The Grand Haven beaches are some of the best beaches in West Michigan.
From busy, bustling beaches with tons of amenities (and people, too) to quiet, natural beaches surrounded by towering dunes and wide open spaces, the beaches of Grand Haven are pretty amazing.
The best part? Most of them are dog-friendly, and that means your beach day just got even better. Although there are great beaches downtown, if you’re willing to drive a little bit, the beaches in the Grand area are pretty great, too.
ADA Beach Accessibility in Grand Haven
ADA accessibility, especially at the Grand Haven City Beach and Grand Haven State Park, is abundant in the area. From wide paved paths, mobility mats, and even beach wheelchairs, you’ll find excellent accessibility to Lake Michigan beaches here.
We’ve put together a guide to the best beaches in Grand Haven, along with an interactive map (at the bottom of this post) to help you find your way to these incredible beaches in west Michigan.
Grand Haven City Beach
South Harbor Drive, Grand Haven, MI 49417
Set right next to Grand Haven State Park, you’ll find a wide, sandy beach and amazing views of Lake Michigan and the Grand Haven pier and lighthouses. While a recreation pass is required for the state park, the gorgeous Grand Haven City Beach is free, with its own separate parking lot. Leashed dogs are welcome here, so you can bring your pup along, too!
Grand Haven State Park
1001 S Harbor Dr, Grand Haven, MI 49417
One of the most popular Michigan State Parks, this is a full-service beach in terms of amenities. We’ll start with almost 50 acres of a wide soft sand beach gently sloping into Lake Michigan. You’ll find access to the Grand Haven pier, with the iconic red lighthouses, too. The pier connects to the boardwalk here, so there’s easy access to downtown Grand Haven.
This beach has wide, paved paths and offers accessbility to the waterfront for users of wheelchairs and other mobility devices. There’s also a free beach wheelchair available, too.
You’ll find clean restrooms, a play area for kids, sand volleyball, and soccer goals, too. A large concession stand and picnic tables are here, too. Please note that there are no dogs allowed here.
Please note you’ll need a recreation pass from the State of Michigan to use this park.
PRO-TIP: You can camp here, too, and there are some amazing beachfront campsites if you’re lucky enough to score one!
Kirk Park and Dog Beach
9791 Lake Shore Drive, West Olive, MI 49460
Pretty Kirk Park is one of my favorite places to spend the day! With .3 miles (about 68 acres) of sandy, Lake Michigan beach, and a special area for your pup to run off leash and play in the water, this is a perfect spot for dog lovers.
You’ll find a nice swimming beach for kids, restrooms, picnic shelter and picnic tables here, along with grills, and a kids playground. There’s a wooded dunes with high bluffs for hiking, too. If you’re up to it, take a hike along the wooded trails to see some amazing Lake Michigan vistas.
Please note there is a $8 daily park pass required to get into this Ottawa County park.
North Park Beach
18775 North Shore Drive, Ferrysburg, MI 49409
You’ll find almost 1000 feet of sandy, Lake Michigan beachfront at this park on the north end of Grand Haven. You’ll find dunes, here, too, for hiking and exploring. You’ll find a picnic shelter along with picnic tables and grills, a nice playground, and clean restrooms.
This is a great beach for kids, and a nice alternative to the usually-more-crowded beach at Grand Haven State Park. There’s even life jackets hanging near a sign post for free use.
There’s great ADA accessibility here, too, with a wide beach walk and a beach wheelchair available for use, too.
Please note this is an Ottawa County park, so there’s an $8 daily use fee.
Olive Shores
8555 Olive Shore Ave, West Olive, MI 49460
You’ll find this picturesque Ottawa County park south of Grand Haven. There’s a gorgeous Lake Michigan beach here, along with about 20 acres of hardwood forest for hiking. You’ll have to climb the stairs up and down over Mount Olive to get to the beach but it’s worth it.
This is a quieter beach, and you’ll find picnic tables, restrooms, and beautiful decks overlooking Lake Michigan. Bring your camera.
Please note this is an Ottawa County park, so there’s an $8 daily use fee.
Rosy Mound Natural Area
13925 Lakeshore Ave, Grand Haven, MI 49417
One of the gems of the Grand Haven area, Rosy Mound is a stunning natural area with dunes and some of the prettiest Lake Michigan beach in the area.
It’s a bit of a hike to get to the beach. You’ll climb 1000 feet up and down the stairs to get there, but it is completely worth it. You’ll find picnic tables and grills, and a pit toilet, too. You might even take some of the pretty hiking trails along the dunes and under some of the beech trees and other hardwoods.
No dogs are allowed at this beach.
Please note this is an Ottawa County park, so there’s an $8 daily use fee.
Use the Grand Haven Beach Map
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