Lake Gogebic State Park is a 360-acre state park run by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on Big Bear Bay at the southwest end of Lake Gogebic. Lake Gogebic is the largest natural inland lake in the Upper Peninsula, roughly 14 miles long and about 13,000 acres, and it sits inside the Ottawa National Forest close to the Wisconsin line. Gogebic County bought the first parcel in 1926 and handed it to the state, and the park opened to the public in 1930. People have been swimming off this beach ever since; the DNR has photos of crowds in the water from 1950.

The park address is N9995 State Hwy M-64, Marenisco, and the entrance is on M-64 between US-2 and M-28. Marenisco is about 8 miles to the southwest in a straight line and Bergland, at the north end of the lake, is about 9 miles north. Drive in past the contact station and keep to the south end of the park, where the day-use area, beach, picnic grounds and boat launch are grouped together with their own parking. The campground loops sit farther north along the shore.

The swim beach is a strip of sand roughly 100 meters long facing north into Big Bear Bay. The DNR marks off a buoyed swim area in front of it, and there is a beach house, modern restrooms, a playground, a picnic area with fire pits and grills, and a pavilion you can reserve through the state reservation system. Lake Gogebic is shallow for its size, averaging about 17 feet deep with a maximum near 38 feet, so the bay warms up by midsummer, though early-season water in this part of the U.P. stays cold. There is no current, but the lake is long and open, and a stiff wind can push waves onto the beach. The park page does not list lifeguards, so plan on swimming without one.

There is no separate beach fee, but a Michigan Recreation Passport is required for any vehicle entering the park. For Michigan-registered cars it costs $15 a year when added to a license plate renewal (or $29 for two years); a $5 convenience fee applies when you buy it at a park instead. Out-of-state vehicles pay $12 for a daily pass or $42 for an annual pass in 2026, and the park takes cash or checks only for passes sold on site. The DNR page does not post separate beach hours, so call the park at 906-842-3341 if you are arriving early or late in the season.

The paved boat launch is only about 150 meters southeast of the beach, so expect boat traffic close to the swim area on busy fishing weekends; Lake Gogebic is known for walleye and jumbo perch and draws a lot of anglers. The lake level is held by the Upper Peninsula Power Company's Bergland Dam on the West Branch of the Ontonagon River, so the waterline can shift through the year. The modern campground closes from October 13, 2026 through June 7, 2027 while crews remove about 800 ash trees killed by emerald ash borer; check with the park before visiting during that window.

Beyond the beach, the park has a 105-site modern campground, a 22-site semi-modern campground and an accessible tiny house. The Forest Trail is a two-mile loop through the woods behind the campground, and the DNR lists paddling among the park's activities. In 2019 the park also started a canoe and kayak rental program, so ask at the contact station whether it is running.