Washington Park Beach is the public swimming beach of Washington Park, the city-owned lakefront park run by Michigan City Parks and Recreation in Michigan City, Indiana. The sand runs northeast along Lake Michigan from the East Pier and its red-roofed pierhead light toward the Fedder's Alley dunes, with the harbor mouth of Trail Creek and the marina on the west side. The park dates to 1891, was built out by the WPA in the 1930s, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Washington Park Historic District.

The park address is 6 On the Lake, a short drive north of downtown. Park hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday. There is no entry charge listed for people who walk or bike in, but every lot is paid parking from about May through October, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with enforcement from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For 2026 the Main Lot costs $5 an hour Monday through Thursday and $7 an hour Friday through Sunday for cars and motorcycles. The North Pointe, Senior Center and Fedder's Alley lots are $4 and $5 an hour, the Zoo Lot is $3 an hour, and on special event days (July 4 and August 2, 2026) parking is a flat $40. You pay through ParkMobile or a kiosk. Season stickers are free for Michigan City civil city residents and cost $40 for other La Porte County residents, $100 for the rest of Indiana and $150 for out-of-state drivers.

The beach is wide, soft sand that slopes gently into Lake Michigan, with picnic tables along a concrete promenade and a bathhouse near the west end. The lake stays cold into early summer, is warmest in August, and can drop sharply overnight when the wind shifts. The city stations lifeguards here in season; for 2026 they were on duty from May 22 through September 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Outside those dates and hours, nobody is watching the water.

Rip currents are the main danger, and they are worst along the East Pier and the breakwalls when waves build from the north. Lifeguards pulled two swimmers out of rip currents here in July 2025, and in June 2026 crews searched the water beside the catwalk after a child went under. The city posts electronic warning signs and keeps life rings around the park, and the National Weather Service issues Beach Hazard Statements for this shore. Stay off the pier and out of the water when those warnings are up. The city also tests the water for E. coli every day in season: counts of 235 or less are acceptable, 236 to 999 bring an advisory, and 1,000 or more close the beach to swimming. The last 2026 reading the city posted, for September 3, was 980 at Washington Park, just under the closure line. Results come out by 11 a.m. the next day on the beach hotline, (219) 873-1406 ext. 2.

Pets and glass are banned in the park, alcohol is not allowed within 50 feet of roads and parking lots, and overnight parking and camping are prohibited. Grills are allowed only on the lawns. Besides the beach, the park holds the Washington Park Zoo (separate admission), the Oasis splash pad, a 1936 observation tower, gardens, picnic shelters, an amphitheater and the marina. On calm days the catwalk out the East Pier to the lighthouse is open to walk.