Park Lake Beach - Swimming Hole near Bath
Bath,Michigan
42.79251, -84.43795
2.1 miles SE of Bath
GPS: 42°47'33.0"N 84°26'16.6"W
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State: Michigan

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Park Lake Beach is a small public beach park owned by Bath Charter Township in Clinton County, Michigan. It sits on the north shore of Park Lake, a 185-acre lake with a maximum depth of about 25 feet, roughly two miles south-southeast of the village center of Bath and a short drive north of East Lansing. The township lists it as a special use park, run by its Parks and Public Works department. Park Lake has drawn Lansing-area swimmers since the 1890s, when a resort and later a dance hall built on pilings over the water stood near this shoreline.

The park's address is 6244 Park Lake Road, Bath. Park Lake Road runs right along the north shore, and the beach is directly beside the Park Lake Creamery, a seasonal ice cream shop that makes an easy landmark. The township says the on-site lot holds about 20 vehicles, so on hot weekends it can fill early. If it is full, the township's Rickard Boat Launch on the east shore has a much larger paved lot, though it is meant mainly for boat trailers.

The swimming area is a short strip of sand facing south across the lake, with a defined swim zone marked off the beach. The township does not publish depth figures for the swim area, and the lake drops to about 25 feet at its deepest point, so weaker swimmers should stay inside the marked zone. Water is warmest from July through August. There is no current to speak of. The township does not list lifeguards, so swimming is at your own risk and children need an adult watching them. Facilities are a pavilion, picnic tables, a fishing dock and a portable toilet.

Bath Township does not list any entry or parking fee for Park Lake Beach, and its park page sets no residency, sticker or permit requirement. Posted hours are not published online; call the township office at (517) 641-6728 for current hours and rules. The pavilion here is not on the township's list of rentable shelters, so it is first come, first served.

Water quality is the main thing to check before you swim. The Mid-Michigan District Health Department tests the beach for E. coli in summer, weekly through Labor Day in past seasons, and results go on the state's BeachGuard website. The swim area has been closed for weeks at a time when test averages ran well above the state limit of 300 E. coli per 100 milliliters; health officials have pointed to geese and runoff from the grass as likely contributors, and the township now rakes the sand to help. Advisory signs are posted at the beach when levels are high and are easy to miss, so look before you wade in. State environmental officials say spikes like this usually follow rain and clear on their own, which makes it sensible to skip the water for a day or two after a heavy storm.

Two other township parks sit on the east side of the same lake. Rickard Boat Launch is the only public boat access on Park Lake, with a ramp, a mooring dock and a large paved lot, and Wiswasser Park across the road has a playground, restrooms and a pavilion the township rents out. In winter the lake is used for ice fishing.

Updated October 18, 2026

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