Lighthouse
Big Sable Point Lighthouse
An 1867 lighthouse, 112 feet tall and banded black and white, on the Lake Michigan shore in Ludington State Park. You reach it on a 1.8-mile walk or ride.
Things to do
Beaches
Lake Michigan beaches, from busy town beaches beside a pier to long quiet stretches below the dunes.
Sandy Lake Michigan shoreline runs the full length of this guide, and many inland lakes have small beaches of their own. The places below are drawn from the guide’s destination and attraction records.
Places for beaches
State park
Grand Haven State Park
A 48-acre sand beach park where the Grand River meets Lake Michigan, with a swim beach, a modern campground and views of the pier lighthouses.
Trail
Little Traverse Wheelway
A paved, non-motorized trail along Little Traverse Bay linking Charlevoix, Petoskey and Harbor Springs, much of it with open views of the water.
State park
Ludington State Park
A big dune park between Hamlin Lake and 7 miles of Lake Michigan shore, with three campgrounds, 21 miles of trails and the walk to Big Sable Point Lighthouse.
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.
State park
Petoskey State Park
A mile of Lake Michigan beach on Little Traverse Bay between Petoskey and Harbor Springs, with wooded dunes and the climb up Old Baldy.
Lighthouse
Point Betsie Lighthouse
An 1850s brick lighthouse on the Lake Michigan shore north of Frankfort, with a museum, a climbable tower and a public beach beside it.
National park
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Dunes, high bluffs, beaches, inland lakes and two islands along 65 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline in Benzie and Leelanau counties.
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.
Beach
Arcadia Beach Natural Area
Arcadia's public Lake Michigan beach at the west end of Lake Street, with parking, restrooms, picnic tables and a playground. An easy family beach day.
Attraction
Beaver Island
Lake Michigan's largest island, a ferry ride of just over two hours from Charlevoix, with beaches, lighthouses and long trails. Plan to stay the night.
Beach
Captain John Langland Park
Onekama Township's Lake Michigan beach at Portage Point, next to the channel's north pier, with stairs to the sand and a deck for sunsets.
State park
Charles Mears State Park
A small Lake Michigan beach park at the edge of Pentwater, with a buoyed swim beach by the harbor pier, a campground and a trail up Old Baldy.
Lighthouse
Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse
A red steel pierhead light where Charlevoix's Pine River Channel meets Lake Michigan, beside Michigan Beach and a favorite place to watch the sunset.
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.
Beach
First Street Beach
One of Manistee's three city beaches on Lake Michigan, with sugar sand, a free family disc golf course and parking for the riverwalk.
Lighthouse
Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse
A 67-foot square steel lighthouse at the head of Frankfort's north breakwater, marking the harbor entrance in full view of the city beach.
State park
Interlochen State Park
Michigan's first state park, between Duck and Green lakes, with old-growth pines, two campgrounds and the Interlochen arts campus next door.
Nature preserve
Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary
Michigan Audubon's 75-acre sanctuary on a bluff north of Manistee, with old arboretum trees, about two miles of trails and Lake Michigan frontage.
State park
Leelanau State Park
The state park at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, with the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, a rustic campground and the Cathead Bay trails to a sandy beach.
Nature preserve
Magoon Creek Natural Area
A 97-acre Filer Township park south of Manistee with dune and forest trails, a creek, Lake Michigan shoreline and a picnic area.
Lighthouse
Manistee North Pierhead Light
Manistee's 38-foot pierhead light at the end of the north pier. Tower climbs began in 2026; the tower is now listed as closed until May 21, 2027.
Museum
Maritime Museum at Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station
A National Park Service museum in the 1901 Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station at Glen Haven, on lifesaving, the Coast Guard and Great Lakes shipping.
State park
Muskegon State Park
Three miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake, with forested dunes, two campgrounds, a CCC blockhouse and the Muskegon luge park.
Beach
Pere Marquette Park
Muskegon's big Lake Michigan beach at the channel mouth, raked daily, with volleyball, kiteboarding, the South Breakwater Light and the Lakeshore Trail.
Beach
Pierport Beach
A rustic public Lake Michigan beach at the end of 13 Mile Road in Pierport, near Bear Lake. Limited parking, few amenities, an artesian well nearby.
State park
William Mitchell State Park
Cadillac's state park between Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac, with a campground, the Clam Lake Canal and the start of the White Pine Trail.
State park
Young State Park
Boyne City's state park on Lake Charlevoix, with a swimming beach, a boat launch, three modern campgrounds and 6.5 miles of trails.
On the map
Beaches: places on the map
28 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Recommended towns for beaches
Towns an independent source (such as the DNR, the National Park Service or Pure Michigan) singles out for this. Listed by town size, not ranked.
Charlevoix & Petoskey
Charlevoix
For boaters, beachgoers and first-timers: a harbor town where three lakes meet, with a summer drawbridge, a pier lighthouse and Earl Young's stone houses.
Benzie & Sleeping Bear
Frankfort
A beach-and-lighthouse harbor town: a Lake Michigan beach at the end of Main Street, a breakwater light off the sand and Point Betsie up the shore.
Southern Gateway
Grand Haven
A Lake Michigan beach city on the Grand River: a state park beach, a pier walk to two red lights, a riverfront boardwalk and free Musical Fountain shows.
Ludington & Manistee
Ludington
A Lake Michigan harbor town for beach and lighthouse trips, with the S.S. Badger car ferry and a big dune state park just north of town.
Charlevoix & Petoskey
Petoskey
A walkable bay town for stone hunting, shopping the Gaslight District and riding the Little Traverse Wheelway, with historic Bay View next door.
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.
Benzie & Sleeping Bear · Small town
Glen Arbor
Your base for northern Sleeping Bear Dunes: a small town between Lake Michigan and Glen Lake, about 4 miles from the Dune Climb by trail.
Also with beaches nearby
Lakes
Lake · Benzie & Sleeping Bear
Crystal Lake
An all-sports lake: 9,854 acres, 165 feet deep and very clear. Swim at the sandy Beulah beach, fuel up at the marina, fish for trout and perch.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
- Rentals
Lake · Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Duck Lake
The state park lake at Interlochen: all-sports water up to 98 feet deep, with a beach, launches, summer paddleboard rentals, lake trout and ice fishing.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
- Rentals
Lake · Benzie & Sleeping Bear
Glen Lake
A clear two-basin lake at Glen Arbor: ski and cruise deep Big Glen from the marina, swim and paddle sandy Little Glen, ice fish for perch in winter.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
- Rentals
River · Southern Gateway
Grand River
The lower Grand River at Grand Haven: a city marina with transient slips, launches, kayak rentals, fall steelhead off the piers and a boardwalk to the lights.
- Public launch
- Rentals
Bay · Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Grand Traverse Bay
Traverse City's big water: a Lake Michigan bay with city beaches, five public harbors with slips, fuel at two, sailing, paddling and trout and salmon fishing.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
- Rentals
Lake · Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Green Lake
An all-sports Interlochen lake, 2,000 acres and 102 feet deep: lake trout, room to paddle, a rustic state park campsite and night smelt fishing on the ice.
- All-sports
- Public launch
Lake · Ludington & Manistee
Hamlin Lake
Ludington State Park's big all-sports lake: ski and tube the open water, swim at the park beach, paddle the marsh trail, and ice fish for bluegill in winter.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
- Rentals
Lake · Charlevoix & Petoskey
Lake Charlevoix
An all-sports lake of 17,200 acres linking Charlevoix, Boyne City and East Jordan, with town marinas, a channel to Lake Michigan and walleye through the ice.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
- Rentals
Great Lake
Lake Michigan
The big lake that shapes this coast: state park and town beaches from Grand Haven to Charlevoix, harbor towns with city marinas, and pier lights to walk out to.
- Swim beach
Lake · Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Lake Missaukee
Lake City's all-sports town lake: 1,880 acres and mostly under 15 feet deep, with a public beach, a city launch, and walleye, perch and pike through the ice.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
Bay · Charlevoix & Petoskey
Little Traverse Bay
A Lake Michigan bay with marinas in Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Bay Harbor, swim beaches at the state park and Zorn Park, and Petoskey stones in the shallows.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
Lake · Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Long Lake
An all-sports island lake near Traverse City: ski and tube, swim at two township beaches, picnic on four day-use islands, ice fish for walleye and pike.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
Lake · Southern Gateway
Muskegon Lake
A big all-sports harbor lake at Muskegon: ski, tube and sail, with full-service marinas, five launches, a channel to Lake Michigan and winter perch.
- All-sports
- Public launch
Lake · Ludington & Manistee
Pentwater Lake
An all-sports harbor lake at Pentwater with two marinas and a channel to Lake Michigan. Swim at Mears State Park; ice fish the lake in winter.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
Lake · Charlevoix & Petoskey
Pickerel Lake
Crooked Lake's deeper all-sports neighbor east of Petoskey, with a free county park beach and a short channel onto the Inland Waterway.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
River · Benzie & Sleeping Bear
Platte River
An easy, clear, shallow river for tubing and paddling through Sleeping Bear Dunes to Platte Bay, with fall salmon and steelhead in fall and spring.
- Swim beach
- Public launch
- Rentals
Lake · Southern Gateway
Spring Lake
A bayou-lined lake by Grand Haven with marinas, a public beach and a river route to Lake Michigan. Boats 26 feet and up stay no-wake; kayak the coves.
- Swim beach
- Public launch
- Rentals
Lake · Southern Gateway
White Lake
An all-sports lake between Whitehall and Montague: ski, tube and cruise, with marinas, pontoon and kayak rentals and a channel out to Lake Michigan.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
- Rentals