Grant Park Beach
South Milwaukee, WI
Grant Park Beach is at the bottom of Grant Park, Milwaukee County's oldest park, established in 1910 and covering nearly 400 acres of South Milwaukee lakefront. Ferch's Beachside Grill serves burgers and frozen custard by the sand and hosts Friday night music in summer. The famous Seven Bridges Trail winds through the wooded ravine above.
A beach, custard, and one of Wisconsin's prettiest ravine hikes in one park, though it's busy on summer weekends.
How we score beachesHike the Seven Bridges Trail down the ravine to the beach, then reward yourself with custard at the grill.
Parking lots near the beach and throughout Grant Park.
Park roads lead to the beach area; the Seven Bridges Trail has steps and uneven ground.
Summer Fridays bring live music at the beach grill. The Seven Bridges Trail is one of the state's best fall hikes, peaking in mid October.
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.