Sandy Island Beach State Park
Pulaski, NY
Sandy Island Beach State Park is a day-use beach on the Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Wetland System, a 17 mile stretch of dunes and the largest freshwater dune system in the Northeast. Walkovers and viewing platforms protect the fragile dunes. The sand beach is wide and natural.
A natural sandy beach on a rare dune system, though facilities are limited.
How we score beachesStay on the walkovers; the dunes are fragile and protected.
A New York State Parks vehicle use fee applies in season.
Walkovers lead over the dunes to the beach.
Summer is the swim season. The dunes are beautiful in spring and fall too.
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
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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.