We've been on the hunt for some dog-friendly activities in West Michigan, and our time at Kirk Park was everything we hoped for! The dog beach is about a 5-minute walk from the parking lot, and the trail is very well marked. The weather was great, so there were lots of dogs there enjoying the water. There are changing facilities and restrooms available near the parking lot, but not on the beach, so keep that in mind. We're looking forward to enjoying the water with our golden retriever again soon! read more

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Dog-friendly section of beach? Check Sand dune trails? Check Well-maintained bathroom facilities? Check Beautiful views of Lake Michigan both high and low? Check This is *the* beach spot for you and your canine. read more

This is a fantastic off leash dog park on Lake Michigan. The pics say it all, take a look :-). read more

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cute beach spot and park vibe. there's a sandbar a little off shore that's fun to walk over to with friends it's a little busy but nothing crazy. definitely worth a visit! read more

Great dog friendly beach! Short walk from parking to beach. There is a slight dune to get down but not bad. Plenty of great beach and other steeper dunes to climb up and down. There is a designated swimming zone. The only thing I'd improve is the hours dogs are allowed. Before 10am and after 6pm can be so limiting. Either the sun isn't warm enough or it's sinking away. I can go for maybe an hour before I have to head home. I could understand 10-6 being ON leash, and before and after allowing the off option. Ottawa county pays for the park so you do have to pay to park. $8 for the day and $25 for the season. Ottawa county residents get a discount. There's plenty of easy kiosks for payment. I guess I would also like to say it would be cool for a half day discount for those of us arriving after 6 because that's not a full day. That said, my pup sure loves the beach! read more

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Pet friendly park. Swim your dog in lake Michigan. A Leah is required some listen and some don't. Got to love that following the rule thing. Also you pack it in you pack it out no trash can on the beach. Lots of tick warning signs. Love the boot scrap off before you leave. Lots of parking and lots of new expansion. Seems to be under construction for a minute but the vision is great. Lol they have concrete corn hole. So bring your own bags lol read more

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Was introduced to this park a few years ago. Super pretty views, and some good spots up on the dunes if you know where to go :) read more

Kirk Park - Kirk park sunset view - Beaches Near Me - West Olive, Michigan

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A very nice park with a dog friendly beach on Lake Michigan. Sadly due to high lake levels and erosion the path down to the beach is not easy to get down to. The stairs have been swept away. If your careful you can get down though. The beach is great and the dogs love the water, beach and sand dunes. Overall 4 stars. If they fix it up I'd gladly give the star back. Would I return? Absolutely, plan on it later this summer. read more

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We love Kirk Park but want to warn visitors that some trails are closed, the dog beach stairs and overlook were destroyed by waves in Winter 2019/20 and the beach is extremely reduced (only a few yards wide at most points). The parking lot has also been reduced in size since there is such limited sand/beach space. Several large dunes sheered off or gave way this winter. read more

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What an exquisite beach and top-notch facilities! Everything was impeccably maintained and spotless. Oh, and they even had a cheeky little note posted, advising against indulging in the water. Apparently, due to some water testing. read more

So happy to have found this hidden gem! Well, to me it's a hidden gem....coming from GR for a beach day but wanting to get away from the Holland State Park crowd, Kirk Park did the trick! I'm almost hesitant in writing this review because then the secret will get out.....but then that wouldn't make me a true Yelper so, onward! So for $7, you can enjoy a daily pass, or $25 (I think) for the season. The season might be worth it if you're near the area. What I most enjoyed about Kirk park was the family oriented vibes. All you saw was kids and their parents, big groups BBQing and best of all, dogs! I love dogs, other people's dogs. I'm not a pet person, but I'll love your pet all day! Lol The beach area for humans only, is located towards the right once you enter the park. Parking was easy but I can see it getting full on a nice day. Once you walk through the paved path, and pass an awesome scenic trail (do it!) you'll find the beach area. You've got to climb up to it because it's on a natural dune. It would be nice to expand the beach area a little more so there's more space to lay out, but I think that's a natural constraint?? Not sure if the park has anything to do with that. Kirk Park is low key and you get both forest and beach. You can't go wrong! Please visit but don't tell anybody...lol SYOY! read more

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Amazing beach park for you and your four-legged best friend! We took our baby here while on vacation. We honestly had no idea how she would take to the waters but once we got there, she had the best time! The park and beach was very clean and well-maintained. There are trash cans everywhere so do your part and pick up after your pup. There are also stations with trash bags for dog refuse if you did not bring your own. The beach was not at all busy when we got there. It was so quiet and nice and the water was cool and not too rough. The stairs to the beach was mostly destroyed toward the bottom but the nice slope of sand wasn't bad to get down even with our little corgi. There are picnic area, bathrooms and snack machines if you don't feel like driving to town for food. This truly is an amazing beach park and we enjoyed the fun times we spent with our pup. read more

Hands down one of the bests dog beaches I have ever visited! The trail to the dog beach takes about 10 minutes, as you trek down the sand dunes to the shoreline. We came on a Tuesday where it was virtually empty. Our two pups had an amazing time playing fetch in the water, which was incredibly clean compared to any beaches in Chicago. Do not skip this if you're planning a visit with your furry friends! Best, Charlie read more

Loved Kirk Park, and so did my dogs! The off leash area was so much fun. It's probably about 300 yards long, and everybody there was good about cleaning up after their friends, and keeping aggressive dogs away. I'd say the only negative is no water for a wash station because they get pretty sandy afterwards. We brought jugs of water to clean them off with. My dogs haven't stopped asking me to go back, it's all they talk about.... read more

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We did not anticipate Kirk Park Dog Beach to be a true part of the State Park. But it was nice to have about a quarter mile walk through the forest preserve (trail was mostly packed sand) to get to the beach. It ended up being a quiet day (middle of a weekday) with no other dogs to distract ours who is leash reactive. It also wore him out a bit before his first visit to the lake. Cons are that there are about 50 steep stairs to get down to the beach and the railing is a bit open. Our dog almost jumped through the railing with excitement. The stairs and the beach are also not blocked off, so our very excited dog ran back up the stairs and far down the beach in no time at all. Thankfully his recall is pretty good. I do like that it's an off leash beach though. Other than that, we and our dog had a great time. The water was shallow for quite a distance, so going in after the dog was not an issue. We could play together. And the sand in and out of the water was soft and easy to walk on. Everyone else on the beach was very friendly too. read more

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Very nice off leash dog beach. All people and dogs were friendly and nice to my little dog. Clean beach with steep dune to go up to get back to parking lot. Would be good to use some of the entry fees to unbury the stairs so older dogs and people have better access. read more

SO happy to have found this place on a vacation with the fam! Going to the beach when you have a pup along with you for vacation can sometimes be a struggle, but at Kirk Park, the beach is dog friendly! We arrived on a Thursday around 1 and after paying $8 fee for non residents (a fair price IMO) we took the short hike down to the beach. BEWARE, there is a pretty steep staircase to get down so if you or you dog are averse to stairs it might be tough to access the beach. When we arrived the beach was decently busy, there were tons of dogs running around jumping in the water and playing. A lot of the dogs were larger breeds like Golden Retrievers and Labs so our 5 month old puppy almost got trampled when we first got there, however once we moved away from the big play area, our puppy settled down and was able to interact with some of the smaller pups! I can imagine since the beach is so small that on weekends it gets quite hectic and if your dog doesn't like other dogs/people they probably wouldn't have a good time so keep that in mind before a weekend trip. read more

I highly do not recommend this "dog" park. We drove 2 hours to get here and they tell us that there is a park policy that only allows dogs on the beach before 10am and after 6pm. Had to drive another 45 mins to get to a dog beach-recommend changing this park to be classified as a state park(as it is) rather than a dog park, which it primarily is not. read more

Awesome place for dogs!! Nice little hike through the woods to get from parking lot to the beach. Long beach to play on, plenty of room. Very separate from people area so no concern about them running over to people who don't want to be near dogs. Did not like that young puppies are allowed at the dog park (have to be much more wary). read more

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This dog park is now quite badly eroded and now has very limited hours for dogs: Dogs are allowed at the Park daily between 7-10 am and 7-10 pm. Outside of these hours, dogs are not permitted anywhere in Kirk Park. I am not sure why the change, but there were some disappointed pet owners when we were there and the hours that they are now open have many dogs with very limited space. Unsure if this change is permanent or not. Our dog still loved swimming this weekend, but steep sand covered steps down to the lake and very limited beach space has made it more challenging. read more

Great for dogs who love to swim! When you arrive, go to the left, near the building to rent. I don't love the $10 fee to get in when there are so many other beaches near by. I do appreciate the up keep they do though. It's best to ride your bike or walk in so you don't have to wait in line, and you may possibly not get in. read more

We stumbled on this place by mistake. It's been years since I've been in the Lake Michigan shoreline. Large amount of parking for not much beach. You can stroll down the shoreline in a nice paved walkway to a platform to view the lake. There is a lot of sand down by the platform but beautiful view read more

During summer travels, KP was a wonderful surprise. It's dog friendly, not something I often see at the beach. Sure, make all the jokes you want about floating "Baby Ruth candy bars," but I didn't see any. What I did see were dogs, who normally get left behind, having a great time in a pool larger than anything that they ever imagined. We were with pets of extended family: Rex, a young Chocolate Lab; Odin, a pup of a mid-sized mixed breed; and Ruby, my daughter's little Chihuahua. Ruby wasn't completely confident about swimming with larger dogs, but Rex, Odin, and most of the pets we saw were getting a taste of heaven, chasing Frisbees, balls, and each other. I can imagine things getting out of control here. But, if owners are careful to exercise a firm hand, and use a leash as needed, I think most families with pets would have a good time, especially late afternoon or early evening, when it's not too hot on the sand. read more

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Nice dog beach. ,25 mile walk to beach with 44 steps down to beach. Sandy beach which is nice. Flies make it difficult to lay down, but could find a place along the 75 - 100 yard beach that might not have flies. Clean beach with several poop bag dispensers along the way. $ entrance to park. read more

Really great dog beach! Its a small strip of beach but well enclosed so you can always have your dog in your site. It is a walk from the parking lot to the beach and then a large staircase but well worth the trip. I love that sand it pretty flat into the water so dogs can run around without worry of going deep in as they have to swim pretty far in to do so. If you want a calm day at the beach, this is not the beach for you. If you love dogs, want your dog to socialize and play, this is a great beach! Don't forget to pick up after your dog!!! Beach: 5/5 read more

What a blast and no problems with any of the dogs the whole time their. Highly recommend if your look for a place you can your pets can let loose without crazy restrictions. read more

This place has been my sanity all summer long!! Thank you to the amazing dog beach for being my summer hot spot! Summer in Michigan is constantly promoted as being dog friendly, and unfortunately it is not as friendly as places like California and many others! Kirk park is amazing but being one of the only great places for your dogs on a hot summer day makes it crowded! Come on Michigan be more dog friendly!!! read more

Kirk Park - Remus model dog loving the beach! - Beaches Near Me - West Olive, Michigan

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If you wanna come to a dog park where you can't bring your dog then this is the place for you! We drove 50 minutes only to be told dogs can't go on the beach from 10am-6pm. Like why is it called a dog beach if we aren't allowed dogs?! ‍ read more

Beautiful park. Well maintained just as all the Ottawa Co Parks are. When we moved to area a couple years ago we had never seen such nice parks to walk-in. We enjoy them daily. read more

She loved it! We played for a couple hours last Saturday. It's not peek season so it wasn't busy. The other dogs there were nice and their owners were responsible. Olive was off leash the whole time. She was exhausted and it was great! read more

Kirk Park - Fetch in the water. She loved it! - Beaches Near Me - West Olive, Michigan

Found this place while traveling with my dog. To get to dog beach you follow a path in the woods and head down a long flight of stairs. The dogs are off leash, which makes it an adventure. My dog is pretty timid but she became more social with each visit. Small beach area and a walk to get to restrooms are the only drawbacks. read more

Kirk Park - Beaches Near Me - West Olive, Michigan

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This is my favorite dog park/beach in west Michigan! All dogs are free to be off leash and people are friendly. Great environment for social dogs. read more

great place for friends to run around, dig, swim, hang, play. not the largest beach area in town, especially if crowded, but definitely good size. nice short hike to get to dog beach. all humans I have encountered so far have been very 'dog friendly and dog understanding' read more

Kirk Park - trying to catch all the sand, midair...not the easiest! - Beaches Near Me - West Olive, Michigan

I love this place! The off leash dog beach is fantastic. Both the beach and water and very clean

The beach is no more due to rising waters. You either have to sit on a very steep hill or sit at the top of it. The "beach" was clean though and you'd never know there was a huge dog park right down the beach. The bathrooms are the reason for the 4 stars. The boys bathroom smelled absolutely awful and was really gross. There was pee in every single one of the toilets and toilet paper everywhere. Everything else was fine including the hiking trails which were fine. read more

This has a fantastic Dog beach! I much prefer it to Muskegon. It is fenced in on both sides, and there is much more surface area. The parking lot to the beach involves a bit of a hike in the woods, where fido must be on a leash. Then, it's a fairly large staircase down to the beach, but there is a ton of room for sand play or water play. Once the dog hits the beach, it's off leash time! It was a cold lake day but the sun helped. At the top of the steps there are picnic areas, vending, and full bathrooms, so it's a great place for the afternoon. read more

Ron in Davison We drove 150 miles to Kirk Park for the day expecting to spend a wonderful day at the west side of Lake Michigan with our small dog on their advertised 600 feet of beach area for dogs. Prior to going on this adventure I looked on Google Earth and saw what appeared to be the dog area with two fences separating the area where dogs could be off leash and go in the water. I used Google's measuring tool which showed a 365 foot area between what appeared to be the dog area. When we arrived we were directed by the park representative to the designated area of the beach for dogs which is a short walk (approx. .25mile) from the parking lot. What we found was an area that appeared much smaller then the 600 ft. with many dogs off leash and a lot of people in a crammed in the area there to enjoy the beautiful sandy beach with their dogs. I did walk off the area between the two fences (designated dog area) and presently (7/19/14) this dog area that is advertised by the park is about 365 feet, NOT 600 feet! When leaving the park I did inquire with the park representative about the 600 feet and she said that the past winter did cause some issues and the dog area had to be reduced. This is a vey nice park but 600ft to 365ft is a major issue when you have dogs. read more

Nice off leash dog beach, worth the $7 admission. There's maybe a quarter mile walk to some steps down to the beach. U will find a ball or two left behind for water play but bring a chair and stay a while read more

I like this local beach. It's a short walk from the parking lot. Not many tourists. The beach seems a bit skinny though. Could be I hit it at high tide or I'm used to So Cal beaches but I'd like more beach. Still it's nice read more