Summer is beach weather for up North’s sun seekers, and there’s a perfect place for every beach blanket, from secluded enclaves along Sturgeon Bay to people-watching hot spots like Young State Park in Boyne City and Petoskey State Park. Plus, Emmet and Charlevoix counties are both located on the Midwest’s longest beach, Lake Michigan, which offers miles of public access.
 
The smallest and busiest is Petoskey State Park, the closest sandy beach to Petoskey, located off M-119.

The most isolated is Wilderness State Park on Sturgeon Bay, access from the south near Lakeview and Lake Shore roads.
 
Harbor Springs city beach, on West Bay Street, is a great place to enjoy a view of the bay. The beach is within walking distance of the downtown and there’s even a diving platform for the adventurous.
 
For a sand-dune setting, Mount McSauba — also known as North Point — is the mountain of sand visible from the breakwaters of Charlevoix. There’s a small parking lot off a pass in the dunes, but no nearby bathroom facilities.
 
Fisherman’s Island offers a beach and an island to explore. Sometimes you can even walk to it when the water’s low.
 
Check out the Beaver Island chain for beautiful beaches. In addition to public stretches on the main island, the state owns Hog, High and Garden islands.
 
Directly across the main arm of Lake Charlevoix is the county-run Whiting Park, another sandy beach on the 18-mile-long Lake Charlevoix with bathroom and picnicking facilities.
 
Well-known for its beauty and clear water, Walloon Lake has only one main beach, a small stretch of sand located in the Village of Walloon Lake. The beach is mostly grassy and narrow and split off from the rest of a park by M-75. Nowhere does the warm, shallow water look so blue as it as does from this beach.
 
County-owned Camp Pet-O-Se-Ga on the east end of Pickerel Lake offers a sandy beach and bottom, nearby stream, cabin rental, camping, park store and bath house.

The St. Ignatius Church Beach near Good Hart, off Middle Village Road on Lake Michigan, has long been a local favorite and is one of the more secluded stretches around.
 
Every local city also has at least one beach:
Charlevoix has three beaches: Ferry and Depot on Lake Charlevoix and Michigan Beach off the Pine River Channel. All have playgrounds and benches. Ferry and Depot have picnic tables, pavilions, grills, trees and grass.

East Jordan has two beaches, Tourist Park in the city and Elm Pointe north on M-66. Elm Pointe includes a museum and a small hall for summer rentals.

Boyne City’s main beach is south of the Boyne River and a small road-end beach is found north of the city’s boat launch. Young State Park features a large sandy shoreline and shallow water. Swimmers, beware: Outside the buoyed swim area the lake drops off like a cliff.