Best park! I love that this year there are lifeguards (or maybe that was normal and I've never…read morenoticed?). Nice sand, a nice area to swim before you run into boats and you can borrow life vests. I like the flag warning system as well. The lifeguards were moving around swiftly to change them when the weather turned quickly which was nice. Bathrooms near the splash pad and a spot to buy food and ice cream is a nice touch. Also, if the kids tire of the water, there's a playground in the sand near the sidewalk. Perfect!

South Beach was just ok for us. The beach itself is nice and spacious, so it never felt…read moreovercrowded, which we appreciated. There was quite a bit of seaweed near the pier though, and that made the water less enjoyable than we were hoping. Safety is obviously important, and I completely understand the rules around rip currents and only allowing Coast Guard-approved flotation devices. My only suggestion would be to do a better job communicating that before people get into the water. A sign near the parking lot or beach entrance explaining the current conditions and flotation rules would've been really helpful. We didn't find out until we were already in the water, and it would've saved some frustration. One thing I did really like was the little beach shop and cafe. They were both super cute and made it easy to grab a snack or pick up anything you forgot, which was a nice touch. The staff clearly cared about keeping everyone safe, which I appreciate, but it also made us feel like we were being watched the whole time instead of being able to relax. We ended up heading over to the splash pad.

Great trail to walk or bike! This is an easy trail for all…read moreskill levels, has a mix of green and water views and is great for bird watching.

I can't believe we just recently found this place. My hubby came across it first walking the dog…read moreand told me about it. I have enjoyed coming here since then with my hubby and the dog. You wouldn't even know it is here. They have a walkways with railings that lead out to trails with lush and peaceful views. People also come out here to fish. There is so much great nature and animals to see. We got to see a turtle on a log, fishes, birds. We thought we missed a possible beaver.

Want a quiet, peaceful beach on Lake Michigan? One that has picnic tables, a ramped deck on top of…read morethe dune (thank you, city of South Haven, for providing handicap accessibility), and best of all in this town, a restroom with changing areas that stays open past dusk? Enter Packard Park - it's 2 parks north of North Beach, is free, and is the quietest beach in town. You'll head down a short dune and then find the big lake. People bring chairs or towels. The entrance to the water is sandy, and the bottom is firmer than that of South Beach, by the pier. You can see the pier in the distance, just south. Up by the parking lot, you'll see several picnic tables, a grill, and a restroom. The women's has two toilet stalls and two changing stalls - WITH DOORS! thank you. The park is open until 10. Often, when we swim at dusk, we get out of the water too late to change in the North or South Beach bathrooms. NO worries of that here. No lifeguard. Plenty of parking, and a grassy area for kids to run around on if you're cooking dinner before (or after) swimming.

The park itself does not offer much. It has little shade but it does offer sunset views and…read morebenches. There are plenty of other viewing spots at the neighboring beaches.

Everyone pretty much has the same opinion about this: a beautiful, "neighborhood" beach that has…read moreextremely limited parking. Ideal if you're staying around it, I'm sure. We arrived on a day with intense wildfire smoke, the kind where the air quality was the worst in the entire world that day and you could feel it. We'd held the girls inside most of the day, but finally snapped in the evening and told them we wanted to catch the sunset here. Fortunately we were earlier enough to slide right into a spot (tried to come back two other times and had no such luck). After being cooped up in the AirBnB, we said screw it and all got in and swam around for a bit. It was glorious. The only unique thing is there are a lot of rocks to step on/bang into within the first 10 feet or so of the water. If you go out a little further, it shifts back to soft sand. It's such a cool visual both ways; the great lake, of course looking west, and then the towering stairs and cliffside neighborhood over to the east. Up top, there's a foot rinse for knocking off sand and a public restroom. I love this spot, and really the only knock is if you don't luck out on parking there's almost no alternative to getting here.

Nice spot. Limited parking. The stairs aren't as bad as they look. Small beach bc most is private…read morebeach.

20 of us from downtown chicago headed to Saugatuck for a picnic on a decent June morning without a…read moreproper destination. After quick searches on google and yelp we decided to go here bcos it fulfilled 5 things on our list 1. Accessible bathrooms 2.shaded picnic area with seatings 3.Beach and sand 4.Parking 5.bug/ticks free Happy to report that it was just perfect for us with all requirements met. our senior parents walked around, the kids ventured out to the beach and restrooms very clean for a picnic area.

It was very fun to look for rocks but when you went in the water there was a very big dip down and…read morelots more rocks as you go out a little farther from shore. and it hurt VERY bad on your feet. and dont get me started on the bathrooms, there was a urinal in the GIRLS bathroom and all the stalls were disgusting and had bugs and mold on the wall, but the beach was pretty nice!

Beautiful beach. But... you have to pay to park so being from out of state, I assumed the hefty…read moreparking price would translate to nice bathrooms/snack shack. That was not the case. They employ people to patrol the bathrooms and beach and they were very respectful and helpful. The beach itself requires a trip down and UP a long steep dune. It was near impossible to get up the hill carrying items. Stairs near the bath house/snack area would be very helpful. Even a rope to help pull yourself up would be good. Also there is NO alcohol allowed and if the patrol staff see you, they do confiscate your beverage.

Not too bad of a hike to the beach! It's not super big or anything but a nice hang out spot. Other…read moretrails were fun to hike too!

This place is great for hiking and meeting up with friends! I really enjoy all the flora & River.read more

The Black River Preserve is truly a spectacular place. The location of the preserve, along the…read moreLake Michigan coastal area, makes it a premier migratory songbird stopover. There is also great biological diversity ranging from poplars and redbud trees to hemlocks and birch trees. The Preserve encompasses 120 acres of rolling forest, meadows, and scenic tributary ravines. The trails are all marked and offer easy-to-difficult hiking options. We spent a Sunday afternoon in October walking through this magical preserve. The Mainstem Trail is the most direct route through the preserve. We traversed slops of the north and middle ravine and crossed streams along the way. We stopped at the "quiet spot" bridge and closed our eyes and just listened to the peaceful sounds of nature. The Black River Preserve is located on 8th Ave. in South Haven. There is a gravel park lot and a trail map posted at the trail head. If you are looking for a place to go for nature and a quiet atmosphere, be sure to check out the Black River Preserve.

Best place to catch the Michigan sand dunes for the first time. This seems to be an uncommon vista…read moreto get some sand and sun--not too many other people were here. Good for a quick peak at Lake Michigan's sunset or to spend the day on the beach. Be prepared to hike some sandy stairs! I ended up slipping off my shoes and just walked up them barefoot.

Very small beach. The day we went many people made the trek and didn't get in the water because…read morethey thought it was to cold. Family after family came down and just sat there getting eaten by flies....did I mention the flies? Good lord if you weren't in the water be prepared to leave with welts. Good thing for me I like cold water and it felt great! If you are not in good physical shape probably don't come here. These pictures don't show the actual situation. It is very steep! The stairs are covered with sand and there are A LOT of them. What goes down, in this situation must go back up!