Meinert Park
Montague, MI
Meinert Park is a 182 acre Muskegon County park near Montague, where Little Flower Creek winds through forested dunes to a large Lake Michigan beach. A trail climbs to the top of a parabolic dune with a panoramic view. It's a quiet, local favorite well off the main highway.
Beautiful dunes, a creek, and a quiet beach, though it's a drive from anywhere.
How we score beachesHike to the top of the parabolic dune for the view, then follow Little Flower Creek down to the beach.
A modest county day-use fee applies; the lot rarely fills.
Paths lead from the lot to the beach; the dune trail is steep and sandy.
The creek mouth is warmer than the open lake, so it's a good spot for kids early in the season. Fall color along the dunes is spectacular.
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.