Sand Bay Beach Park
Ellison Bay, WI
Sand Bay Beach Park is a three acre Town of Liberty Grove park on the quiet Lake Michigan side of northern Door County, south of Rowleys Bay. It has a Mobi-Mat running from the pavement to the water, a playground, lighted courts, a kayak and canoe launch, grills, and a picnic shelter. It's calmer and less crowded than the Green Bay side beaches.
Accessible, well-equipped, and quiet, though the lake-side water runs cool.
How we score beachesLaunch a kayak here and paddle north toward Rowleys Bay and Newport State Park.
Parking at the town park.
A Mobi-Mat runs from the pavement to the water, making it one of the more accessible beaches in Door County.
The Lake Michigan side stays cooler than Green Bay into July. Sunrise over the lake is the reason to come early.
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.
