Beaching it at the Warren Dunes

Finally, we found a day that fit into our schedule and was the perfect temperature for going to the beach. We had heard tons of great things about Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer, Michigan, so we decided to check it out. After passing it during many trips to Michigan, I am glad that we finally stopped! We loved the beach at Warren Dunes.

Compared to other beaches that we have been to on Lake Michigan, we found Warren Dunes to be pretty expansive with plenty of room. We arrived pretty early--about 10:00AM (on a Sunday) and easily found a great spot. When we left at 1:00PM, most of the prime spots were taken and there was a long line of cars waiting to come in. We also almost got ran over a couple of times while leaving due to people looking for spots and not paying attention to the road. So, I definitely recommend going early!

When we first arrived, we found the beach to be very peaceful and the view to be  gorgeous. As more people arrived, we found the beach to have a festive, yet not annoying, vibe. My daughter had a great time collecting rocks and swimming. My husband and I enjoyed some time just to relax while enjoying nature!



There are several amenities by the beach. There are a couple of restrooms. There also is a concession stand that is open during the high season. We did not make it to the concession stand because we decided to chill on the further end of the beach. There are also hiking trails and many beach goers enjoy scaling one of the large dunes. Lastly, there are picnic areas off of the beach if you rather eat without the threat of getting sand into your food.

The only real downsides that I could see about this beach is that there are no lifeguards and there was a little bit of litter. However, in regards to the litter, I have seen this at most of the beaches we have visited on Lake Michigan. Also, there were park rangers driving along the beach while we were there but there are no lifeguards watching the water.

We had a great time at the beach and it was really worth the drive yesterday! On the way back, we stopped for a little stroll through one of our favorite towns, New Buffalo. (Of course, we also had to pick up an ice cream!) Also, there are a bunch of farm stands along the journey, making for a nice addition to the trip!

If you go, parking at Warren Dunes costs $8. The entrance is on Red Arrow Highway (12032 Red Arrow Highway, Sawyer, MI). Warren Dunes is open year-round. I cannot wait for our next visit!