Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes · Small town
Elk Rapids
For paddlers and boaters: a village between East Grand Traverse Bay and Elk Lake, at the end of the Chain of Lakes Water Trail, with a harbor and downtown.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Beach · Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Dam Beach (Elk Rapids)
A white-sand village beach on East Grand Traverse Bay beside the Elk Rapids hydro plant, off Ames Street, with a natural feel and a popular fishing spot nearby.
Dam Beach is the Elk Rapids beach for people who like a simpler, more natural shoreline. It is a white-sand beach open to East Grand Traverse Bay, next to the hydro power plant off Ames Street, and it is a favorite with residents and families.
The beach sits near a popular fishing area, so you may share the shore with anglers. For fishing and paddling on the river itself, see the Elk River.
No facilities are listed, so pack water and snacks. If you want a playground and courts, swim at Veterans Memorial Park on the bay instead.
No lifeguards are listed. Keep children close, stay well clear of the dam and the water around it, and stay out when the bay is rough. Boaters can tie up at the Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor, steps from downtown.
Practical information
- Best months
- June to September
Location
Map of Dam Beach (Elk Rapids)
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Nearby towns
Also nearby
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Lighthouse
Mission Point Lighthouse
An 1870 lighthouse at the northern tip of the Old Mission Peninsula, with a climbable tower, a small museum, a beach and trails around it.
About 7 miles away (straight line)
Trail
Vasa Pathway
Traverse City's big woods trail for cross-country skiing, with loops from 3K to 25K, snowshoe loops, and singletrack for mountain and fat bikes.
About 10 miles away (straight line)
Ski area
Mt. Holiday
A small community nonprofit ski hill in East Bay Township, east of Traverse City, with snow tubing in winter and zipline tours and trails in the warmer months.
About 10 miles away (straight line)