Au Train Beach is the Lake Superior beach at Au Train Beach Roadside Park, a Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) roadside park on M-28 in the village of Au Train, Alger County. The Au Train River runs along the back of the sand, parallel to the shore, then turns north and empties into Au Train Bay right at the park. That puts two kinds of water a few steps apart: the shallow river outlet and the open bay. Munising is about 8 miles east.

Drive M-28 to the yellow flashing light in Au Train, where Au Train-Forest Lake Road meets the highway. The park sits on the lake side of M-28 just west of the river bridge, with two small parking lots and toilets a short walk from the sand. MDOT roadside parks don't charge for entry, and no fee or pass is posted for this one. The park is seasonal. It usually opens in late April or May once the snow clears and closes for winter in late October.

The beach is soft sand backed by low dunes, with a sandy bottom. Lake Superior stays cold here even in August, so a lot of people end up in the river instead. It warms much faster than the lake and is shallow enough near the mouth to wade, float and splash in. The sandbars at the mouth shift from year to year, and so does the depth. There are no lifeguards, no roped swim area and no water quality sampling at this beach.

Look at the lake before you go in. River current meeting the lake can pull swimmers sideways, and a north wind builds surf and rip currents along this shore fast. On rough days, stay in the river or on the sand. Don't dig into the dune banks either. Sand banks along this shore have collapsed on children digging into them. MDOT closes the park for short stretches for maintenance work.

Sand and ice building up at the river mouth can back the Au Train up and flood the low ground upstream, and the Army Corps of Engineers and the state have been studying the problem along with work at the Forest Lake Dam.

The Au Train is a popular flatwater canoe and kayak river with clear, root-beer colored water. Paddlers usually take out at the Au Train Heritage Landing, an accessible floating launch by the trail bridge just upstream of M-28, or keep going under the highway to the lake. An ORV and snowmobile trail crosses the river beside the park. Scott Falls, another MDOT roadside park, is a short drive east on M-28, and Au Train Island sits out in the bay.