Wallace Lake Beach is the guarded swim beach on Wallace Lake, a 17.6-acre former sandstone quarry in Cleveland Metroparks' Mill Stream Run Reservation in Berea, Ohio. The quarry pits here once produced Berea sandstone grindstones counted among the best in the world. In 1941 a spillbox structure was built at the north end, the site was flooded, and two separate quarries were joined by a shallower channel into the lake you see today. The sand beach sits a short walk from the smaller Baldwin Lake and only a few blocks from downtown Berea.

The beach is on Valley Parkway, about one mile south of Bagley Road. Coming from downtown Berea, follow Valley Parkway south past the North Quarry Lane turnoff and watch for the round millstone sign marking Wallace Lake. Free paved lots line the east side of the lake next to the beach, the playground and the ball field. The reservation is open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the Mill Stream Run All Purpose Trail passes the lake if you would rather walk or bike in from Berea.

Swimming is allowed only inside the marked area off the sand beach, and only while lifeguards are on duty. In recent summers lifeguards have worked daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from early June to around the second week of August, and Cleveland Metroparks posts each year's exact dates on its swimming status page. Outside those dates the beach is listed as off-season with no guards on duty. There is no admission fee or parking fee for the beach; the only Metroparks swim site that charges admission is Ledge Pool in Hinckley. The Metroparks does not publish depths or water temperatures for Wallace Lake, so treat it as the old quarry it is and stay inside the marked area. Water quality for the beach is tracked by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and shown on the same status page.

The beach rules are strict and enforced by the guards. No swimming when red flags are up, no diving, no pets on the sand or in the water, no snorkels or scuba gear, and no flotation devices other than U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets. Fishing is not allowed near the swim area, and fires and grills are not allowed on the beach. In June 2021 a Parma father and his 10-year-old son drowned after a family went into the water about half a mile south of the designated beach, in a part of the lake not meant for swimmers. Stay in the guarded zone, and keep children within reach.

Cleveland Metroparks finished a major rebuild of the Wallace Lake area in June 2025. It added improved beach access, ADA-accessible restrooms, a new pavilion, expanded parking, new volleyball courts and the Wallace Lake Grille, a seasonal concession stand near the beach. Kayak rentals are not offered at Wallace Lake for the 2026 season, though the Metroparks has pointed paddlers with their own boats to a launch at the south end of the beach, outside the swim area.

Anglers work the rest of the lake for largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, channel catfish and stocked rainbow trout. Special rules apply here: bass must be at least 12 inches with a limit of two per day, and the trout limit is three. Beyond the lake, Mill Stream Run Reservation follows the East Branch of the Rocky River south toward Strongsville, with paved all-purpose trail, bridle trail, the Music Mound and North Quarry picnic areas, and the Baldwin Lake overlook a short walk from the beach.