Lions Park Beach
St. Joseph, MI
Lions Park Beach sits below the bluff in downtown St. Joseph, just south of Silver Beach. There are sheltered pavilions, a playground, picnic areas, and restrooms, with a straight view up the shore to the piers and lighthouse. It's a smaller, quieter option within walking distance of the downtown beach.
Good facilities and a view of the piers, though it's in Silver Beach's shadow.
How we score beachesUse Lions Park as a base when Silver Beach is packed. It's a short walk along the sand to the carousel.
Parking is along Lions Park Drive below the bluff; check posted signs.
Sidewalks lead from parking to the pavilions and a short walk onto the sand.
On summer weekends it catches the overflow from Silver Beach. In October the covered pavilions are a dry spot to watch storms come in off the lake.
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
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.