great Lakes Beaches

[nyarch21]

I started this thread so people can share their opinions on what their favorite beaches are specifically on the Great Lakes. If you have. Favorite place or favorite beach feel free to post it on this thread!

Here are my favorite
1). Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
2). Miners Beach, Mosquito Beach, Sand Point Beach, and Mosquito Beach at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
3).Grand Haven State Park, Grand Haven, Michigan.

[musiccity]

The only Great Lakes beach I've been to is the beach at Northwestern in Evanston, IL.

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North Beach by Taekwonweirdo, on Flickr

In a lot of ways I actually like Great Lakes beaches over Ocean beaches, nice water temp in the summer time and there's no painful salt in the water.

[chicagogeorge]

Lake Michigan at Indian Dunes, about 30 miles from Chicago city limits

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[nyarch21]

I've seen several pictures of the silhouette of chicagos skyline taken from a the Indiana dunes area. Is this Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore or the Indiana Dunes State Park?

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by musiccity

In a lot of ways I actually like Great Lakes beaches over Ocean beaches, nice water temp in the summer time and there's no painful salt in the water.

Lake beaches certainly have their advantages, which is why I love going to the Great Lakes, but ocean beaches are nice as well. The salt that is painful to your eyes is nice in that it also acts as an anti-persperant, so that you don't necessarily need to put on deodorant if you plan on being in the heat.

[Lmichigan]

Oh, Sleeping Bear, no doubt. Not only do you have the beaches, but the hundreds-feet-tall dunes at your back:

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Drop Off by FHGVZEhyde, on Flickr

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On the edge of the world . . . by Dr. Farnsworth, on Flickr

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Sleeping Bear Dunes 2012 by Joon Han, on Flickr

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Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes by Murtasma, on Flickr

My favorite conventional beach is Grand Haven City Beach:

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Grand Haven Beach May 29, 2010 by DJ Wolfman, on Flickr

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Point Break by Second Glance Photos Kevin Ryan, on Flickr

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IMP-2000779 by Ed Kraz., on Flickr

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"Sunset silhouette" Grand Haven Lighthouse - Grand Haven , Michigan by Michigan Nut, on Flickr

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Grand Haven Sunset - March 24th, 2011 by Gbozik » t1gtv.com, on Flickr

[nyarch21]

The dunes and the bluffs make all the beaches at sleeping bear the best IMO. The islands in the distance don't hurt either!
That's why the beaches at pictured rocks are my second favorite, swimming with 200 ft cliffs to the back of you is a wonderful feeling!

[Pilliod Njaim]

My kind of thread! I think Michigan has not only the best beaches in the Great Lakes region, but also the entire country! It even bests California, since the water gets warmer, and it's much cleaner in northern LP/UP Michigan. I'll dig through the archives for some photos, but for now, I'd say:

1. Grand Haven State Park: awesome lighthouse, huge beach, great water, walking distance to a great downtown, nice Michigan people, big crowds in summer, the list goes on forever. It's my favorite of the Michigan tourism towns.

2. Little Sable Point: great lighthouse with an amazing observation deck, Florida-style beach, gorgeous, shallow water, not too crowded, low key vibe, can walk to the jaw-dropping Silver Lake sand dunes.

3. Sleeping Bear: especially Platte River and beaches at Sleeping Bear Point. Everyone knows what a gem this place is, and I agree with that ABC news poll- it's the prettiest place in the United States. The main dune is also the best place to watch a sunset. I love the vibe there and even in a thunderstorm, I've had great experiences (climbed the dune in pouring rain, and it still was gorgeous).

4. Pictured Rocks: especially Miners Beach. Pictured Rocks is one of the few areas in the world where you get big white sand beaches, pine trees, 200-foot rock cliffs, and tropical-looking water all in one place. It has no equal and is one the world's greatest coastlines. To top it off, it also has the amazing Grand Sable Sand Dunes, which give Sleeping Bear a run for its money.

5. Lake Superior Provincial Park: I think this is the prettiest coastline in North America, and it's unlike anywhere else I've been in my life. The cliffs and mountains towering 400 to 1000 feet above the water are the main attraction, but it also has gorgeous beaches. This is the Big Sur of the Great Lakes and it can match it on every level. Old Woman Bay contains a Hawaii-style beach in a location far too north for it! The only negative is the water/weather is pretty damn cold here most of the year. August through early October is the best time to visit due to the Indian Summer effect of the Great Lakes. I don't think you can swim in June or July since it's so far north. This place must be unreal in the winter. I can only imagine how much lake effect snow they get...I think there is a reason no one lives in northern Ontario.

6. Ludington State Park: contains what I think is America's best lighthouse, and the beaches stretch forever on this section of Lake Michigan. There are also some nice little sand dunes and desert-like conditions in the area between the main beach and lighthouse. It can be 75 degrees on the water and 100 degrees in the dunes! Very interesting microclimates are found here.

7. Silver Beach at St. Joseph: This is another great southern Michigan tourism town that is often overlooked in favor of Grand Haven and Holland. The beach is excellent though and people are friendly. It also benefits by its southernly location and shallow waters. It warms up faster than the central and northern basins of Lake Michigan.

8. Oval Beach at Saugatuck: Saugatuck is a gorgeous resort town, don't get me wrong, but I've always felt the people were less friendly there than elsewhere in Michigan. I've heard this is more of a wealthy Chicago hangout, so that could explain it. Still, the main attraction which is that beach can hang with just about anywhere.

*Honorable mentions include a lot of stuff on the Ontario side of Lake Huron. I think Huron has some of the prettiest waters (Bruce Peninsula is unreal), and there are also some big, beautiful beaches. I really love Grand Bend and Sauble Beach.

*Though Lake Erie is obviously underwhelming compared to Huron/Michigan/Superior, it has a couple of decent beaches that warm up fast (shallow Western Basin Lake Erie is really the only place you can swim on Memorial Day weekend). The water may be dirtier, but Cedar Point still is a unique place. What other amusement park has a beach on that level? Point Pelee is also pretty awesome. It's not dramatic with cliffs, sand dunes, or mountains, but has a vibe all its own. That's about as cool as a flat area can get. The marshes are impressive and the barrier beaches are quite good.

[Pilliod Njaim]

In a lot of ways I actually like Great Lakes beaches over Ocean beaches, nice water temp in the summer time and there's no painful salt in the water.

Totally agree, and you left out the sharks and jellyfish! Lake Michigan and Lake Huron actually get warmer in the summer than the Pacific coast of the United States. Even San Diego's famed Coronado Beach doesn't break 70 in August. Subract 10 degrees from that in central and northern California!

*I don't think people even try to swim in Oregon or Washington.

[Steely Dan]

oak street beach probably isn't the best great lakes beach taken on its own, but the backdrop is pretty hard to beat.

[Jennifat]

Originally Posted by Pilliod Njaim

[I]*I don't think people even try to swim in Oregon or Washington.

I've been swimming at Long Beach in Washington — the water was fine!

[Kerby W-R]

I've never been to a Great Lakes beach. These pics are pretty cool.

[looksee]

Bradford Beach, Milwaukee.
Maybe not the best, but certainly the most improved in recent years:

Bradford Beach in Milwaukee County has been retrofitted with rain gardens, dunes and grassy swales to intercept and filter stormwater runoff. ...
the combined impact of the installations should cut about 90% of the stormwater from reaching the beach. ...
This Lake Michigan beach has apparently now overcome many of its problems: litter, algae, combined sewer overflows, and huge populations of seagulls.
The city and several private companies have funded projects...restoring the beach.
State of the Beach Report: Wisconsin

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Bradford Beach by rho-bin, on Flickr

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Bradford Beach House by davereid2, on Flickr

[MCC]

Originally Posted by nyarch21

I've seen several pictures of the silhouette of chicagos skyline taken from a the Indiana dunes area. Is this Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore or the Indiana Dunes State Park?

I think it depends on the picture. There is one from New Buffalo, Michigan floating around that was taken on an extraordinarily clear evening. You can judge the distance by the number of buildings that are visible and the gaps between them. The best views are probably from the western beaches of the National Lakeshore.

[nickbeaver]

My favorite that I've been to is Oak Street Beach in Chicago. Sleeping Bear looks amazing though.

My favorite in Indiana is Michigan City Beach.


A cool thing about Michigan City Beach, IN is that there is a huge casino tower right along the water!

Here is the Chicago skyline as seen from Indiana Dunes.

*None of these photos are mine.

[Mudhen419]

MAUMEE BAY STATE PARK!!! j/j its actually pretty lame.. I do like that one in chicago with the sweet back drop!

[Jaybird]

Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan and the Goderich Main Beach and St. Christopher's Beach in Goderich, Ontario.

That is, until I visit that Oak Park Beach, that is the most amazing backdrop for a beach ever!