Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Traverse City
A bayfront city at the head of Grand Traverse Bay, with a walkable Front Street downtown, bay beaches, cherry orchards and two wine peninsulas close by.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Beach · Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
West End Beach
A city beach on West Grand Traverse Bay with sand at the water's edge, a big grassy area, volleyball, grills and picnic tables, right on the TART trail.
West End Beach is the Traverse City beach for groups who want room to play. It is a 9.89-acre city park on West Grand Traverse Bay, with sand at the water’s edge and a wide grassy area behind it for frisbee, games or a nap.
There are volleyball courts, grills, picnic tables and a drinking fountain, so the park works for a cookout. You can swim from the beach and fish from the shore.
The paved TART trail passes the park, which makes it an easy walk or ride from downtown and from Clinch Park, the downtown beach with the splash pad. If you are traveling with a dog, leashed dogs can come into the park but not onto the sand or the volleyball courts.
No lifeguards are listed for this beach. Keep an eye on children in the water and on posted notices from the city.
Practical information
- Managed by
- City of Traverse City
- Best months
- June to September
- Official website
- traversecitymi.gov
Location
Map of West End Beach
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Nearby towns
Also nearby
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Trail
Leelanau Trail
A paved, flat, 17-mile trail between Traverse City and Suttons Bay through farms and woods, groomed in part for skiing and fat biking in winter.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Beach
Clinch Park
Traverse City's downtown beach on West Grand Traverse Bay, with a splash pad, playground, city marina and the TART trail running through.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Trail
TART Trails
Traverse City's trail network, built around the 10.5-mile paved TART along the bay and linked to the Leelanau Trail, Boardman Lake Loop and VASA Pathway.
Under a mile away (straight line)