12 Free Swimming Holes near Flaherty Park
first prev 1 next lastShowing Swimming Holes within 50 miles Distance miles of Flaherty Park near Watervliet, Michigan City, Zip, or Address
Silver Beach County Park
St. Joseph
13.0 miles SWA wide county-run swimming beach on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, on the site of the old Silver Beach Amusement Park. Parking is the only fee, but the piers make the currents here genuinely dangerous outside the short lifeguard seaso
Kayak, Swim
Packard Park and Beach
South Haven
15.2 miles NA free City of South Haven park and Lake Michigan beach on North Shore Drive, with restrooms, grills and a lake-view deck. The beach is unguarded, and city lot parking is $3 an hour in summer.
Swim
Douglas Beach
Douglas
31.4 miles NA small, free City of Douglas beach on Lake Michigan, reached by a long wooden staircase down a wooded bluff off Lakeshore Drive, with restrooms and picnic tables at the top and about ten free parking spots.
Swim
Saugatuck
Douglas, Michigan
31.9 miles NPremier Michigan beach towns nestled among towering sand dunes along the Kalamazoo River, leading to Lake Michigan — Oval Beach has been ranked among the best shorelines in the world.
Swim
Oval Beach
Saugatuck
32.7 miles NSaugatuck's city-run Lake Michigan beach below wooded dunes, with no lifeguards, a summer concession stand and a $15 per vehicle day parking fee from Memorial Day to Labor Day (free on foot or by bike).
Hike, Swim
New Buffalo Beach
New Buffalo
36.9 miles SWThe City of New Buffalo charges $25.00 a day to park at its Lake Michigan beach, the first public one north of the Indiana line. It is guarded in summer and sits right beside the harbor piers that generate the lake's structural currents.
Canoe, Kayak, Swim
Holland State Park
Holland
40.5 miles NA quarter mile of fine Lake Michigan sand four miles west of Holland, with a second, warmer swim beach on Lake Macatawa just across the road. No lifeguards, a navigation channel pier at the south end, and a live public camera so you can check the water be
Camp, Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Swim
Washington Park Beach
Michigan City
46.1 miles SWMichigan City's lifeguarded Lake Michigan beach in historic Washington Park, beside the East Pier lighthouse. Entry on foot is free; parking is $3 to $7 an hour in 2026.
Swim
Stone Lake Beach
La Porte
46.8 miles SWLa Porte's free city swimming beach on Stone Lake in Soldiers Memorial Park, with summer lifeguards, a beach house with restrooms and concessions, a playground and kayak rentals.
Hike, Kayak, Swim
Gun Lake Beach
Middleville
47.6 miles NEThe buoyed public swim beach on Gun Lake's east shore in Yankee Springs Recreation Area near Middleville. No lifeguards; a Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry.
Camp, Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Swim
Mount Baldy Beach
Michigan City
48.1 miles SWA 120 foot living dune that creeps inland about four feet a year. The Lake Michigan beach below it is open for swimming with no lifeguards, but the summit is closed except on ranger led hikes.
Hike, Swim
Fort Custer Beach
Augusta
48.7 miles EThe public swim beach on Eagle Lake in Fort Custer State Recreation Area near Augusta, Michigan, with a buoyed swim area, beach house and paddle rentals. No swim fee, but vehicles need a Michigan Recreation Passport.
Camp, Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Swim
