Duck Lake State Park
Whitehall, MI
Duck Lake State Park near Whitehall has beaches on both Duck Lake and Lake Michigan, where the smaller lake's channel meets the big one. The Lake Michigan beach is sandy and wide. It's a quieter state park, popular with locals who want the big lake without the crowds.
Two beaches and fewer people, though it's a bit off the main road.
How we score beachesTry both beaches in the same trip. Duck Lake is warmer and calmer for kids, while Lake Michigan has more waves.
A Michigan Recreation Passport (or nonresident pass) is required.
Short paths lead from the lot to both beaches.
Duck Lake is swimmable by mid June, weeks before Lake Michigan. In fall the channel is a good spot to watch the lake change color.
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.