Closest Beaches

Beaches Near Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee is built on the Lake Michigan shore, and Bradford Beach sits about 2 miles north of downtown along Lincoln Memorial Drive — that is the default city beach. For a weekend trip, Door County (Peninsula State Park, Cave Point, Whitefish Dunes) is the payoff drive north. Bradford gets posted advisories after heavy rain; check the Milwaukee County water quality dashboard before swimming.

Plan This Week

Friday looks like the best day across this list.

Strongest single forecast: Warren Dunes State Park on Friday (86).

Within 60 mi

Bradford Beach (Milwaukee)

2.3 mi · ~3 min drive · Milwaukee County, WI

Ideal for a beach walk.

71°F water 79°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (85)

Foster Avenue Beach (Chicago)

74 mi · ~1 hr 47 min drive · Cook County, IL

Ideal for photography.

78°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (84)

Montrose Beach (Chicago)

75 mi · ~1 hr 49 min drive · Cook County, IL

Ideal for photography.

78°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (84)

North Avenue Beach (Chicago)

79 mi · ~1 hr 53 min drive · Cook County, IL

Ideal for photography.

78°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (84)

Oak Street Beach (Chicago)

80 mi · ~1 hr 55 min drive · Cook County, IL

Ideal for photography.

78°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (85)

Ohio Street Beach (Chicago)

81 mi · ~1 hr 56 min drive · Cook County, IL

Ideal for photography.

78°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (85)

Silver Lake State Park

83 mi · ~1 hr 59 min drive · Oceana County, MI

Ideal for a beach walk.

71°F water 78°F air 12 mph wind Best this week: Thursday (79)

12th Street Beach (Chicago)

83 mi · ~1 hr 59 min drive · Cook County, IL

Great day for a beach walk.

Grand Haven State Park

84 mi · ~2 hr 1 min drive · Ottawa County, MI

Great day for a beach walk.

71°F water 74°F air 13 to 17 mph wind Best this week: Friday (79)

31st Street Beach (Margaret T. Burroughs Beach)

84 mi · ~2 hr 2 min drive · Cook County, IL

Ideal for photography.

78°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (85)

57th Street Beach (Hyde Park)

88 mi · ~2 hr 6 min drive · Cook County, IL

Ideal for photography.

78°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (85)

Holland State Park Beach

88 mi · ~2 hr 7 min drive · Ottawa County, MI

Great day for photography.

71°F water 75°F air 13 mph wind Best this week: Friday (84)

63rd Street Beach (Chicago)

88 mi · ~2 hr 7 min drive · Cook County, IL

Ideal for photography.

78°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (85)

Ludington State Park

98 mi · ~2 hr 21 min drive · Mason County, MI

Ideal for a beach walk.

71°F water 77°F air 13 mph wind Best this week: Thursday (80)

Warren Dunes State Park

103 mi · ~2 hr 28 min drive · Berrien County, MI

Ideal for photography.

79°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (86)

Marquette Park Beach (Gary, Miller Beach)

103 mi · ~2 hr 29 min drive · Lake County, IN

Ideal for photography.

77°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (85)

Washington Park Beach (Michigan City)

104 mi · ~2 hr 30 min drive · LaPorte County, IN

Ideal for photography.

81°F air 5 to 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (86)

Indiana Dunes National Park

105 mi · ~2 hr 31 min drive · Porter County, IN

Great day for photography.

76°F air 5 to 10 mph wind Best this week: Friday (86)

Whitefish Dunes State Park

135 mi · ~3 hr 15 min drive · Door County, WI

Great day for a beach walk.

71°F water

Cave Point County Park

136 mi · ~3 hr 15 min drive · Door County, WI

Great day for a beach walk.

71°F water 77°F air 16 mph wind Best this week: Thursday (80)

Peninsula State Park (Nicolet Bay Beach)

151 mi · ~3 hr 37 min drive · Door County, WI

Great day for a beach walk.

71°F water 78°F air 18 mph wind Best this week: Thursday (81)

Empire Beach (Lake Michigan Beach Park)

153 mi · ~3 hr 40 min drive · Leelanau County, MI

Great day for a beach walk.

71°F water 75°F air 15 mph wind Best this week: Friday (80)

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

171 mi · ~4 hr 6 min drive · Leelanau County, MI

Great day for a beach walk.

76°F air 15 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (80)

Petoskey State Park

220 mi · ~5 hr 17 min drive · Emmet County, MI

Great day for a beach walk.

75°F air 15 mph wind Best this week: Friday (81)

Tawas Point State Park

238 mi · ~5 hr 43 min drive · Iosco County, MI

Decent day for photography.

78°F air 15 mph wind Best this week: Friday (83)

Distance is straight-line, drive times are estimates

Mileage shown is straight-line distance from the center of Milwaukee. Real drive times depend on highway routing, weekend traffic, and where in the metro you start. For summer Saturdays, plan 20–40 minutes longer than the estimates here. The range slider above filters by the same straight-line distance.