Union Bay (Porcupine Mountains)
Ontonagon, MI
Union Bay is the sandy Lake Superior beach at the east end of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, west of Ontonagon. The modern campground sits right on the shore with lake views from many sites. It's the easiest place in the Porkies to spend a day on the water between hikes.
A sandy beach at the doorstep of the Porkies, though the lake is cold even in August.
How we score beachesWatch the sunset from the beach, then drive up to Lake of the Clouds overlook for the last of the light.
A Michigan Recreation Passport (or nonresident pass) is required.
A short walk from the campground and day-use parking to the sand.
Campsites book up months ahead for summer. The Porkies' fall color, usually late September, is famous across the Midwest.
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.