Brighton Beach
Duluth, MN
Brighton Beach, in Kitchi Gammi Park, is where Duluth ends and the North Shore Scenic Drive begins. The shoreline is dark volcanic rock and smooth cobbles, with picnic tables and a loop road running along the water. Locals come here for sunrise, to watch waves crash in fall storms, and to see the ice formations in winter.
The classic Duluth sunrise and storm-watching spot, though it's all rock and no sand.
How we score beachesCome at sunrise and sit on the rocks at the water's edge. It's the easiest sunrise spot in Duluth.
Free parking along the park loop road.
The loop road runs close to the shore; the rocks at the water are uneven.
Fall and winter storms bring huge waves over the rocks, a show from the car. The water is cold year round.
More Great Lakes beaches

Sleeping Bear Dunes Beach
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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.
