Ontonagon Village Beach is the stretch of Lake Superior sand on the east side of the Ontonagon River mouth, reached through Lakeshore Park, a small beach access park owned by the Village of Ontonagon. The village built the park with Trident Maritime Systems (the former Lakeshore Systems) and a crew of local volunteers on what used to be an overgrown dead end road. It sits about half a mile north of the downtown business district on River Street, right beside the east breakwater that guards the harbor entrance.

To get there, follow US 45 into town, turn toward the lake, and take Trap Street or Lake Street to where they meet at the shoreline. A short one-way loop drive serves a small paved lot at the park, and there is no charge to park or to use the beach. If the lot is full, the downtown streets are only a few blocks away, and the county chamber of commerce pitches the village beaches as an easy walk from downtown lodging and restaurants. Since 2019, volunteers have laid ADA compliant beach mats each summer, paid for through a Portage Health Foundation grant, so wheelchairs and strollers can get out onto the sand.

The beach itself is open sand with driftwood and rocks pushed up by winter storms, and conditions change with the wind, from glassy and calm to steady breakers within a few hours. There is no designated swim area, no buoy line and no lifeguard, so you swim at your own risk. The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department lists Ontonagon Village Beach at Lakeshore Park among the public bathing beaches it samples weekly for E. coli during the summer season, and results and any advisories are posted on the State of Michigan's BeachGuard site. The health department advises staying out of the water for 48 hours after heavy rain, when runoff from the river and streets can push bacteria counts up.

Expect cold water. Lake Superior near Ontonagon is bracing even in late July and August, and a north or northwest wind can roll in surf and drop the temperature quickly. Stay well away from the breakwater and the river mouth. Water moving along the rock structure and the outflow of the Ontonagon River can pull a swimmer off the beach, and boats use the channel between the piers all season. Rock hounds walk this shore for agates and beach glass, especially after a storm.

The village promotes the beach for evening walks, picnics and sunsets, and the view west takes in the harbor piers and the Ontonagon West Pierhead Light at the end of the west breakwater, which can be seen from this side of the river. Across the river, the 1866 Ontonagon Lighthouse is run by the Ontonagon County Historical Society, which offers tours in season. The village does not post hours or a fee for the beach, and none applies for day use. For a longer beach with a campground behind it, Ontonagon Township Park is a short drive east along Lakeshore Drive.