Jean Klock Park
Benton Harbor, MI
Jean Klock Park in Benton Harbor is a city beach with sand, dunes, and a boardwalk that makes it one of the more accessible beaches in the St. Joseph area. It sits just north of the St. Joseph River mouth. The park has been a community beach for Benton Harbor families for generations.
Accessible and scenic, though it doesn't get the attention of St. Joseph's beaches next door.
How we score beachesCome on a weekday evening for a quieter sunset than you'll get across the river in St. Joseph.
A lot serves the park; check posted signs for current fees.
A boardwalk leads from the parking area toward the sand, easier than most dune beaches in the area.
Swimming season is short here, mostly July and August. November gales throw big surf onto this stretch, which is worth seeing from the boardwalk.
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
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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
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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.