Sand Dunes Park
Washington Island, WI
Sand Dunes Park is a sandy beach on the south side of Washington Island, looking across the water at Detroit Island. It's the island's main sand beach, with small dunes and shallow water. Families often come straight here from the ferry dock at Detroit Harbor, a few minutes' drive away.
The island's best sand beach with a view of Detroit Island, though it's modest compared to mainland Door County beaches.
How we score beachesMake it your first stop after the ferry, then head north to Schoolhouse Beach for the contrast between sand and limestone.
Parking at the park.
A short walk from parking to the sand.
The shallow water here warms faster than the island's rocky north shore. Midweek in August you may have the dunes almost to yourself.
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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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.