Kouw Park
Holland, MI
Kouw Park is a 3.7 acre Ottawa County park at the end of Van Buren Road in Port Sheldon Township, north of Holland. It has about 200 feet of Lake Michigan beach, a picnic area, play equipment, and restrooms. Most people drive past on Lakeshore Drive without knowing it's there, which is exactly why neighbors like it.
Quiet and convenient with real restrooms, but 200 feet of beach fills up fast.
How we score beachesIt's the fastest in-and-out swim on this stretch of Lakeshore Drive. Park, swim, and be back on the road in an hour.
A small lot at the end of Van Buren Road.
A short walk from the lot reaches the sand.
Dogs are not permitted May 1 through September 30.
Swimming is best from early July, once the lake has had a few weeks of sun. Winter visitors come for the ice formations along the shore.
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.