Oval Beach
690 Perryman St
Saugatuck, MI
Soft freshwater sand and clear blue water backed by wooded dunes, a Lake Michigan beach good enough to make the world's-best lists.
Oval Beach is proof that a freshwater beach can rival any coast in the world. Set on the Lake Michigan shore just outside the little arts town of Saugatuck, it is a wide crescent of soft, pale sand meeting clear blue water, with towering wooded dunes rising behind it. Travel magazines have taken notice, ranking it among the best beaches in the country and even the world, and on a clear summer afternoon it is easy to see why.
What sets it apart is the setting. The beach sits in a pocket among 200-foot dunes cloaked in trees, so instead of a wall of houses at your back you have green hills and blowing dune grass. Add famously good sunsets over the open lake, and Oval Beach becomes the kind of place people plan a whole trip around, the natural heart of a stretch of Michigan shore that has drawn artists and vacationers for well over a century.
What Guests Love
- Wide, soft, clean sand and the clear freshwater of Lake Michigan
- The dramatic backdrop of tall, forested dunes rising behind the beach
- Famous sunsets over the open water, with the horizon all to yourself
- The nearby climb up Mount Baldhead for a big view before hitting the sand
Worth Knowing
- It is a city-run beach with a seasonal parking fee and a small refreshment stand in summer
- There are no lifeguards, and Lake Michigan can develop strong rip currents on windy days, so watch the flags
- It is busiest on warm summer weekends; arriving early secures parking and a quieter stretch of sand
- You can also reach the beach by climbing over Mount Baldhead or crossing the river on the small chain ferry from town
Details
Saugatuck, MI
Learn about Oval Beach
A world-class freshwater beach
Oval Beach has earned a stack of accolades that would turn an ocean beach's head. Conde Nast Traveler placed it among the top 25 beaches in the world, USA Today named it one of the ten best in Michigan, and it has turned up on national lists of the country's finest beaches. The praise is for the simple things done exceptionally well: broad, clean, soft sand, clear and swimmable Lake Michigan water, and room to spread out.
The name comes from the shape of its historic parking area, an oval loop laid out when the beach was first developed. The first public beach here opened near the old lighthouse to the north in the late 1890s, and Oval Beach itself opened in 1936 when a new road pushed through to the shore, complete with a refreshment house and that famous oval lot that gave the place its name.
Dunes, ferry, and the lost town of Singapore
The great backdrop to Oval Beach is the dunes, part of the living sand hills that line this whole stretch of coast. Just to the north rises Mount Baldhead, a 250-foot dune reached by a stairway of more than 300 steps from the Saugatuck side; from the top you can descend the far slope right onto the beach, trading a workout for a grand view over lake and river. Guided dune rides in the area interpret this shifting landscape and its flora and fauna.
These same restless sands buried an entire town. Just north of Saugatuck once stood Singapore, a lumber port that was slowly swallowed by drifting dunes after the surrounding forest was cut, earning it the nickname Michigan's version of Pompeii. Its story is a reminder that the dunes framing this pretty beach are powerful, ever-moving hills of sand, not just scenery.
The art town next door
Oval Beach is inseparable from Saugatuck and its twin village of Douglas, a pair of towns that have been a summer and arts destination since the early 20th century, when Chicago painters began coming north to work by the lake. That legacy lives on in the galleries, studios, and easygoing waterfront that make the towns as much of a draw as the beach.
You can even reach the beach the old-fashioned way, on the small hand-cranked chain ferry that crosses the Kalamazoo River from town, a quaint bit of local tradition, before climbing over the dune or driving around. Between the beach, the dunes, and the art-town charm, this small corner of Michigan delivers far more than its size suggests.
Visiting Oval Beach
Oval Beach is a city-run beach on the west side of the Kalamazoo River, a few minutes from downtown Saugatuck by car around the dunes, or on foot over Mount Baldhead and the little river ferry. In season there is a parking fee and a small refreshment stand, along with restrooms and changing facilities near the historic oval lot.
There are no lifeguards, and Lake Michigan can kick up strong rip currents when the wind blows onshore, so watch the warning flags and keep an eye on children in the water. Come early on warm summer weekends to find parking and a calmer stretch of sand, bring sun protection for the open beach, and stay for the sunset, which over this dune-framed lake is the reason many people never want to leave.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Saugatuck
Mount Baldhead Park
About 1 mile
A 250-foot dune across the river from Saugatuck, climbed by more than 300 steps to a summit view over the lake, river, and town.
Saugatuck Dunes State Park
About 4 miles
A quiet 1,000-acre park north of town with 14 miles of trails through 200-foot wooded dunes and 2.5 miles of undeveloped Lake Michigan beach.
Saugatuck and Douglas
About 1 mile
The twin art towns by the river, full of galleries, studios, a walkable waterfront, and the historic hand-cranked chain ferry.
Kalamazoo River waterfront
About 1 mile
The working harbor and boardwalk in Saugatuck, where boat tours, paddle rentals, and the little chain ferry set out.