Welcome to Illinois Beach State Park
Right next door to Winthrop Harbor, where the dunes meet Lake Michigan, sits one of the most remarkable stretches of shoreline in the Midwest. Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park runs for more than six miles along the lake, from Waukegan north to the Wisconsin line, and it is the only place in Illinois where you can still walk an undeveloped beach ridge shoreline shaped over thousands of years.
At 4,160 acres, it is big enough to spend a whole day exploring and quiet enough to feel like you have it to yourself.
Beyond Words and Pictures
There are places a photograph cannot hold and words cannot quite reach. This is one of them. Watch the lake, the dunes, and the shoreline come to life, and see why Illinois Beach State Park is one of Winthrop Harbor's greatest treasures.
The Two Units
Illinois Beach State Park is divided into a North Unit and a South Unit, each with its own character and its own entrance.
North Unit
1,925 Acres · ~2.5 Miles of Shoreline
The quieter, more rugged side of the park, with open lakeshore, picnic areas, hiking and biking trails, a swimming beach, and a small fishing lake. The Camp Logan Trail — a 1.8-mile multi-use loop — winds through this unit and is popular with hikers, cyclists, and cross-country skiers in winter.
The land here was once Camp Logan, a National Guard training site, added to the park between 1971 and 1982. North Point Marina, the largest marina on the Illinois shore of Lake Michigan, sits at the very north end of this unit — right in Winthrop Harbor — making it an easy companion to a day on the water.
South Unit
2,235 Acres · ~3.5 Miles of Shoreline
The heart of the park for most visitors. This is where you will find the campground, the Illinois Beach Hotel and Conference Center, the Park Office, and the Visitor Center, along with swimming beaches, picnic areas, and about five miles of trails including a graveled 2.2-mile loop.
The South Unit is also home to the park's 1,100-acre nature preserve — a National Natural Landmark and the first dedicated nature preserve in Illinois. The state acquired the first parcels in 1948, and it remains the busier, more developed side of the park, ideal for families, campers, and anyone looking to settle in for a full day or weekend by the lake.
Things To Do
Swimming
Sandy swimming beaches open along the shoreline in both units once the season warms, with bathhouses, changing areas, and ample parking close at hand. The beach near the South Unit campground is a favorite for families, while stretches farther from the main lots stay calm and uncrowded even on busy weekends. Lake Michigan runs cool well into summer, often warming most by August. There are no lifeguards on duty — swim within designated areas, keep an eye on children, and check conditions before heading in.
Hiking
With more than six miles of trails across the two units, the park rewards walkers of every pace. The southern trails total about five miles and include a graveled 2.2-mile loop past the edge of the nature preserve. In the North Unit, the Camp Logan Trail forms a 1.8-mile multi-use loop through former military ground now reclaimed by prairie and oak. The path moves through open dunes, sandy beach ridges, marshy swales, tallgrass prairie, and shaded black oak savanna.
Biking
Several trails are multi-use and welcome cyclists alongside walkers. The Zion Bike Trail links the North and South units so you can travel the length of the park on two wheels. The mostly level terrain makes it friendly for families and casual riders, with the lake in view for much of the route. The trail network also connects to the wider Robert McClory Bike Path, opening up miles of riding through Winthrop Harbor and beyond.
Fishing
Shoreline fishing is allowed along Lake Michigan throughout both units, away from the marked swimming areas and the nature preserve. Several inland ponds add to the options, including Sand Pond with its accessible fishing pier. The season brings steelhead in spring and early summer, lake trout from late June into September, and salmon, yellow perch, walleye, sauger, and more. For deeper water and bigger fish, the charter fleet sails right out of neighboring North Point Marina.
Boating
North Point Marina anchors the north end of the park and is the largest marina on the Illinois shore of Lake Michigan. With 1,500 slips, a public boat launch, fuel, a service center, and dining on site, it is a full day's worth of waterfront on its own. Whether you are launching your own boat, booking a charter, or simply walking the docks to watch the harbor come to life, the marina makes the lake easy to reach and easy to enjoy.
Birding & Wildlife
The park's mix of beach, wetland, prairie, and savanna makes it one of the finest places to watch wildlife in the region, especially during spring and fall migrations when songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds move along the lakefront in great numbers. Patient visitors to the nature preserve may spot deer, foxes, owls, and hawks, along with turtles, frogs, butterflies, and dragonflies among the dunes and marshes.
Picnicking
Spread across both units are picnic areas ranging from shaded groves to open lawns, several set right where you can watch the boats and gulls work the water. Pack a lunch and settle in between a swim and a hike, or claim a spot for an afternoon with family and friends. Tables and grills make it easy to turn a visit into a full day by the lake.
Winter
The park does not close when the snow arrives. The trails take on a quiet beauty in the cold months and become a favorite for cross-country skiing, with the Camp Logan loop and the southern paths offering room to glide through still, white scenery. The nature preserve stays off limits to skis to protect its fragile ground, but the rest of the park invites you to experience the shoreline at its most peaceful.
Stay the Night
Campground — South Unit
The campground in the South Unit offers 241 premium sites with electricity, modern showers, and sanitary facilities, including accessible sites near the restrooms and dump station. The camping season runs May 1 through September 30, and reservations are strongly recommended on summer and holiday weekends, when sites fill quickly.
Alcohol is not permitted at campground sites. Pets are welcome on a leash. Fires are allowed only in designated rings or grills.
Reserve at ExploreMoreILIllinois Beach Hotel
The Illinois Beach Hotel and Conference Center is the only hotel in Illinois that sits directly on Lake Michigan, with a private beach, an indoor pool, a spa, a fitness center, and Nolan's restaurant on site. It is an easy choice for a weekend escape, a wedding, or a conference, and it puts you steps from the sand.
Visit IllinoisBeachHotel.comThe Nature Preserve
The southern tip of the park is a designated nature preserve and a National Natural Landmark. More than 650 plant species grow here across black oak savanna, sand prairie, and marsh — and together with the surrounding lands it forms part of the internationally recognized Chiwaukee Prairie Illinois Beach Lake Plain.
It is a rare living glimpse of what this coastline looked like long before the cities arrived.
Plan Your Visit
The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to sundown, and admission is free. The Park Office and Visitor Center in the South Unit can answer questions and point you toward the day's best spots, and a conservationist is often on hand at the nature center. Groups of 25 or more are asked to register in advance with the site office.
However you spend the day — from a sunrise walk along the water to a night under the stars at the campground — Illinois Beach State Park is one of Winthrop Harbor's finest neighbors, and we hope you will make it part of your visit to the Harbor.