I had some time to kill before viewing a play in one of the nearby theaters so we walked over to the beach to connect with nature. The beach is very clean and it was nice to see so many of the college kids playing football, taking Instagrammable pictures, and just being present. It looks like there are lots of rentals available, the view was beautiful, and I was able to put my shoes and socks back on and walk right into the show! I'm not an avid beach person, but it was very nice to feel the sand, the water, and see the sun! read more

Clark Street Beach - Seagulls, rentals - Beaches Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I love this beach and I must tell you it's one of my top 5 favorites . White sands and in the best part of Lake Michigan ! Great view of Northwestern and the sailing boats too. It's a big beach too and clean and there are family's and young people . Stunning view and overall beauty natural beauty!! Can't wait to come back the water was lovely too! read more

Clark Street Beach - Beaches Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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Tranquil fall day at the beach in Evanston. No admission fees in October, but different during the summer. Free three hour parking along the main road. read more

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Visited Clark Street Beach for the first time. It's a nice and quiet beach however like everyone else that posted a review for this beach and all the beaches in Evanston, I had to give this place 4 stars (which i think is still mighty generous) due to their having to charge nearly $8 per person. We lucked out because A.) If you are an Evanston resident, you can come to this beach for free on Mondays (with proof of residency) and B.) there was no lifeguard at the time so they didn't charge my parents who are from Chicago (so that was nice). The other reason for the 4 stars was due to the beach itself. The beach and its surroundings are clean and well kept but the sand here is not smooth and had pebbles, small rocks and bits and chards of tiny sea shells. There was more of this than the sand! Because of it, I was scared to walk around in the sand for fear of getting cuts on my feet (The cuts didn't happen though) but for future visits, I would recommend to wear sandals at this beach at all times. Haven't checked out the other Evanston beaches along the lakefront but i'm sure the surface is not as rough as it is here. I looked at prior reviews before posting this one and a lot of people had complained about construction noise. My experience was different that day as there was no noise, nor were there any sounds of construction going on. I dunno. Perhaps that was in the past??? It is very quiet here and calm. Since we were there on a Monday mid-day there was barely anyone in the beach. I counted our group and 3 other smaller families. Other than that, it was very relaxing. Loved laying supine on the beach and watching the clouds pass by with the sound of the waves crashing nearby. i LIVE for those moments!!! We even caught a lady flying her kite in the sky which also made for free entertainment. :) Bathrooms are well maintained and clean. What was most important was that the bathrooms in the Ladies side did not smell. Later in the afternoon at around 4:30, the lifeguards came and gave us the OK to get in the water. I had sandals on but i decided to take them off to get my feet wet in the lake. Water was super cold at 58 degrees that day! UGH! Overall, the place is nice, definitely quiet during the weekdays and a great place to rest and relax which was the purpose of our trip. read more

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Walked by the area as we were visiting and were surprised by how clean and empty the beach was! Then we walked by the entrance and saw that there were entrance fees. Guessing the fact that you have to pay to get into a beach will deter some people. I didn't hang out at the beach, but on such a clean beach without the crowds - I would gladly pay to fully enjoy the beach! Located right by the campus - which is beautiful - the beach definitely adds to the charm! read more

Clark Street Beach - Beaches Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Huge beach -- both depth and width. It has a great, undulating shore line and plenty of space for a variety of land activities (volleyball, frisbee, kite-flying) and of course swimming. If you arrive early enough, you can probably avoid having to pay the entrance fee (like all Evanston's beaches, it's free to Evanston residents on the weekend). The men's room was in decent condition, clean and utilitarian. read more

Clark Street Beach - Beaches Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

During COVID they need to rethink making everyone stay between the buoys. Life guards on duty need to spread out to allow swimmers to spread out. You're paying 8$ to get in. I waited in a 6foot spaces out line 15 min to get here only to then be asked to squeeze in near so many others. read more

I love this beach because there's ample, free parking, and it's easy to get to. What I don't love is the very small permitted swimming area. Everyone is very crowded having to be so close together. The lifeguards are very diligent, though, and the bathrooms are close by and pretty clean. read more

Clark Street Beach - Beach in winter - Beaches Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

*Written by Curtis* Living so close to Chicago, Jade and I usually head down to the free Chicago beaches (like Hollywood) rather than shell out hard earned money to use the beaches in Evanston (Yes, Evanston charges to use their beaches. What's next, charging kids to use the playground??). But this Labor Day, we thought we would go to Clark Street Beach because this particular beach is free on Mondays for Evanston residents. The sand is rocky, there is no concession stand, and the swimming zone is way too small. Every five minutes, the lifeguard would blow his whistle to tell kids and adults who were playing in less than knee deep water to get back inside the buoys. I went out into the water directly in front of where we had laid out towels and was quickly whistled for being in the non-swim zone. Now maybe there is some unknown danger lurking in the water twenty feet from the swim zone, but it seems a little ridiculous that most of the beach is off limits. Also, you'd think a beach so close to a major university would have a lot more attractive bodies on it. Clark Street Beach is almost completely families. Nothing against families, but for Jade and I, we'd prefer a much more quiet and adult location. One positive is that the waves here seem to be stronger, more ocean-like than Hollywood beach. Jade's Take: Yes, Evanston charges fees for beach access. It's $7 per adult. No thanks. Take that $7 and ride the CTA down to one of Chicago's free beaches. I would rather be at a beach where men strut in thong bikinis than hear lifeguard whistles every five minutes and wade among families in a designated swim zone. read more

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The beach was pristine -- clean water, clean sand, attentive lifeguards, beautiful views, lots of parking. We're not Evanston residents, so we had to pay the reasonable entry fee. That's what keeps this beach so nice. I can't believe some of the comments here. Yes, the beach has sand, and the sand has shells and pebbles. The water is cold sometimes? Yeah, this is Lake Michigan, not Cabo. Yes, the lifeguards do their job. That's something to complain about? I suggest those folks go to a pool instead. read more

This is my second year as a season pass holder and I go to the Clark Street beach exclusive release. I prefer this location as the last card are nice and I get to see the sailboats from Northwestern University. It's not usually crowded here but if you want to avoid families and children I would say come after 4 pm. If you want to avoid the high school crowd I would say come prior to 4:30 p.m.. the beach is always clean and I really enjoy that I can see my season beach pass money at work. Last year they add a Runway to the beach which was helpful in keeping our feet cool as well as getting the sand off your feet when you leave. The drinking fountains an outside showers are always working. There's always plenty of young staff lifeguards around. They really stay on their jobs and I feel like the managers who also look around Carlos age are on top of managing staff here. There's not a lot of sickos but there are few as they do keep the beaches Clean and Free of debris. I would highly recommend buying a season pass prior to the start of the Season as they will always be cheaper especially if you are not at Evanston resident. You do have to pay for parking which is not bad about $12 for 4 hours. I prefer to park and pay to ensure no one hits my car as the side street parking is always busy. I love it here and this is really the only episodes Beach I need to go to. I always enjoy myself and I also love the park in the scenery around it. read more

This beach was a big disappointment. I came on a Tuesday afternoon during Covid. A thousand other people had the same idea. It was crowded. Compared to Osterman/Hollywood or Foster Beach, this beach is tiny. I would have liked to come early in the morning, but it doesn't open until 10:30 am. The swimming area was minuscule, packed, and shallow. I couldn't actually swim here. read more

What a terrible disappointment. I grew up in Evanston and had fond memories of this beach, but they have been completely wiped out as of today. First of all, the beach has eroded and is tiny now. There are no food trucks or any access to food nearby. Parking is almost non-existent and is a pain in the butt. We paid $28 for two adults and two kids under 11 only to come in and find the water as cold as ice. I'm from Chicago and know Lake Michigan can be cold, but this was hypothermia cold. To top it off, there were hundreds of biting flies all over the beach nipping at you nonstop. We only were there 10 minutes and tried to get a refund, but the lifeguards refused. Never going back! read more

There is a $10 Entry Fee. However, it is worth it. Nice Staff and such a clean beach!

Nothing just scam and rip off August 2017 walked in and stopped by individual asked for entrance fee. Get away from this beach. read more

Alright for those of you who still think that they have a reciprocation deal with the Skokie Park District, they don't. Only with pool passes for the SEASON, and so you know, they stopped doing it years ago with the token/daily pass thing. However yes, you can buy beach tokens from some relatively oblivious kids doing their summertime jobs and swim until about 8pm. It gets really crowded in the midst of summer but they do have lifeguards. You can't swim very far out, they're very strict about that. The sand isn't the purist, if there aren't rocks you're stepping on you may be stepping on people's garbage that's been buried and is poking you in the foot. But it's not THAT bad, just saying. I'd still go back if I didn't have to be charged so much to spend the day, it's a beach, it should be free to the public ::grumbles:: that's just me though... They have volleyball courts as well and a nice picnic area outside of the beach if you want to have a bbq and grumble about how you'd rather be out on the sand. read more

I've got a soft spot for Evanston. How could I not? I spent my childhood here. That being said, Clark Street Beach embodies both the best and worst of what's become of this town. The beach itself is nice. I love coming here for the 4th of July fireworks, a walk along the shore after dinner, or reading a book as you lay on the sand. You get a pretty decent view of the skyline from here and there's plenty of free street parking. Plus, the facilities at the entrance are pretty well maintained. And being attached to the dog beach doesn't hurt my feelings at all. However, I'm not a fan of all the heavy construction going on here, an unfortunate downside to the gentrification of Evanston. Plus, charging for admission during the summer? Hella lame. All things considered, this is still a great spot to come and relax whatever time of the year it is. Just getting harder and harder to squeeze out the fun as time goes by. read more

I like this beach I like this beach it's a nice beach plz rate useful go to the Clark street beach If u want to have a good time.

Idk what this is about entrance fees. But me and my buddies go there at 3:00am and just walk right in. We swim at night too.

Beaches should be free, like in Chicago and most other places in the world. I'm sure we pay enough taxes in Evanston to cover the expenses of beach maintenance. Or at the very least, the fee should not be $7 or $8 or whatever it is now. (I will never pay this much per person for the beach; that's nuts.) A free beach is a benefit to the community. It's a public resource. It would bring more people to the beach and to the surrounding areas and businesses. Oh wait, sorry; if it's free it might bring poor people, and we don't want them, do we, Evanston? What if the poor people come to use our sand. I can also confirm what other reviews mention: the lifeguards are whistle-happy. Just walking or running past the beach, you will frequently hear various whistles or megaphones. That said, it's a lovely beach during the times when it's free! read more

Out of the 6 beaches in Evanston, I think this one has one of the better beach office. To be honest, I enjoy coming here more during the fall, winter and especially early spring more so than the summer. I like walking up on lakeshore drive and ending up here to sit under a roofed area in the beach office when Evanston weather decides to randomly drizzle on a foggy day. While waiting out my rain there are plenty of Northwestern students running by and some even bring their guitar and also sit underneath a roofed area in the beach office to enjoy an afternoon light rain playing the guitar and enjoying the combination of music from their instrument and the waves from the beach. There is a lot of construction around this beach so it is not my favorite, personally I think Lee or Dempster street beaches are a bit better, plus Elliott Park near Lee beach is just GORGEOUS, plus you can see the view of Chicago skyline better down at the south end of Evanston. This is too industrial to reminisce much of a beach but I am glad there is a beach close by to the south end of the Northwestern campus. I agree with other reviews about having to pay to enter here in the summer months that is why I prefer coming here anytime BUT summer. Spring is great because it is actually warm enough to walk around lake front without having your face frozen into a sheet of ice(although it still is pretty darn cold in April). I wouldnt mind grabbing a sandwich and come sit underneath the roof of this beach office another rainy afternoon to enjoy the beach waves. read more

I arrived at the beach at 3 pm and it was not packed at all! It was mostly filled with families of young children, perfect for me since I have 3 small boys! The water was warm and clean, the warm sun and the crisp cool breeze made it a refreshing day at the beach!!!! There is a beach token you have to pay at the entrance but for the great afternoon and early evening spent there it was worth it. Warning to those that don't want sand in the car, there aren't any changing/shower houses to rinse off on, and the bathroom stalls are not too roomy. However, there is a big sink (in the ladies room)where you can at least rinse your feet if you prop up just right. What I really liked about the beach was that the sand was clean, even that late in the day and the water was also clean of debris. There were two lifegaurds on duty and one in the water monitoring the swimmers. They were very mindful to keep swimmers in the designated areas, this gave me peace of mind as my toddler required most of my attention. I loved this beach and yes you can bring snacks onto the beach. If in case you forget there is a traveling snack cart parked right outside the entrance with hot-dogs, chips and other goodies!!! read more

After years of Living Between, and Enjoying both Oak Street and North Avenue Beaches in Downtown Chicago, my wife and I were interested in visiting another beach for a change. Enter Clark Street Beach. Upon Arrival, I was immediately impressed with a newly-built structure - a gleaming modernist shed complete with Office and Showering Facilities - my immediate reaction (as an architect) was: " Wow, this thing must have cost a fortune, and this beach must really be nice"..... At the Building / Entrance /Gateway we were shown a Menu of Services which included and was limited to entry: $8 for Adults, $6 for Children? Now I was thinking that the beach had better be nice - we were about to blow our lunch money. 4 Adults, a 2, 3, and 5 year old came out to $50 dollars even.....suddenly I wasn't thinking about lunch any more - I was sick. Situated between what appeared to be Maintenance Sheds for NW University to the north, and a ripprapp wall to the south, the beach was only about 250 feet wide, painfully rocky, and loaded with broken glass. The 'useable' area of the beach was further restricted to a zone no more than 150 feet wide, bounded with bouys and signs explaining what the bouys were. There were 4 lifeguard towers spaced about 30 feet apart - this place looked more like WWII Normandy than Evanston. 4 Lifeguards, 2 men working in the Modernist Facility, and a glass collector who had apparently taken the day off - no wonder this beach costs so much to visit / celebrate your freedom in the sun. While in the water with my daughter, I was asked to exit the water so the over-zealous-pubescent lifeguard could check the label inside her Floatie-Vest. Yes, Inside - he demanded she take it off - it was not USCG approved, so she had to remove it and reenter the water without it. My niece's WAS approved, so she could remain protected. Next, I put my daughter on my shoulders....another whistle...."Sir, you cannot have her on your shoulders". Another Whistle - two men were walking into the restricted area from the north. Another whistle notifying the newlywed couple to not drift beyond the bouys. This was the least-peaceful day at the beach I had ever experienced. Unrelenting Whistles, Screaming Lifeguards, Rocky Sand, Broken Glass.....After Several local Tax-Paying moms expressed their sincere apologies for their hometown's behavior - sharing their own stories of over-taxation and lack of rights in Evanston - I was committed to never return and share the experience with as many people as possible. DON'T BOTHER - Go to Chicago Beaches. read more