Best Michigan Beaches
Check out the best beaches in Michigan with WanderMoore!
My amazing home state of Michigan… ahh how I love you… I have traveled all over this state from top to bottom and love every mitteny bit of it. Filled with beautiful natural beauty and charming cities, Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline in the United States. Four of the five Great Lakes border Michigan including my favorite, Lake Michigan. Thus, many amazing beaches to visit and explore! Let me share with you my Best Beaches in Michigan!
Disclaimer: Affiliate links are used, which means if you purchase via my link I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you! I only recommend products I use and love!
Disclaimer: Affiliate links are used which means if you purchase via my link I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you! I only recommend products I use and love!
Traverse City
The Traverse City area is one of my favorite regions in all of Michigan! The area has beautiful beaches, cute little BnB’s and northern Michigan wine tasting. Located near the tip of the ‘pinky’ finger of Michigan, Traverse City is situated at the base of 2 peninsulas – The Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula. Traverse City has great local beaches and a vibrant downtown area with tons of little places to eat and shop. Not to mention all the cute little towns in the area – Leland, Suttons Bay and Glen Arbor– just to name a few. Traverse City is also known for being a cherry growing region and is home to the National Cherry Festival! There are several great beaches in the area, but my favorite is the Traverse City State Park.
Traverse City State Park
First, on the list of Best Lake Michigan Beaches is the Traverse City State Park! Located in the East Bay, the park consists of a campground, a public beach, and a little playground for the kiddos. My recommendation, if you like camping, is to book yourself a site near the beach entrance and relax for a nice long weekend. More info on how to book a campsite HERE!
Additional Traverse City Beaches:
Another good note – there are many hotels and little places to stay along both bays that have AMAZING private beaches. So make sure to take that into consideration when your picking a place to stay. 🙂
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Leland
Leland is located north of Traverse City by about 40-minutes and sits right on the shore of Lake Michigan. The town itself is quaint and perfectly “up-north” Michigan. The town has boutique-style shops and a few restaurants. One of my favorites is a cute little breakfast places called The Blue Bird! There is also great wine tasting in the area- my favorite! The historic part of the city is called “Fishtown”, named for its historic fishing roots. Many of the original “shanties” still stand to this day. Although, in recent years rising waters in the great lakes have posed a risk to their survival – read more HERE. Check out a photo of Fishtown below:
Van’s Beach
One of my favorite Lake Michigan Beaches is Van’s Beach! Just south of Fishtown, this beach offers stunning views of the lake and beautiful sand, perfect for building sandcastles. This is also a great beach to go Michigan rock hunting – Leland Blue and Petoskey stones can both be found on Van’s Beach. A fun note – the beach is also dog friendly!
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Voted one of the most beautiful places in the United States, The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore leaves nothing to be desired. I couldn’t leave it off my best Michigan beaches list – it is just too amazing. 🙂 Here you can find everything – camping, nature trails, and, of course, STUNNING views of Lake Michigan. With 35 miles of pristine Lake Michigan waterfront, massive sand dunes, and inland lakes and rivers – there are tons of recreation and relaxation choices to choose from.
Climbing the dunes is the most popular activity at the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Make sure to stop by the Dune Center a.k.a the victors center for the dune climb. There is an area to picnic, restrooms and this is the access point for the Dune Trail to Lake Michigan. Roughly 3.5 miles round trip, this hike takes a ton of effort, as it’s all sand! If you decide to do this hike, make sure to take lots of water with you, you’re going to NEED it. An easier trek is up the initial dune and back down again – this is more my speed. More info and safety guidelines HERE!
The ‘Big’ Dune
The ‘big dune’ overlooks Lake Michigan – it’s halfway along the nature drive. There are several stops along the drive where visitors can hike, take in the view, read some fun history facts, or learn about the natural area. As you drive along (very calming and beautiful, btw) you will know you have reached the big dune parking area because there will be TONS of cars. Park here, if you can find a spot, and it’s just a short walk out to the big dune area.
There is a lookout area that hangs over the edge of the dune which offers amazing views. This is another area where dune climbing is an option, however, this one is NOT recommended. The dune basically goes straight down to the water. It’s a lot of fun going down but not coming back up. In recent years there have been several emergency situations with visitors who climbed down and couldn’t get back up. Do me a favor, stay at the top, and enjoy the view.
Other Local Beaches
Grand Haven
Located 30-minutes west of Grand Rapids, the town of Grand Haven sits along the coast of Lake Michigan. A hive for boaters, the city of Grand Haven has many boutique shops, restaurants, and bars. The city is also the home of the annual Coast Guard Festival. My favorite area of town is Washington street, which runs west, down to the Grand River. You can then walk along the waterfront, in Bicentennial Park, toward the lake, all while enjoying the vibe of the local area, and the views of the water, of course! Make sure to stick around in the evening to view Grand Haven’s famous Musical Fountain 🙂 Side note – my favorite place to eat in Grand Haven is Kirby’s!
Grand Haven State Park
As you walk along the water you have no choice but to run directly into Grand Haven State Park and the Grand Haven Pier. This 48-acre state park has a massive beach area, campground, bathroom/shower facilities, kids play area, and a snack/souvenir shop. This is by far the areas most popular of its Lake Michigan beaches and therefore the busiest, so make sure to arrive early and claim your spot.
Additional Grand Haven Area Beaches:
If you don’t feel like dragging all your gear with you to the beach you can rent yourself a Beach Cabana! Check it out HERE!
South Haven
This lovely little town is located in southwest Michigan, on the coast of Lake Michigan. The city has great shopping, cute little restaurants (my favorite is The Taste) and the entire town is easily walkable. South Haven is also home to the National Blueberry Festival – one of my personal faves because my little boy loves blueberries! You can also enjoy a few drinks on a riverboat at the Idler 🙂
Much like Grand Haven, visitors can walk along the Black River right down to the main beach and even walk on the pier. There are two main Lake Michigan beaches – North Beach and South Beach – the Black River is in between them. South beach is the more popular of the two, due to its more walkable location and accessibility to the pier. North Beach, on the other hand, is wider and longer with fewer people. The choice is yours but both are beautiful. 🙂
Manistee
Back in 2012, my now Husband and I embarked on our first ever camping trip to Manistee! We stayed at Orchard Beach State Park just north of the city. The city itself is quaint and lovely – worth time exploring for sure. The Manistee area also has local wine tasting and the Little River Casino – always a fun stop! Lets’s just say, it was supposed to be a long weekend and we ended up staying for 10 days because we loved the area so much. 🙂
There are two main public beaches – 1st Street and 5th Avenue. 1st street is the most popular as it’s located near downtown. The beach also has a playground, boat launch and tons of parking. 5th Avenue Beach is more of a swimmer’s beach and has a walkable pier with lighthouse. Both are great to take families or watch the sunset.
Orchard Beach State Park
Orchard Beach is located on a massive bluff overlooking Lake Michigan – more amazing views! Certainly one of Michigan’s best beaches. 🙂 The campground has 166 sites and tons of hiking trails. The beach attached to the campground is beautiful and so peaceful. You can see the city of Manistee from its sandy shores. Important note – there are quite a few stairs to get down to the beach, so be prepared to carry all your beach-going items down and back up again. If you are a camper, I highly recommend staying here – check out the photos from our stay below. There are also cute little mini-cabins you can rent!
Ludington
Just south of Manistee is the town of Ludington! The downtown area is cute with a marina nearby and a few parks, too. You can easily walk down the main street and run into a number of bars, restaurants, and “up north” shops. No trip to Ludington is complete without a stop at House of Flavors for some ice cream. 🙂
Ludington State Park
The state park is located just north of the main city. This beautiful park has a total of three campgrounds, lovely scenic dunes, and beautiful sandy beaches. For those that like a good hike, there are also a wetland and forest trails to check out. You don’t need to stay at the campground to utilize the beach area. There are several pull-offs (I would not call them parking areas) along M-116 where visitors can leave their cars. Most of the access to the beach area is rustic and without bathrooms but it’s worth it. You can find yourself a little private spot along the shore of Lake Michigan, not easy to do these days. On a trip, last summer (wow was I preggers!), my family and I managed to have almost 300 feet of beachfront to ourselves!
Silver Lake
Ahhhh Silver Lake….. I have such fond memories of this area from my childhood. Every year my extended family would camp here and have fantastic adventures on the dunes. This is an area I could return to again and again. Bonus for me – it’s only 40 minutes from my current home! 🙂 The most important part of the Silver Lake is, of course, the Silver Lake Sand Dunes.
The Silver Lake Sand Dunes can be used for hiking, walking, sandboarding, and off-roading in a jeep or an ATV. The Silver Lake State Park offers more than 3,000 acres of beautiful sand dunes right along Lake Michigan or “the big lake” as the locals call it. 🙂 There is a campground, large sandy beach area, and, of course, the massive off-roading vehicle area. So many ways to enjoy this beautiful area. But the best way to enjoy the Silver Lake Sand Dunes is with a ride from Mac Wood’s Dune Rides– my fav! The tour is about 40 minutes long and costs $20 per adult. Don’t mind Mila’s face below- its a really fun ride with lots of roller coaster type dips and turns.
There is also a fantastic lighthouse in the area, Little Sable Point Lighthouse. Make sure to wear your walking shoes, because there are 130 steps to get to the top – but it’s so worth it! Once you reach the top you will enjoy panoramic views of Lake Michigan and the Silver Lake Sand Dunes.
There really are a ton of beaches on Lake Michigan and it is honestly hard to pick favorites – they really all deserve to be on the list of top Michigan beaches! They all offer something just a little different and there are lots of options to choose from both on Lake Michigan and Silver Lake. Check out a full list of beaches in the Silver Lake area HERE!
Check it out Lake Michigan Beaches on Google Maps
For other Best Lake Michigan Beaches check out these areas
Check out some of the Best Michigan Upper Peninsula Beaches HERE!
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Check out more of my Travel Near articles HERE!
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About the Author
Hi my name is Sara and I am the creator of WanderMoore! 🙂 I started WanderMoore in early 2020 after leaving a full-time job in the Communications/Marketing field to stay home and raise my kiddos, Mila and Liam. I wanted something fun to work on in my free time and WanderMoore has become one of my biggest passions! Thank you for reading my post! I can't wait to share more of my travel adventures with you 🙂
How cool and what beautiful beaches!
Great destinations. I’m missing the beach badly and this post makes me reminisce my summer feels <3
I never thought about Michigan having beaches but I totally understand why it would be a hot spot now! Really great guide!
Ahh, there are so many state parks I have yet to check out! I went to Michigan once upon a time long ago but never made it out to any of the beaches–hopefully someday! I’ve heard awesome things about the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore! <3
So many great options for beaches this summer!
We love Michigan! My husbands’ family is from up there (well, some of them) and we’ve been to several of the lakes and areas around, but haven’t been to any of the beaches! Will have to make that a priority next time! It’s kind of hard though as they’re in the UP!
I’ve actually never been to this part of the US but I’m absolutely dying to go! Love all of these suggestions.
I have not explored very much of Michigan, but it looks like I need to explore more! Silver Lake looks awesome and so does the Blueberry Festival at South Haven.