13 Free Swimming Holes near Chicago, IL
first prev 1 next lastShowing Swimming Holes within 50 miles Distance miles of Chicago, IL, USA City, Zip, or Address
Ohio Street Beach
Chicago
1.4 miles NEA free, lifeguarded Chicago Park District beach on Lake Michigan just north of Navy Pier, and the city's main open water training spot, with a half-mile swim along the seawall toward Oak Street.
Swim
12th Street Beach
Chicago
1.5 miles SEFree, lifeguarded Lake Michigan beach on Chicago's Northerly Island, just south of the Adler Planetarium, with a beach house, paddle launch and swimming from 11 am to 7 pm in summer.
Canoe, Kayak, Swim
Gillson Beach
Wilmette
14.3 miles NThe Wilmette Park District's main Lake Michigan swimming beach in Gillson Park, with lifeguards Memorial Day to Labor Day. Day passes are $11 for residents and $17 for non-residents, plus parking.
Kayak, Swim
Rosewood Beach
Highland Park
21.2 miles NGuarded Lake Michigan swimming coves in Highland Park's Rosewood Park. Free for park district residents, $10 a day for non-residents plus paid parking, lifeguards 10am to 6pm from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
Swim
West Beach
Portage
27.9 miles SEThe National Park Service's main lifeguarded swimming beach at Indiana Dunes, a wide Lake Michigan beach with a bath house and Chicago skyline views. A national park entrance pass ($25 per vehicle) is required.
Hike, Swim
Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Beach
Portage
28.8 miles SEUnguarded Lake Michigan beach at Indiana Dunes National Park's Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk, reached by a short paved path from a pavilion with restrooms. A park entrance pass ($25 per car) is required.
Hike, Swim
Waukegan Municipal Beach
Waukegan
34.8 miles NA mile of free public Lake Michigan sand on Waukegan's north lakefront, open dawn to dusk year-round with no lifeguards; summer weekend parking is $20 for cars without a city sticker.
Swim
Mount Baldy Beach
Michigan City
38.0 miles EA 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
Washington Park Beach
Michigan City
38.8 miles EMichigan 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
Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park
Zion
39.2 miles NIllinois Beach State Park splits into two units along six and a half miles of Lake Michigan, and the public swimming beach is in the south unit, not the eroding north one. Admission and parking are free, there are no lifeguards, and the lake stays cold in
Camp, Hike, Swim
New Buffalo Beach
New Buffalo
45.6 miles EThe 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
Stone Lake Beach
La Porte
49.3 miles ELa 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
Eichelman Beach
Kenosha
49.4 miles NFree, sheltered Lake Michigan beach in Eichelman Park on Kenosha's 3rd Avenue lakefront, a pocket of sand between rock breakwaters with calm wading water. No lifeguards.
Swim
