Rosy Mound Natural Area
Grand Haven, MI
Rosy Mound Natural Area is an Ottawa County preserve south of Grand Haven, where a trail with long stretches of stairway climbs up and over forested dunes before dropping onto a quiet Lake Michigan beach. The walk takes most people 15 to 20 minutes each way. That's enough to keep the sand calm on days when Grand Haven is packed.
A quiet beach through real dune forest, though the stairs are a legitimate workout.
How we score beachesCount on the walk back taking longer than the walk in. Carry water, and leave the big cooler in the car.
Ottawa County charges a daily parking fee from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
The beach is reached only by a trail with long stairways over the dunes; not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers.
Dogs are not allowed (service animals excepted).
Hot July days are when the shade on the trail earns its keep. In fall the dune forest turns and the trail is at its best.
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.