Tettegouche State Park (Baptism River Beach)
Silver Bay, MN
Baptism River Beach is a pebble beach at the mouth of the Baptism River in Tettegouche State Park, fully enclosed by rocky cliffs. Shovel Point juts into the lake nearby, and upstream the river drops over High Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in Minnesota. The park visitor center sits right off Highway 61.
A cliff-enclosed pebble beach with waterfalls nearby, though the park is busy.
How we score beachesWalk out to Shovel Point for cliff views, then head down to the beach to skip rocks.
A Minnesota state park vehicle permit is required.
A short trail leads from the visitor center to the beach.
High Falls is at its peak in spring. The cliffs are gorgeous in late September color.
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.
