Mount McSauba Recreation Area
Charlevoix, MI
Mount McSauba Recreation Area is a city park on the north side of Charlevoix, with trails winding through wooded dunes and about 2,800 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline. It feels wild for a park inside city limits. Stone hunters love the beach, and the dune overlook has a long view of the lake.
Wild dunes and good stones close to town, though the trails take some effort.
How we score beachesHike the dune trail to the overlook first, then drop down to the beach to hunt for Petoskey stones.
A small lot at the recreation area.
Trails and stairs lead over the dunes to the beach; not suitable for wheelchairs.
The dunes are cool and shady in midsummer. In winter, the park has a small ski hill.
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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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.
