Calumet Beach
Chicago, IL
Calumet Beach, at 9801 S. Avenue G, is in Calumet Park on the Southeast Side near the Indiana line. The park covers 198 acres with nearly a mile of lake frontage from 95th to 102nd streets, and the beach house dates to 1962. Looking southeast, you can see the industrial shoreline of northwest Indiana across the water.
A big, uncrowded Southeast Side beach, though the industrial views aren't for everyone.
How we score beachesWalk to the south end of the park for views across to Indiana.
Parking lots at Calumet Park.
Paved paths lead from the lots to the sand.
Lifeguards are on duty 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
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.
