Bay View Park
St. Francis, WI
Bay View Park is a Milwaukee County park on the lakefront in St. Francis, just south of South Shore Park. It has a small beach with shallow water that stays calm on most summer days. Locals use the shoreline path to jog between the two parks, and dog walkers make the rounds every morning.
A calm, shallow neighborhood beach off the tourist radar, though there's not much sand and few facilities.
How we score beachesJog the shoreline path from South Shore Park to here for a lakefront loop.
Parking at the park.
Paths lead from the park to the shoreline.
The shallow water warms by mid July, making it a good wading spot for kids. On weekday mornings you may have the sand to yourself.
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.