Dempster Street Beach
Evanston, IL
Dempster Street Beach at 1251 Lake Shore Boulevard is Evanston's sailing beach, home to the Dempster Street Launch Facility for small carry-in boats: Sunfish, Lasers, catamarans, windsurfers, canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards. All 350 storage racks are rented every season, with hundreds more on the waiting list. On breezy summer afternoons the water off the beach is dotted with small sails.
The heart of Evanston's small-boat sailing scene, though it's more launch than lounging beach.
How we score beachesEven without a launch pass, it's a fun place to sit and watch the small-boat sailors rig up and head out on a windy afternoon.
Street parking along Lake Shore Boulevard.
Part of the city's shared free beach wheelchair program with Lee and Greenwood beaches.
The launch facility runs from early May to late October, 9 a.m. to dusk. Launch passes are limited to Evanston residents.
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