Portage Park
Sturgeon Bay, WI
Portage Park is a small park with a sandy beach on the Lake Michigan side of the Door Peninsula, just southeast of Sturgeon Bay near the ship canal's lake entrance. It's the open-lake counterpoint to the calm bay beaches in town, with waves on windy days and a view straight out over Lake Michigan.
The closest open Lake Michigan sand to Sturgeon Bay, though it's small and exposed on windy days.
How we score beachesCheck the wind before you go. An east wind brings real waves here, while the bay beaches in town stay calm.
A small parking area at the park.
A short walk from parking to the sand.
The open lake stays cooler than the bay into July. The county monitors water quality here weekly in summer.
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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