Haines Park Beach
Sturgeon Bay, WI
Haines Park Beach is a 150 yard sandy town beach on Riley's Bay, off Green Bay west of Sturgeon Bay near Little Sturgeon. The water is shallow and sandy-bottomed, and it's the largest sand beach in the Sturgeon Bay area. Facilities are simple: restrooms and a few picnic tables.
Soft sand and shallow water close to Sturgeon Bay, though it's small and water quality can fluctuate.
How we score beachesBring the little kids. The shallow, sandy bottom goes out a long way, and the bay is usually calm.
A small lot at the town park.
A short walk from the lot to the sand.
Riley's Bay warms faster than the open water in July. The county posts bacteria advisories here after heavy rain, so check before swimming.
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.
