My favorite beach in Michigan. I've been to: Douglas Beach (wonderful neighborhood beach nearby) West Side County Beach (a bit south of Oval and lots of rocks to collect) as well as North and South Beach in South Haven, and a few other neighborhood ones there. Oval wins for me for a lot of reasons. Great, abundant parking ($15 per car for the day, $75 for the season as of 2026). Good restrooms, snack bar, but most importantly, lots of space on the beach to spread out and enjoy. Vibes are immaculate here. We had several days on our trip where this was it. We set up a beach tent, packed sandwiches, and had a blast. The waves were big a few days which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's kind of a roll of the dice whether the water is fine or a bit too chilly, but it's fun nevertheless. So, to sum it all up. SUN. WAVES. EASY. BEAUTIFUL. I will dream of the time spent here, especially come mid-February when we'd give nearly anything for a nice weather day. read more

Oval Beach is STUNNING and I'd love to give it 5 stars, but two things keep me from doing that. Primarily this is because the beach is not totally accessible to all visitors. We came here with my mother and she has MS, which affects her legs. The only way down to the beach were fairly steep sand dune paths that were incredibly difficult for even able bodied individuals to navigate. We tried finding stairs but came up empty, so that's a big deterrent here. The other is a more petty one, but it's parking. There seems to be a great amount of parking available here, especially on weekdays BUT it comes at a cost of $15, which seems more than we paid at other beaches. The beach itself is crisp and clean, with beautiful sand and shoreline, and some of the cleanest water we saw while on our visit to the lake. As a family with kids, this would be a great beach to visit, but you do need to factor in the difficulties of getting down to it, especially with your groups ability level and your beach gear in tow. read more

We finally got to chill at Oval Beach. Lots of parking, lots of space on the beach. There are concessions, showers, bathrooms, grills, and a playground. Easy to get to, easy park from car, great sunset views! read more

Oval Beach - Pano - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

You pay $15 per car to get in but it is worth it. Great area to swim, has bathrooms and a snack shack. The beach itself is well kept and no trash was seen. Great for watching sunsets and swimming. No stairs or easy way down if you have motility issues. :( My elderly mom was happy sitting at a picnic table at the top of the beach but was unable to touch water. That's ok but I wish I would have seen it somewhere so we could have picked a different beach the day she was visiting. read more

Nice beach. Cost $15 to park . Go to the end it's more flat. Always big waves and the sand is soft. read more

Oval Beach - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

What a beautiful beach! Parking can be a bit limited on Summer weekends so plan accordingly. However, parking is conveniently located to the beach which makes it easy to carry beach gear. There are bathrooms, showers and a changing area in addition to a concession stand. read more

This beach has a ton of dunes to climb in and plenty of parking. I could see how it might get congested with a very thin road, running in and out of the only entrance, but the beach is beautiful! read more

Oval Beach - Sunset - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

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Bathrooms are well kept. The concession stand is so nice and the attendants at the booth are great! It's my favorite beach and the saugatuck area has so much to offer. Coffee shops ice cream wineries in the area. Get there early and avoid lines up the winding road. read more

Oval Beach - Probably the last beach day of the year - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

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Hello white caps! We visited on a 50 degree, high winds day and while it was nice and cool, it was super windy. Signs read "no dogs" but we were told it's not really enforced until after Memorial Day. Great place to walk and see some birds but would probably come back on a warmer day. Easy in and out parking lot and we appreciated the standing building with restrooms. Expect a challenging walk in the soft, deep dunes sand. read more

Oval Beach - Oval Beach on a co, windy day. - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

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We stayed in Saugatuck, and found Oval Beach to be just as lovely as any of our regularly visited Lake-Michigan beaches. Facilities are well maintained. Be prepared to pay for entry. read more

Oval Beach - Sunset. - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

Basic beach. Seems clean. Kind of small but not over crowded. Decent parking. I can't comment on the bathroom/shower facilities because I didn't use them. read more

Oval Beach - Oval Beach - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

Saugatuck Michigan , oval beach is everything and more beauty ambiance vibes. Almost three hours from the city but worth the drive. Quiet and quaint huge family vibe beach. Nice water to swim in , it does cost to enter but worth it and more. If you're looking to sit back tan and enjoy the sound of the water, with or without family. Relax and swim this is the place to come. It's a must! I strongly encourage everyone to go to Oval Beach. read more

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This is a beautiful, sandy, expansive beach on Lake Michigan -- the kind of beach that surprises your East Coast friends with how nice the beaches of Lake Michigan are. Now if you are a midwestern connoisseur of great lakes beaches, I will not try to convince you that this beach is worlds better than some of the other Lake Michigan beaches, and I personally would put some of the northern mitten beaches, like Cathead Bay and Sleeping Bear, in a higher echelon. But you can still do a great little scramble/hike starting in the Mt. Baldhead parking lot, puttering around a bit in the back of the dunes, and then emerging onto Oval Beach where your son can jump for over an hour in the waves like a maniac -- then grab a hot dog and a cone of soft serve at the concession. All together, that is a five-star experience, even if it is not mystically wild as Cathead Bay, and the concession stand is key to earning that fifth star. read more

Loved this beach, not super busy very clean. Has rest rooms and a concession stand. $15 a day pass. We got there around 10 am both days and had really no line after noon lots of cars were coming in and backed up. If you have cash it goes faster than paying by card, faster for everyone in line . read more

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This spot is a popular choice for family photos, especially the day we visited! We're so glad we went! Absolutely stunning views all around!Can't wait to go back! Just a heads-up: cell service is limited, and there is an entry fee, so plan accordingly. read more

so pretty! really long stretches of sand, a little boardwalk, lots of space, and plenty of parking. you need to pay for parking in the summer but it's definitely worth visiting. read more

The weather wasn't great so we had a quick visit. Really beautiful beach! The drive to the beach passes by some pretty posh houses - worth the drive just to check out how the other half lives, in my opinion. We had a laugh at the equivalent of the "no shirt, no shoes, no service" sign - this sign included no public nudity. Good to know! I'd love to visit and stay longer on a nicer day. read more

Oval Beach - Oval Beach, Oct. 2023. - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

Beautiful, clean, well-maintained beach with plenty of parking and an access to the Mount Baldhead trail. Since we went during off-season, the water was a bit too cold to swim in but the beach area itself was very nice. People were hanging out and lounging. Although they were closed during our visit, they do have a snack bar. They also have areas to shower and have bathrooms. I was quite impressed with how well-kept this beach is. I wish the waters would have been a little warmer but it was still a nice area to hang out at and listen to the calming sounds of the waves. I would definitely recommend this place if ever in the area! read more

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Oval Beach is not dog friendly, which sucks and is why they get 4 stars, but it's directly connected to Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, which is dog friendly, so my review is more for the Natural Area, which would get 5 stars in my book if they had a page on Yelp! My dog and I enjoyed walking in the sand cliffs above the beach along the area that you can get to right from the parking lot, but once you get maybe a quarter mile into these cliffs, there are signs that you can't trespass because the area past the sign is now private property. So we had to turn back pretty quickly and opted to just walk/slide down a bit of a steep dune to the lakeshore to walk along that the rest of the way, because that was part of the Natural Area and not private property. Walking along the lakeshore was wonderful. Lake Michigan is always wonderful, and there's tons of beach for you to walk up and down here! We went that weekend in November that it was in the 70s, so it was kind of incredible! We stayed on the beach to watch the sunset and then headed back to the parking lot. To get back to the parking lot and not climb back up to the cliffs, we had to sort of walk into Oval Beach, I think, so had to cross across the signs that said no dogs, but only for a minute. It just is so funny to me that Oval Beach doesn't allow dogs, but there's no indication of when Oval Beach becomes the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, so why can't dogs be allowed in both areas / how is that even enforced! read more

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The beach was clean and clear. It was beautiful! The cost was $15.00 for every car or vehicle. There were ducks that hung out with the visitors. There are bathrooms and a shower in the rest area. Looks like they have a shop but it wasn't open. Lots of parking. Climbing down the dunes to the beach was easy. It was getting back up that was difficult. Kid friendly beach. They don't allow pets or alcohol. I would definitely go again if I want to travel to a nice beach. read more

Oval Beach - Front entrance - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

After being turned away from Oval Beach when we tried to visit this summer (disappointing, but props to the local authorities for enforcing social distancing there), this past weekend finally saw us visiting Oval Beach. And it is definitely worth the trip! Located just outside of Saugatuck, it's a beautiful expanse of public beach at the base of a large dune-like hill and has a number of grills and picnic tables for enjoying a nice meal on the lakeshore. On our visit, we brought our morning coffee and sat at the shore to watch the world wake up as the sun peeked over the hill to the east. A number of people evidently wanted to do the same, and we all watched the hypnotic roll of the waves into the shore, broken only by the occasional beach walker, or a dog chasing excitedly after some of the gulls on the beach. I'm already looking forward to next summer, when I'm planning to come to Oval Beach again. Hopefully by that point social distancing will be a thing of the past, and no one will have to be turned away from a day at the beach! read more

Oval Beach - Looking north - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

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This beach is a must visit if your in the area. It is clean and family friendly for sure. Nice to see all the people out enjoying the lake. Oh, and it is a long beach so plenty of room to find your own little spot to lay out. And the sand is super soft and the water and view super nice, so come and enjoy. read more

Of course this was on our list of places to check out on vacation. It was pinned wrong on waze so at first we went to the opposite side which was yeah fun. We finally got here and the walk down was fun. My mom insisted for a nice calm water to bring all these floats, not telling me her bf mentioned the water would be freezing. I consider myself a northerner being from NY but this was a different level lol. It reminded me of the water temp you can put your hand in to feel how cold it was the night of, when the titanic sank at pigeon forge. Yeah we were not about to be floating in the water. We dipped our toes in and my son had fun. The walk back to the parking lot, plus a child that did not want to leave was yeah an experience lol. I thought I might die halfway up. Yes water looked amazing and I'm happy we went. This was the only beach we ended up going to while on vacation lol. Once was enough for us. I appreciate our beaches that are not a work out just to get to in NY lol. :P read more

I can't believe this beach has such good reviews. I took my kids- $15 to park and you get port a potty bathrooms, no rentals, no food stand, not a thing to do there. It was a total disappointment. read more

Extremely rude staff. Talked to us in a very condescending tone when we simply misunderstood them. Never met minimum wage staff act so rude to paying customers. Blonde lady and young boy with a toothpick in his mouth were the worst. Don't recommend visiting. read more

Beautiful beach to go to with your family. It's clean and has restrooms. It is a little steep of a climb back up to the parking lot.

Beautiful, clean beach. Pretty clean bathrooms... one was clogged on the woman's side. We got there early, and it was lucky. There was a line of cars waiting to enter when we were leaving. I recommend also getting there early! read more

Beautiful beach with great sunsets.... Entry fee is $10 but there is no one after 8pm to collect $$. We got there at 7pm and went to pick up some food and head back . The sunset was marvelous .... I miss the simple things in life! read more

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So relaxing spot. Don't forget to clime the stairs! It's definitely worth it to pay 10$ entry parking If I'm not mistaken the Oval Beach is one of the preetiest beaches in America! .......''Conde' Nast Traveler ranked Oval Beach as one of the top 25 beaches in the world. National Geographic Traveler magazine named it one of the top two fresh water beaches in the USA, and the Chicago Tribune ranked Oval Beach as the best beach on Lake Michigan.'' read more

Oval Beach - Oval Beach - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

This was such a lovely beach. Located just a few minutes outside of Saugatuck, Oval Beach offers soft sand, the iconic appeal of Michigan dunes, bathrooms, picnic benches and ample parking. The proximity to downtown (and the root bear stand) certainly adds to the appeal of this area of the state. The beach was very clean and nothing beats the sound of the waves rolling in. We ended up spending an hour or so reading our books and chowing on carry out lunch on the beach and loved the relaxed vibe of our fellow beach goers (very family friendly atmosphere). I don't recall seeing any dogs here but that's not to say they're not permitted... Overall, a very relaxing beach option not too far from the action. If you're looking to be the only ones on the beach, I suggest going to one of the neighboring state park beaches. read more

I loved Oval beach. When we went it wasn't crowded and the beach was clean. Plenty of parking spots. It was a beautiful day! read more

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Strange that I haven't written a review about Oval before as we've been here many times over the past 15 years. Oval is a nice, clean beach best described as a thin strip of sand but elongated (probably close to a 2/3rd's of a mile) to maximize patrons. They have bathrooms and showers near the entrance which are also kept clean. The best part of the beach is probably the dunes and narrow sand trails that lead through the grassy/reeded fields. There's some good climbing and hiking the further you go back and the bonus is that few people choose to do so. Swimming-wise this isn't best area. The beach is at a angle allowing the wave breaks to come in a little harsher than they do at other beaches. There is a fee to enter the beach and park, but I believe it's free to access without a vehicle. Have fun! read more

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We went past the ideal summer weather in Oct. The water was bit cold but ended up being a great family beach for the kids to play in the sand & water! read more

Solid beach. We enjoyed it. Clean, nice people, ample parking (it's still early in the season so the trade off is cool water). The kids happily played on the edge of the surf and I took a walk around the dunes. Some gorgeous pictures from up high. The park is run by the city of Saugatuck. As such, they charge a $10 to access the park. With that, it would be better if the snack bar was better and the bathroom facilities were nicer. The snack bar had a pretty limited menu and being somewhat late in the day they were out of just about everything. The city could likely raise money for the park with a better concession operation. I would have preferred cans of soda instead of fountain drinks. They could recycle on site too and use that money. There were plenty of staff so I would think they have the manpower to do it. The bathrooms were meh. Granted it's an outdoor beach area but they were odd. A shower inside them would have been nice. It's indeed a nice beach. I'm not sure it would qualify as one of the best in the nation though. read more

Fun fun at oval beach! I come here on the reg and we are never disappointed with the beach! Oval beach is a spot where My family and I can focus on the beach and clear waters. I have never had an issue finding a spot at this beach but the 6ft distance rule is tricky. I always keep an open mind and follow the social cues of others during Covid-19 times. Bathrooms are clean, open and easily accessible. The staff is friendly and kind. Enjoy the sunshine, Jennah read more

Oval Beach - If you dig a deep hole Don't forget to fill it in or the hole patrol will get ya ;). - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

Oval Beach is a clean beach with fine sand. There is a short walk down the dune from the parking lot. Unfortunately, on busy days the parking lot fills up quickly and the long line of cars is forced to turn around through the winding road. The surf has a gradual step into the water which allows you to go pretty far out while touching the ground. Water in early August was cold but refreshing. read more

Oval Beach - Enjoying the sand - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

My favorite beach in all of Michigan (and I'm a Michigan beach aficionado)... Named one of the best beaches in the world by several organizations, and I concur. There are two ends - the north end, with a large parking lot and lightly sloped access to the lake, and the south end, with a smaller parking area, and steps down to the beach. The north end is much more crowded, and the south end is, obviously, less so. Atop the dune, there is a lovely rest area and changing area, as well as concessions. Well worth the fees to get in - get a yearly pass, so you can go as often as you want. read more

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We would have loved to have given it five stars but that access with the Steep incline to and from the beach is too much for seniors. There should be some kind of an access for elderly people. I know a lot of seniors might be in great shape but when you're carrying beach chairs and towels etc etc it is not doable. My daughter is definitely not a senior and she could barely do it ! We had to drive to Holland to go to their Beach the second day. It is a walk but it's flat and manageable. This was our first time to Saugatuck so we definitely realized about the Oval Beach and Douglas Beach entrances. Both steep!! Plus don't think they should be charging $15 when you're coming late in the day or early evening. Half off would be understandable. read more

Oh, how I love Oval Beach! The sand is clean, the kids are running around but it's still not terribly crowded even on the most beautiful day in the summertime. The water is clean and warm (later in the season anyway) and they've got a nice restroom and concession stand if you feel like getting a snack. The backdrop of the dunes are really nice and I love hiking up Mt. Baldhead, eating lunch atop, and then running down to the beach on a sunny day. The sunsets here are gorgeous and completely unobstructed. Parking can be kind of a pain and you have to pay but it's walking distance from downtown Saugatuck. Just take the chain ferry across the river and walk down the road a bit for beautiful sights and relaxing sunshine! read more

What a fabulous lil' place to visit during my first trip to Saugatuck. My boyfriend and his family have visited this beach in past years, so when he and I took our first trip together here, just the two of us, he was eager to show me this spot that means so much to him. If you're planning on driving and parking, know that there's a $10 "vehicle fee," which basically is a parking fee. Get those dollars, Oval Beach! The young dude working the entry hut seemed cool. Once you enter, you'll notice there's a concession stand as well. I'm going to take a wild guess and say they're only open during the summer, though! This beach sits on a hill, which makes for an even more gorgeous view than your average beach. It reminded me of a movie theatre: a good view from pretty much wherever you are, because no one's really obstructing your line of vision. We visited during a July weekend that was particularly rainy, so it drizzled on and off during the first half hour or so and even poured a bit. But once the sun came out and it got warmer, we could see the farthest edges of the beach, which were gorgeous. If you're visiting Saugatuck, Holland, or any of the nearby towns, this beach and the nearby dunes are a must-see, and worth the $10 if you're driving in! read more

Oval Beach - Beaches Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

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