Charles Mears State Park
Pentwater, MI
Charles Mears State Park sits right in the village of Pentwater, with a sandy Lake Michigan beach beside the Pentwater channel. The Old Baldy trail climbs about a mile to a lookout deck over the lake. Downtown shops and restaurants are a short walk away.
A convenient beach in town with a good trail, though it's popular in summer.
How we score beachesHike the Old Baldy trail, then run down the dune at the end. It's a family tradition for many visitors.
A Michigan Recreation Passport (or nonresident pass) is required.
The lot sits close to the beach; the Old Baldy trail is steep.
The campground fills in July and August. Fall brings quiet beach walks and colorful dune forests.
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.