Beach Bonanza! A Michigan Guide to Berrien County's Secret Public Beaches

Even with the high cost of gasoline, a beach vacation/get-away is still high on most wish lists. Memorial Day marks the traditional kick-off of the summer vacation season, and it means big beach business in Berrien County, Michigan, where clear, clean Lake Michigan is bordered by miles and miles of white glacial sand and towering sand dunes left behind when the glaciers receded.

Many beaches in the county are so secluded and remote that visitors often overlook them in their hurry to get a blanket down anywhere there's obvious sun and sand. The seven revealed here are small beaches by city-sized standards. Their amenities run the range from nothing but a walk-to 66-foot strip of beach nestled beneath forested dunes, to a full-service, life-guarded, full-concession playground under the sun. Take your pick - they are all clean, typically un-crowded and offer a great escape from the city or suburbs.

Visitors come for a day or a week or a summer. Lodgings are available to suit every preference and pocketbook.

Coming by boat? Not a problem. The lake fishing is famously fabulous, and GPS locations are available (and noted below) for most beach locations.

Benton Harbor

Jean Klock Park

Although most of this generation's beach vacationing has been done along the so-called "Michigan Riviera" in southern Berrien County, northern Jean Klock Park is making a comeback among the locals. This park offers a sandy beach, swimming in Lake Michigan, a bathhouse, concessions, boardwalk and observation deck. Don't care to swim? Enjoy the volleyball courts, playground and picnic area.

By boat: GPS [42.1256° N, 86.4706° W]
By motor vehicle or bicycle: Follow M-63 out of St. Joseph about one mile and turn left on Klock Road. Take Klock Road about two-tenths of a mile to Jean Drive, turn right and follow Jean to the park gates.

Rocky Gap County Park

Also in Benton Harbor, this unimproved 1,100-foot sand beach is operated by Berrien County Parks Department. There's no lifeguard available, but swimming is permitted. It's a popular spot for picnickers and lunchers on break from city businesses
No restrooms.

By boat: GPS [42.1344° N, 86.4658° W]
By motor vehicle or bicycle: Travel two miles out of St. Joseph on M-63 to Rocky Gap Road. Turn left (west) and travel a half-mile to the park entrance.

Bridgman

Weko Beach

Weko Beach Park & Campground has transformed from its former single-season self to a nearly year-round destination with the new management of the Lions Cafe and Community Center in the lovely, beachfront wood-and-glass beach-house. Set beneath two towering dunes on Lake Michigan, Weko Beach offers a host of amenities, including indoor and outdoor eating, clean restrooms, shower, playground, volleyball nets, rustic and modern campsites, grills, dune boardwalks, trails, a boat launch and four one-room cabins. Walk to the beach from downtown Bridgman! For information, contact 269-465-3406.

By boat: GPS [41.9415° N, 86.5810° W]
By motor vehicle, bicycle or footpath: From I-94, take exit 16 north on Red Arrow Highway. Turn right (west) at the light at Lake Street, and follow Lake Street to the park entrance.

Hagar Township

These two little swimming beaches north of St. Joseph are often overlooked by visitors who follow the traffic to the larger beaches in town.

Hagar Park

Hagar Park is about seven miles out of town on Blue Star Highway. It's pretty rustic, with some basic playground items and temporary restrooms, but it's rarely crowded and the surroundings are pleasant. Plus, the Lake Michigan swimming is great!

By boat: GPS [42.2108° N, 86.3886° W]
By motor vehicle: Take I-94 west out of St. Joseph to I-196. Travel I-196 to Hagar Shore Road at Exit 7. Turn west toward M-63, and turn south onto M-63 until you reach the park.

Roadside Park

Roadside Park is very similar, but with fewer amenities - just a picnic table or two, and restrooms, and, of course, Lake Michigan.

By boat: GPS [42.2374° N, 86.3668° W]
By motor vehicle: Take I-94 west out of St. Joseph to I-196. Travel I-196 to Hagar Shore Road at Exit 7. Turn west toward M-63, then turn north (right) onto M-63 until you reach the park.

St. Joseph

Lion's Park Beach

This old Lake Michigan beach is much-loved by locals who hike to it from the walking trail or drive through the once-quiet neighborhood to the children's playground and pavilion. It's been far overshadowed in recent years by its glistening northern neighbor, teen-popular Silver Beach, but it's a great place for families to get away from the hub-bub. No lifeguard is on duty, but there are clean restrooms, shelters, grills, picnic tables and paved parking.

By boat: GPS [42.1030° N, 86.4907° W]
By motor vehicle: From downtown St. Joseph, travel south on Lake Boulevard to Bluff, then west to Lion's Park Drive, and follow the signs.

Tiscornia Park

Snuggled against the river channel on the quieter side of the St. Joseph River, Tiscornia is a beach-goer's beach: lots of white sand, quiet wind-washed space and clean restrooms, and that's it. Pack a lunch and a few cold drinks and spend the day gazing at the historic St. Joseph Lighthouse or take a stroll along North Pier and watch the Lake Michigan-sized fish leap out of the water.

By boat: GPS [42.1145° N, 86.4855° W]
By motor vehicle: Drive north out of St. Joseph on M-63 and cross the river. Exit at Upton Drive and follow the road past the Yacht Club to the beach.