Bark Bay Beach
Herbster, WI
Bark Bay Beach is a sandy barrier beach between Herbster and Cornucopia, separating Lake Superior from the Bark Bay Slough, a protected estuary. The slough is a great place to paddle among wild rice, wildflowers, and birds. On the lake side, the sand is soft and the crowds are almost nonexistent.
A quiet barrier beach with a wild estuary to paddle, though there are few facilities.
How we score beachesBring a canoe or kayak and explore the slough behind the beach. The birdlife is excellent in early summer.
Parking at the beach access off Highway 13.
A short walk over sand from the parking area to the beach.
Early summer is best for paddling the slough, before the bugs get bad. The lake side stays cold all summer.
More Great Lakes beaches
Sleeping Bear Dunes Beach
Empire, MI · Great Lakes
Freshwater Lake Michigan surf below towering sand dunes, some over 400 feet tall, with water clear enough to rival a coastline and a hike back up the dune to burn it off.
New Buffalo City Beach
New Buffalo, MI · Great Lakes
New Buffalo City Beach is the first real Lake Michigan beach you hit crossing from Indiana, a wide stretch of sand at the end of Whittaker Street beside the harbor and the Galien River channel. Chicago weekenders fill it in summer. The town's shops and restaurants are a five minute walk back up the street.
Warren Dunes State Park
Sawyer, MI · Great Lakes
Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer has roughly three miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and some of the tallest dunes in southwest Michigan. Tower Hill rises about 260 feet above the lake, and climbing it and running back down is a rite of passage. On a hot July Saturday the beach feels like a small city.