Harrington Beach State Park
Belgium, WI
Harrington Beach State Park near Belgium has more than a mile of sandy Lake Michigan beach, plus a white cedar swamp and a 26 acre limestone quarry lake ringed by cedar-lined ledges. The Quarry Lake loop is a flat, one-mile trail. It's a quieter state park, about 40 minutes north of Milwaukee.
A long, quiet beach and a beautiful quarry lake, though it's a drive from the city.
How we score beachesWalk the Quarry Lake trail before or after the beach; it's flat, shaded, and one of the prettiest short hikes in the area. Quarry Lake itself is for fishing, not swimming.
A Wisconsin state park vehicle admission sticker is required.
The Quarry Lake trail has a crushed limestone surface; paths lead from the lot to the beach.
The beach is quiet even in July compared to Milwaukee's beaches. The park hosts night-sky programs at its observatory in warmer months.
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.
