Tower Road Beach
Winnetka, IL
Tower Road Beach is one of Winnetka's swimming beaches, at 1010 Tower Road below the bluff. Boats, paddleboards, kayaks, and jet skis aren't allowed, which keeps it a swim-only beach. It's closed for the 2026 season with no lifeguards or swimming while the Park District works on its lakefront plan.
A calm, swim-only neighborhood beach, though it's closed this season and parking is resident-only.
How we score beachesCheck the Winnetka Park District site for its reopening date before you plan a visit.
From mid May to mid September, parking is restricted to Winnetka residents with a village sticker.
A path leads down the bluff to the beach.
Closed for 2026; normally guarded from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
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.
