7 great beaches await at Indiana Dunes NP

West Beach on Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes National Park. NPS photo.

Dunbar Beach at Indiana Dunes National Park. NPS photo.

Ah, the beach – sunbathing and swimming, flying kites and building sand castles, enjoying a summer sunset or taking in the dramatic approach of a storm. All of that and more is possible for those visiting Indiana Dunes National Park.

America’s newest national park features seven major beaches (listed here from west to east):
• Miller Beach – The Paul H. Douglas Trail (formerly the Miller Woods Trail) runs 2.1 miles (one-way) through forests to Miller Beach in Gary, Ind. While the Lake Michigan beach doesn’t always offer the greatest views – industry sits on either side of it – is is the closest park beach to Chicago and if hiking to reach it you get to cross incredibly high dunes, a fun adventure on its own. The trail starts at the Douglas Center for Environmental Education. Be aware that temperatures on the beach can be significantly colder or hotter than in the trail’s wooded portion.
• West Beach – Not all of the park’s beaches sit on Lake Michigan. Loop 2 of the 1.2 miles-round trip West Beach Trail heads to a beach on Long Lake; it’s a great spot for birding as well with a viewing platform for watching. If you prefer a beach on the Great Lake, however, no worries; just take the West Beach Trail to the 0.7-mile Dune Succession Trail (which is Loop 1 of the West Beach Trail) and follow it to a Lake Michigan shoreline perfect for sunbathing, building sand castles, or flying a kite. Pick up either trail at the parking lot off of West Beach Road east of County Line Road. The Lake Michigan beach also can be accessed via the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk. This 0.9-mile loop allows hikers to explore the eastern end of West Beach. A fishing pier and 900-foot breakwater leading to a lighthouse adjoin the beach. Both surfing and suntanning are popular on the beach. Start the hike by parking in the second lot off of Riverwalk Drive east of Midwest Steele road.
• Porter Beach – A quarter mile of Lake Michigan beachfront can be hiked near the park’s center. Park in the lot at the end of Waverly Road north of U.S. Hwy. 20. The lot allows you to walk the beach at neighboring Indiana Dunes State Park to Porter Beach’s east. That stretch, if walking northeast, offers industry-free views on the horizon. The west end of Porter Beach also can be accessed via the Cowles Bog Trail, the third or westernmost loop of which runs 0.2 miles along Lake Michigan; you first have to pass vast fen and major dunes, but the reward is an incredible amount of privacy on the beach.
• Kemil Beach – Immediately east of Indiana Dunes State Park, Kemil Beach offers far more than sands and waves. You can take a little time away from the beach umbrella and hike a dune or go birdwatching on the Dune Ridge Trail. A parking lot is off of East State Park Road north of U.S. Hwy. 12.
• Dunbar Beach – Immediately east of Kemil Beach, visiting Dunbar is like going back to the future. In addition to swimming and suntanning, you can walk past five historic homes of tomorrow featured in the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair. Park in the lot off of Lakeshore Drive east of East State Park Road.
• Lake View – While not much different from the adjacent Dunbar Beach, Lake View does offer covered picnic shelters that overlook Lake Michigan. Use the parking lot on Lakeshore Drive west of Broadway; do not park in the Town of Beverly Shores’ private beach parking lot just east of the lot, though, as it’s not part of the national park and can result in a ticket.
• Central Beach – This is one of the better beaches, as it’s far from industry, unlike those on the park’s west side. During spring and summer, bank swallows nest in the dunes. You can access the beach a couple of ways. One is to park at the end of Central Avenue north of U.S. Hwy. 12. For the more adventurous, instead take the Beach Trail, which leads to 0.4 miles of Lake Michigan beachfront at the base of Mount Baldy Dune; the 1.12-miles round trip begins at the parking lot off of Rice Street north of U.S. Hwy. 12 just west of Michigan City, Ind.

Cordwalk crosses Lake Michigan sand dune

A cordwalk parallels Lake Michigan over sand dunes near Sheboygan, Wis.

Kohler Dunes Cordwalk map.
Click for larger version.

Day hikers can walk the length of a sand dune as paralleling Lake Michigan on the Kohler Dunes Cordwalk.

The 2.5-mile round trip hike in Wisconsin's Kohler-Andrade State Park runs entirely on cordwalk – boards tied together with steel cables. This ensures your feet don't sink into the sand and keeps you on the trail so fragile dune grasses aren't trampled.

The trail also passes the Sanderling Nature Center, which provides exhibits on dunes, and offers spurs to an interdunal pond and an overlook of the lake.

To reach the trailhead, from Sheboygan take Interstate 43 south. Exit onto County Road V and take it left/east to the park entrance. After passing through the entrance station, turn left/east. Park in the lot at the road's end.

Spurs to beach
Two spurs head off the cordwalk to the beach; the northernmost one, just 150 feet in from the trailhead, offers a nice overlook of Lake Michigan. Gulls flit about the shore, as sounds of waves crash on the beach. Sailing boats and fishing craft often can be seen in the distance.

Unlike boards nailed together on cement poured into the ground, the cordwalk is ideal for the dunes. Wind and rain constantly shifts the sand’s location, and the more flexible cordwalk can better adapt to the changes.

About 0.2 miles from the trailhead, the cordwalk reaches a roundabout with a depression in the middle. You can go either way, though staying left keeps you closer to the beach than going right. Blowing wind hollowed the depression. Scotch pines growing on the depression’s southwest side were planted as a wind break.

Upon reaching Sandering Lane and the Sanderling Nature Center, cross the road and continue left/southeast through the parking lot and along the trail. The cordwalk here briefly shares a segment with the Creeping Juniper Nature Trail Loop.

Desert vs. beach dunes
While desert dunes tend to be barren, dune grass covers those at Kohler-Andrade. Thanks to the grass, these dunes are more rounded than those in deserts, which rise into ridges with sharp drops. The grass diminishes erosion and even allows wildflowers to flourish.

Another difference with desert dunes is the way they are created. Many desert dunes tend to be sand blowing off a dry lake beds. Kohler-Andrade’s are barrier dunes, created when beach sand is blown inland during storms. Though the prevailing winds come out of the west, during storms the wind direction can switch direction and rise out of the east.

Thanks to the dunes, the Black River is unable to flow into Lake Michigan here. Instead, a wetlands from the river sits west of the dunes, and the river flows north about five miles before emptying into the lake.

At the next trail junction, go left/southwest, continuing on the cordwalk. You’ll pass a spur trail going right/west to an interdunal pond and after that a grove of wind-swept birch.

Along the cordwalk you can see a variety of plants that usually don't appear together. Among them are birch, aspen, the endangered dune thistle (found in only three other Wisconsin counties), goldenrod, milkweed, mullein, white pine wheat-grass, and willow. Beyond the barrier dune, juniper, white pine, and birch grows.

Dune wildlife
There’s a lot of wildlife here as well. You’ll likely see whitetail deer, definitely will spot gulls, and probably will cross pawprints for skunks that come here at night. During summer, watch for monarch butterflies fluttering about the milkweed.

Next the cordwalk passes a spur heading to the right/west. This leads to the group camp area.

The trail reaches its end at Old Park Road; a parking lot sits at the intersection. Once at the pet beach area, retrace your steps back to the trailhead.

As walking on the bare sand can damage the dunes’ fragile (and sometimes threatened) plants, always stay on the cordwalk or designated trail. If you brought Fido or Queenie with you, there is a pet beach area north of Sanderling Nature Center; on the cordwalk, pets must be leashed and stay on the trail.

Trail crosses ancient Lake Michigan beaches

Point Beach with Rawley Point Lighthouse. Wisconsin DNR photo.

Point Beach Ridges Trail map.
Click for larger version.

Day hikers can walk along the ridges and swales of a secluded Lake Michigan beach on Wisconsin’s Rawley Point Ridges Trail.

The 5-mile round trip trail runs through beautiful Point Beach State Forest. Part of the route is a segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Nearly 1200 miles long, the Ice Age Trail traces the edge of where glaciers stood at the end of the last ice age in Wisconsin.

To reach the trailhead, from Two Rivers take County Road O north. In about five miles, you’ll reach the state forest entrance; turn right/east into the forest. Park at the entrance station. From the parking lot, walk the entrance road west for about 140 yards then go left/south onto the Ice Age Trail.

The narrow, almost primitive footpath heads atop a forested sand ridge through a cedar grove. On the trail’s right is a swale.

Swales are marshy depressions between ridges that parallel the shoreline. There are several of them at Point Beach. They formed at the end of the last ice age when lake levels were higher. As creeks deposited sediment into the lake, wave action created a series of beaches matching the current shoreline. As the lake level gradually fell, the beaches were left behind as ridges with low-lying marshes in between. Grasses, shrubs and trees then stabilized the ridges while water pooled in the swales.

Headin’ to the beach
At 0.7 miles, the trail reaches the start of the Red Loop. Go left/southeast onto it. The Red Loop – as well as the next two, the Blue and the Yellow – are three ski trails rambling through the hardwood and cedar forest here.

When the trail curves south at 0.8 miles, a spur leads to the beach and a camping site for kayakers. If you wish to only walk the beach, take the spur. Within a few feet, about six miles of undeveloped beach stretch before you. The secluded beach makes for a beautiful moonlight walk as Lake Michigan’s waves crash against the shore.

Alternately, you can keep sand out of your shoes and stay on the recreation trail. If you do, the trail next junctions with the Blue Loop. Go left/southeast onto the Blue Loop’s eastern or beach side.

At 1.9 miles, the trail crosses the road to the Group Camp. This places you on the Yellow Loop’s eastern leg.

Molash Creek
As the Yellow Loop curves west at 2.5 miles from the trailhead, you’ll be able to spot Molash Creek between the trees. This marks a good spot to pause, as there’s a bench to take in the small waterway. Continuing on, the loop briefly parallels the broad and marshy creek.

When the Ice Age Trail and Yellow Loop split at 2.8 miles, go right/northeast on the loop. Once you cross the road leading to the Group Camp; you’re on the Blue Loop’s western leg.

Upon reaching the Red Loop, continue left-straight/northeast on the loop. The way back is on a slightly higher ridge than the one you walked in on.

In addition to cedars, red pines and spruce can be found in the forested area. Cattails and marsh reeds often line the swales. Raspberry bushes and ferns can be found along the route as well.

Rawley Point Lighthouse
When the Red Loop meets the Ice Age Trail at 4.6 miles, go left/northwest into it. Once a bike trail joins the path from the left, the hiking surface turns to crushed limestone.

Upon reaching the entrance road, take the road right/east. In about 100 feet, you’ll pass the trailhead. Continue on the road back to your vehicle.

Once back at the parking lot, drive east on the park road and check out the Rawley Point Lighthouse. The 113-foot steel tower still operates and can be seen up to 19 miles away. Constructed in 1894, it replaced the 1853 brick lighthouse that was refurbished as the lightkeeper’s house. The lighthouse generally is no open to the public but still makes for a pretty sight. A dog trail runs from the lighthouse to the beach.

Definitely bring insect repellent for the trip, as the swales supports a vibrant mosquito and mayfly population. Dogs are allowed on the trail and beach if leashed, except during ski season. Always stay on the trail or the beach to avoid harming rare plants and the fragile dunes.

White sand beach awaits on Lake Michigan

North Beach runs for 2500 feet along Lake Michigan in Racine, Wis.

North Beach map. Click for larger version.

Families can enjoy nearly a half-mile of shoreline at family-friendly North Beach in Racine, Wisconsin.

Boasting 50 acres of warm, white sand and summer lifeguards, the Lake Michigan beach nicely sits above a table of shallow water that makes wading and swimming safe for kids. There's also an expansive nautical-themed playground on the beach's south side, the 27-acre Racine Zoo on the beach's northside, and hammocks, concession stand, and volleyball courts in between. A wheelchair-accessible walkway extends across the sand to the water's edge.

To reach the beach, from the intersection of Wis. Hwys. 38 (State Street) and 32 (North Main Street) in downtown Racine and head north on Hwy. 32. After crossing the Root River, go three blocks and turn right/east onto Barker Street. A parking lot is in two blocks on the street's right/south side or you can left/north onto Hoffert Drive for additional lots. Using either the Barker Street lot or the first lot on Hoffert Drive puts you on the beach's south side.

From there, you have two options – either walk the paved Lake Michigan Pathway (dotted on map) that borders the beach’s west side or head east onto the sand.

The latter is a treat as your bare feet sink into warm white sand. You’ll enjoy great views of Lake Michigan, as sandpipers run along the shore and seagulls dart through the air. With the beach next to a marina, sailboats grace the lake.

Family-friendly
Go ahead and wade into or even take a swim in Lake Michigan. Like other Great Lakes, the water can be icy cold, which is wonderful on summer's hot, humid days.

North Beach’s 2500 feet of shoreline is family-oriented. Kid's Cove nautical-themed playground is on the beach’s southside, the 27-acre Racine Zoo stands on the beach's northside (sometimes the north end of the beach is referred to as “Zoo Beach”), and hammocks, a concession stand, volleyball courts, and plenty of sunbathing space sits in between.

Because of this, North Beach often is recognized as one of the nation’s best beaches. USA Today, Parents magazine, and Midwest Living magazine all have featured it. The National Clean Beaches Council also designated as a Certified Blue Wave clean beach – the first in Wisconsin to receive the certification.

Weekdays are best for visiting, as the beach will be crowded on summer weekends. Lifeguards are on duty from the first week in June through the first week in September. Pets are not allowed.

Other area beaches
North Beach isn’t the only great waterfront in Racine County.

You also may want to try the Quarry Lake Park beach. The 40-acre park is built around a former limestone quarry that is now spring-fed lake. A roughly 600-foot sand beach graces the lake’s south side. The park includes a picnic area and allows swimming and scuba diving; the Karen A. Nelson Memorial Dog Park is adjacent. Quarry Lake Park is located off of Wis. Hwy. 38 east of Wis. Hwy. 31.

In nearby Burlington, the Fischer County Park beach sits on Browns Lake’s southeast side. While the beach is only 400 feet in length, the park includes a dock and picnic tables, and lifeguards are on duty in summer. The park is on County Road E/Durand Avenue west of the Wis. Hwys. 83 and 11 intersection.

Discover Wisconsin’s 10 Best Beaches

Wisconsin Point on Lake Superior.

With hundreds of miles on shoreline on two Great Lakes, Wisconsin boasts several great beaches. There’s not shortage of variety, either, from cobblestone to warm white sand, from secluded to urban. A walk is a great way to explore the many wonders that these beaches have to offer.

Ten great Wisconsin beaches to hike include:

Bear Beach
A walk along a pristine sand beach awaits day hikers of the Lake Superior shoreline in Wisconsin’s Bear Beach State Natural Area. An unmarked trail runs for up to 3.4-miles round trip along narrow Bear Beach. Hiking the beach, you’ll get a good sense of what this area of the world looked like before Euro-Americans settled it. A thick woods of paper birch, balsam fir, speckled alder, trembling aspen, white pine and white spruce hugs the beach’s southern side while the lake stretches wide beyond to the north. Cobblestone and driftwood gardens also can be found. June through September mark the best time to hike the beach, but be sure to bring a sweatshirt or windbreaker. In addition, always check the weather and tide schedule; storm surges and high tide will inundate most of the beach with water.

Big Bay Sand Spit
Barrier beaches are common along the Atlantic coastline, and a microcosm of one with its own forest of red and white pines sits on Madeline Island at Big Bay State Park. The 0.5-mile Boardwalk Trail heads through the woodlands on the spit. Nicely flat, the half-mile boardwalk offers benches for resting, interpretive sings, and more impressive lake views. A lagoon sits to the boardwalk’s left. Bear-berry and wintergreen grows beneath the pines. Some 15,000 years ago when Madeline Island reappeared as the glaciers retreated and melted, the lagoon was part of Big Bay. Since then, wave action and lake currents built a pair of barrier beaches, creating the lagoon.

Julian Bay Beach
Day hikers can play in singing sand on Stockton Island, a popular summer destination in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. To reach the island, you’ll have to charter a boat or sail your own. There’s a dock at Presque Isle Point near the Stockton Island Visitor Center. From the dock, the 0.8-miles round trip Julian Bay Trail heads to the beach. Once there, you’ll want to take off your shoes, as the sand “sings” when walked upon. Exactly why the sand makes a high-pitched squeaking sound is unclear, though there are theories. What is known is that to sing the sand grains must be fairly spherical, between 0.1 and 0.5 mm in diameter, contain quartz, be at a certain humidity, and be pollution-free. If you don’t want to take off your shoes, no worries – you also can create the sound by rubbing your palm against the sand.

Kohler Dunes Cordwalk
Hikers can walk the length of a sand dune as paralleling Lake Michigan on this 2.5-mile round trip hike. Located in in Wisconsin's Kohler-Andrade State Park, the trail runs entirely on cordwalk – boards tied together with steel cables and staked into the ground. This ensures your feet don't sink into the sand and keeps you on the trail so fragile dune grasses aren't trampled. The trail also passes the Sanderling Nature Center, which provides exhibits on dunes, and offers spurs to an interdunal pond and an overlook of the lake.

Lion’s Den Trail
Day hikers can traipse along a secluded beach after passing through a deep, verdant gorge on this roughly 2-mile round trip trail near Port Washington. After passing wetlands that migrating birds like to stop at and then through a blufftop woodlands, the trail reaches Lion’s Den Gorge. There the trail turns into a wooden staircase heading down the gorge’s side through a cedar forest, losing roughly 100 feet in elevation. At the bottom, you can hear Lake Michigan’s waves crash against the shoreline. The beach boasts offers about a mile of shallow shoreline. Driftwood usually washes ashore at the mouth of the Lion’s Den, and many flat stones can be found on the beach.

North Beach
Families can enjoy a nearly a half-mile of shoreline at family-friendly North Beach in Racine. Boasting 50 acres of warm, white sand, the Lake Michigan beach nicely sits above a table of shallow water that makes wading and dwimming safe for kids. There's also an expansive nautical-themed playground on the beach's south side, the 27-acre Racine Zoo on the beach's northside, and hammocks, concession stand, volleyball courts, and summer lifeguards all inbetween. A wheelchair-accessible walkway heads over the sand to the water's edge.

Rawley Point Ridges Trail
Day hikers can walk along the ridges and swales of a secluded Lake Michigan beach at Point Beach State Forest. Part of the 5-mile round trip trail near Two Rivers is a segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Swales are marshy depressions between ridges that parallel the shoreline; they and the ridges next to them were formed at the end of the last ice age. About six miles of undeveloped beach sit in the state forest. The beach makes for a romantic moonlight walk as Lake Michigan’s waves crash against the shore, and the 113-foot Rawley Point Lighthouse is nearby.

Schoolhouse Beach
Day hikers can massage their bare feet on a beach with no sand in Door County. The tiny beach on Washington Island is a geological marvel, consisting entirely of rounded cobbles of dolomite. It’s one of only five such beaches worldwide. No sand doesn’t mean this popular beach is boring. There’s plenty to do here: walk barefoot across the sun-warmed stones; build cairns; skip rocks across water with Caribbean-like clarity; and swim or even dive. Reaching Washington Island requires a ferry ride from the Door Peninsula.

Simmons Island Beach
Day hikers can enjoy a wide swath of soft sand along Lake Michigan as well plenty of other amenities at this Kenosha beach. A boardwalk, paved bike trail, historic Southport Lighthouse, and a long pier to the North Pierhead Lighthouse all await. In addition, it’s a great site to search for beach glass – shards that have been weathered over the decades and washed ashore. Thanks to all of that time tumbling underwater, the edges often are rounded with the surface frosted on one side while the other is shiny. The beach runs around about a third of a mile from end to end and can be crowded on weekends.

Wisconsin Point Trail
Day hikers can walk part of the world’s largest freshwater sandbar on this flat 3-mile one-way ramble down the center of Wisconsin Point along Lake Superior. Wisconsin Point and Minnesota Point, at 10 miles in length, combine to form the world’s largest sandbar on a freshwater lake. Despite Wisconsin Point’s narrow width, three major ecosystems converge on it. Much of the trail heads through stands of old growth pine and beach dunes. Sand beaches stretch for 2.75 miles along the trail’s right/northeast side. Great times to hike the point include summer for the sunrises and either May or September for spotting migratory birds.

Six must-see beaches at our national parks

Enderts Beach, Redwood National Park, courtesy of Redwoods NPS.

The following article was written for and originally appeared in the July 2016 Coach.net newsletter:

It’s summertime, and there’s almost no better place to be than the beach. The warmth of the sun upon your face, the sound of waves splashing against the shore, the blue water stretching into the horizon…Let’s go!

Among the most beautiful beaches you can visit are those in national parks. Thousands of miles of shoreline around lakes and along oceans are protected in our parks, and just like the wildlife and rock formations you’re apt to find in most of them the beaches won’t disappoint either.

Here are six must-see beaches at our national parks that can be reached via an RV.

Ocean Path Trail
Acadia National Park
Cobble beaches and hard bedrock make up most of the shoreline for the Atlantic Ocean that surrounds the Maine park’s many islands. A rare exception is the 4.4-miles round trip Ocean Path Trail that heads from a sand beach to sea cliffs.

Convoy Point
Biscayne National Park
This boardwalk trail is flat and easy, running along the Florida mangrove shore known as Convoy Point. You’ll follow the blue-green waters of Biscayne Bay and be able to spot some small, mangrove-covered islands. Bring a lunch; there’s a picnic area below palms overlooking the bay. Part of the boardwalk also takes you out over the water. As the bay is shallow and quite clear, you’ll have no trouble spotting the bottom.

Swiftcurrent Nature Trail
Glacier National Park
The first 0.6 miles of the trail at this Montana park heads through an evergreen forest with several short spur trails leading to beaches along Swiftcurrent Lake. Meltwater from Grinnell Glacier feeds lake, making for an crystal clear albeit cold water.

Leigh Lake Trail
Grand Teton National Park
Several alpine lakes perfect for a family outing sit at the Wyoming park’s central String Lake Area. The 1.8-mile round trip trail heads around a shimmering blue lake through green pines with gray Mount Moran soaring in the background. During summer, enjoy a picnic on the beach and then a swim in the cool waters.

Ruby Beach Trail
Olympic National Park
The Washington park’s Pacific Ocean shoreline features gushing sea stacks, piles of driftwood logs, and colorful, wave-polished stones. To enjoy all three, take the 1.4-mile Ruby Beach Trail. Some of the driftwood here has floated in from the distant Columbia River.

Coastal Trail
Redwood National Park
With more than 40 miles of pristine Pacific Ocean coastline, the northern California park is the perfect place to see tide pools and sea stacks. The latter are visible from many highway vistas but to get close up to a tide pool – a small body of saltwater that sustains many colorful sea creatures on the beach at low tide – explore the 1-mile segment (2-miles round trip) of the Coastal Trail at Enderts Beach south of Crescent City.

Rob Bignell is the author of several hiking guidebooks, including the bestselling Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.

Great Day Hikes for Kids in New York State

Mount Tremper Fire Observation
Station on Phoenicia Trail

With thousands of miles of hiking trails in New York state – from the famous Appalachian Trail to those crisscrossing the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes areas – you’ll have no trouble finding a great place for you and your children to put the boots to the dirt. Here are five great Empire State trails that you’ll want to day hike:
g Baxter Mountain summit trail – The summit trail to one of Adirondack State Park’s most famous mountains runs 2 miles round trip through a forest of pines and boulders left by glaciers during the last Ice Age.
g High Falls Gorge – Crossing a bridge over the Ausable River, the trail passes an anorthosite boulder to where the waterway falls over ancient granite cliffs.
g Mashomack Preserve’s Green Trail – Hikers can follow the 6-mile round trip Green Trail to white sand beaches on the Atlantic Ocean’s Smith Cove.
g Phoenicia Trail – This 2.75-mile trail in the Catskills takes you to a lookout tower atop Mount Tremper with Esopus Creek flowing below.
g Morton National Wildlife Refuge beach trail – More than 300 birds, including the threatened Piping Plover, make their home along or near the 3.5-mile beach trail.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Great place to hike with kids? Try a beach

Moonlight Beach, California

Looking for a great place to hike with children? Hit the beach.

Don’t just think Southern California, Florida and Hawaii, though. The United States has a colossal number of beachfronts up and down the Atlantic seaboard, the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes, as well as numerous inland lakes, ponds and rivers.

If you’re looking on a map for a place to hike, just spy a blue line, and you’re sure to find along it a municipal, county or state park that boasts great trails and views.

Children tend to love being near water, and a beach offers them an exotic location for exploring and making all kinds of discoveries.

Check out these additional blog entries about beaches:
g Clothe beach-hiking kids in outerwear to prevent sunburn
g Fun game/activity for kids on beach hike: Rock Patterns
g Follow island shoreline with Lake Superior on Big Bay Trail
g Day (er, Night) hike sand dunes haunted by murdered woman’s spirit

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.