Warren Dunes State Park
Warren Dunes State Park
4.5
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Full view
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
21 within 5 kms
Attractions
17 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- Melissa GManchester, Michigan212 contributionsDog Beach Paradise!Your dogs will love you! This beach is one of a kind for your furry friend. You will love it too! There are miles and miles of pristine beach for you and your canine companion to explore! We loved that all dogs had to be on a leash and this was strictly enforced by the beach patrol. Our dogs were in heaven!Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten 2 June 2024
- Kristie PDetroit, Michigan30 contributions4th of July tent campingExcellent vacation during 4th of July. Camping was busy, as you would expect but the staff did great maintaining everything. We had a great hike, beach days (although our time rained). We have enjoyed having the kids grow up here and look forward to returning again in future yearsVisited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten 9 July 2024
- Karen SIllinois52 contributionsGreat beach!Great beach for family fun! We enjoy going to the Warren Dunes every summer. There’s plenty of parking (currently $11 for a non resident day pass). The beach is large, clean, and beautiful. There are also dunes to climb and hiking trails.Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten 6 August 2024
- StrangeTripperChicago's North Shore, Illinois13,167 contributionsSouthwest Michigan gemWarren Dunes is a gem of a place less than 2 hours from Chicago (if traffic cooperates)... If visiting Southwest Michigan, or even if you're just passing thru, Warren Dunes State Park is definitely worth the visit. Great dune hiking, beautiful views from the top, and the beach is excellent. The newer bath houses are reasonably clean (the old ones were horrible).Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten 10 August 2024
- Michael S7 contributionsLovely Beach. Nice Campground with Too Much Highway NoiseWe tent camped for two days. The campground is excellent like others I've visited in Michigan State Parks. It is well maintained and regularly patrolled by rangers. We camped in the primitive Hildebrand area. It has nice trees and flat topography with firm sandy soil. Easy to drive tent stakes. Modern campgrounds with showers and restrooms were a short drive or moderate walk away. Clean and nice. In the modern Mount Randall campgrounds, the oval to the left had a better forest ambiance and seemed to have a less crowded layout,in our opinion. Two Warnings: 1. The fire pits do NOT have grates. 2. I-94 is close enough that there is a continual drone of traffic noise, which deters from the camping experience if you are going for quite and solitude. We'd not go back for that reason. If you are staying for a relatively inexpensive place to stay without the solitude factor, it's excellent. The Beach is lovely as are all beaches we've been to along Lake Michigan. The high dune is impressive and we are told a challenging hike. The water was perfect at 72 degrees. Food trucks and clean restrooms provided amenities.Visited August 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 26 August 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
599 reviews
Excellent
332
Very good
177
Average
40
Poor
24
Terrible
26
Natasha P
Deerfield, IL15 contributions
Apr 2021
We went here hoping to get some hiking in. The trails were so poorly marked that we got lost several times and ended up turning back. We visited the beach which was alright. The dunes here are huge and unforgiving. Be prepared to get lost and climb up several dunes. The admission to get in ($10 iirc) was almost insulting given the state of the park.
Written 25 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gidgetglam
Detroit, MI158 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
We had a nice day here. We came early for a hike but we're chased from the woods by swarms of mosquitoes. Bring bug spray if you plan on hiking. We spent most of the day on the beach that was dog friendly. I was surprised at just how dog friendly the beach was and how large it was. It seemed to go on for about a half mile or so. The bathrooms were clean. They did have food trucks but they weren't open the day we were there. Overall, I plan to rerun with our own dogs on a not so busy day.
Written 12 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathi M
Zionsville, IN153 contributions
Jul 2020
5 of us came to the beach on July 11, 2020, not sure what to expect re: social distancing. We came very early (before 9) to stake our an area with a canapy and sheets around and that assured us a good amount of space before others set up next to us on either side. We also stayed farther away from the water. We were able to walk along the beach and people are pretty good about keeping their distance from you. Its your own responsibility, of course, to keep 6feet away from people. Masks were seen in bathrooms, which is good! Bring your own towel to dry your hands, so you don't have to use the blow dryer
As always, it is a beautiful beach, just be careful to spread away from the crowds. The water is WARM!!.
As always, it is a beautiful beach, just be careful to spread away from the crowds. The water is WARM!!.
Written 13 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MMg126
3 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
This park has a 2 mile back up to get into the park on the weekends. No easier entrance for campers. There have a rule of no alcohol in your possession not just consumption. If you buy a bottle of wine at a nearby winery you can be ticketed and evicted from the park just for having it in your vehicle. They strictly enforce this rule. Be warned! The bathrooms are clean and showers warm but we encountered a group of campers in the trail through the woods that took up 2 sites and we had to walk through their 9 tent party. The had no fence or signs on their sites indicating there was a path. The park needs more maintenance and signage. Overall we will not be coming back to this state park.
Written 3 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jules
1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Family
Been coming here for years and after this visit, not sure we will go back. It was awful. We knew it would be crowded bc it was a holiday and we were fine with that. However, in the 9 hours we were there, we never saw a single ranger enforcing any rules. People were openly drinking alcohol (not allowed), there were many barking dogs in the non-dog area lunging at people and doing their business in the sand, the garbage cans were overflowing all over the sand, kids were openly running on our towels through our shaded tent area with no parents disciplining them. Despite the no standing, no stopping, no parking sign everywhere, people were parked all along the roads with grills and kids darting into traffic. We tried to find a ranger or someone at the ranger station to speak to as we left and there was no one to be found. Really a shame if this is how the Dunes is now all of the time.
Written 5 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sharon W
15 contributions
Jun 2021
WE made plan as a family to visit Warren Dunes with my Mom who has limited mobility. I called in advance because the website said they had a mobility wheelchair you could borrow to take a handicapped person to the beach. When we arrived and paid at th front we asked where we needed to go and who we needed to contact. WE were sent to the campground store then the ranger station then the store at the beach. WE were told we were in the wrong place all of these times. Finally after a couple hours and a tearful phone call we found out that you have to wait by the ranger station at the beach and when a ranger has time they will unlock the chair for your use. This was a terrible experience. How is it that no one there knows the procedure to borrow the beach wheel chair. My Mom is 87 and not in good health. This may be her last chance to see the beach. So we persevered an eventually go to use the beach wheel chair. Overall awful experience
Written 27 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan S
Philadelphia, PA1,131 contributions
Apr 2020
We went during the corona sheltering in place period in time, so we wanted to be away from other people. It is April, 2020 and we picked the perfect spot. Not too many people; ample parking; marked trails with lovely wildflowers along twisting and turning trails. Some steep climbs and some beautiful views of Lake Michigan. There is a large beach too. You can download the trail map. It is adjacent to a hunting area but hunting is not permitted at this time. I do not think it should be permitted ANY TIME!
Written 21 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No Brick W
South Carolina17 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
The lake was as beautiful as I remembered it. At least from a distance. When at the waters edge we noticed a bunch of dark items floating in the water. At first we thought they were pieces of leaves. But upon picking one up we saw writing on it. It was a tiny thin piece of what appeared to be rubber or soft plastic. Upon further investigation we saw thousands of pieces of this black rubber all over in the water at the waters edge all along the beach. We got our chairs and belongings and left. Did not return to Warren Dunes again during our one week stay in SW Michigan although we had initially planned to spend 3 or 4 days of our weeks trip there
Written 9 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bobby S
3 contributions
Jul 2022
Quick spontaneous 3 hr road trip from central IL to relax on a beach. $10 to get in to the park. Hung out on the beach watching the waves roll in on a beautiful hot summer day. It wasn't too packed which made it comfortable. Plenty of parking available. Food truck on site or bring your own cooler. I climbed a 260 foot dune, felt good to reach the top and admire the view from above. You can also hike in the woods which is a whole different vibe than the beach front.
Written 29 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aeron J
Schaumburg, IL20 contributions
Jul 2020
Some friends and I went around 9am on a Saturday. It costs $9 per car for the day. Thank goodness we got there early because it got so crowded. No one was practicing social distancing either. Any room we had around us, someone would come and plop there stuff down virtually right on top of us. It's a huge beach thankfully, but it was still bad. Even in the water, you had to swim out far just to get away from groups of people. The sand also gets REALLY HOT. It was burning our feet if we didn't put on our sandals. They don't rake the beach so there are a lot of sticks throughout the sand. There's also no lifeguards if that makes a difference to you. There are no animals allowed on the beach, but they do have a dog beach further down the drive. There are bathrooms, a store, and several food trucks along the beach as well. We hiked a little of the dunes but it gets really exhausting quickly between the heat and incline. Definitely a fun day though.
Written 29 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there any off road vehicle allowed on beach or is there anything near by for sxs or atvs
Written 27 July 2022
I saw a review about biting flies. Anyone else have that issue in summer?
Written 17 July 2022
Is the park/beach less busy on a weekday as opposed to the weekend? Thinking of driving over cross state for a day at the beach. Read some reviews about parking being tough... would arriving by 10am ish solve that issue on a weekday? Thanks.
Written 21 July 2020
Would recommend weekday over weekend. We visited during the week and it was not crowded. Went back on July 4 weekend and drove on by because of cars lined up to get in. I know July 4 weekend may not be completely representative, but I have to think weekdays would be your best bet.And earlier in the day the better.
Written 22 July 2020
What is the walk like to the beach? Easy? Uphill? Long and exhausting? Something in between easy and hard?
Written 14 July 2020
The parking lots are right next to the beach and it is all flat. The dunes are on the other side of the parking area and that is where the climbing happens.
Written 14 July 2020
Are beach umbrellas with sides that tie down for more shade allowed?
Written 16 June 2020
Yes I seen a couple and also regular big umbrellas.
Written 17 June 2020
Do people practice social distancing (due to the pandemic) on the beach and in the rest of the park?
Written 14 May 2020
There isn't large groups at the beach currently. I've seen small families. Families with dogs.
Back to your question. No I haven't seen any social distance but as I said the groups I've seen there is no need.
Written 15 May 2020
Yes. But in my opinion the best trails have to be done in foot. Due to deep sand
Written 16 September 2019
…
Showing results 1-10 of 52
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing