Tawas Point State Park is a 183-acre Michigan Department of Natural Resources park at the end of the sand spit that hooks around and encloses Tawas Bay, on the Lake Huron shore of Iosco County about 3 miles southeast of downtown East Tawas. The public swim beach is the buoyed swim area in the park's day-use area, on the Lake Huron (outer) side of the point. That is the spot this listing covers. The modern campground's beach sits on the Tawas Bay side and is meant for campers, and the DNR says the bay side has no buoyed swim area.

From US-23 on the east side of East Tawas, take Tawas Beach Road south along the spit to the park entrance at 686 Tawas Beach Road. Continue past the campground and registration area to the day-use parking lots, which sit a short walk from the sand. Driving in requires a Michigan Recreation Passport. For Michigan-registered vehicles it is an annual pass, $15 when added at license plate renewal through the Secretary of State (a two-year option is $29). Out-of-state vehicles pay $12 for a daily pass or $42 for an annual one. Walking or biking in costs nothing, and the paved Tawas Bay bike path runs about 4 miles from the park entrance back to East Tawas City Park.

The beach is fine sand on open Lake Huron water, so it gets more wave action and cooler water than the shallow, warm bay on the other side of the point. Buoys mark the swim area through the summer. The DNR does not list lifeguards here, and state park beaches use a colored flag system, so check the flag at the beach before going in; red means stay out of the water. Lake Huron off the point can turn rough quickly when the wind comes up, and an 8-year-old drowned just offshore of this park in 2021. Keep children within reach even inside the buoys. Pets are not allowed on this beach. Dogs on a 6-foot leash are allowed only on the marked pet-friendly stretch of shoreline along Tawas Bay between the campground and the lighthouse.

Lake Huron water levels change the shape of this beach from year to year. During the record-high water around 2019 and 2020 the park dealt with erosion and flooding, and parts of the shoreline narrowed. The DNR posts current closures and repairs at its state park closures page, and the park office can be reached at 989-362-5041. Water quality results for Michigan public beaches are published through the state's BeachGuard program and mirrored by Swim Guide.

The day-use area has a beach house with restrooms, changing rooms and a summer food concession, plus a playground, charcoal grills, picnic tables and a pavilion that seats 75. A free track chair is available to borrow for getting across the sand. Toward the tip of the point is the 1876 Tawas Point Lighthouse, run by the Michigan History Center and open seasonally for tours and tower climbs ($5 adults, $2 ages 6 to 17). The Sandy Hook Nature Trail loops through the dunes and wetlands at the end of the spit. In May the point is one of the best spring migration stops in the state for warblers and other songbirds, and the campground offers 189 modern sites if you want to stay over.