Warren Dunes State Park

Absolutely gorgeous. Would be wonderful if the weather was a tad bit warmer. Too cool to stay and enjoy. Very brisk and windy on the water. Sand Dunes are really fascinating and neat to us.

This is a 5 star park with 1 star management. Beach and dunes are beautiful. If that’s all you choose to look at, then it’s great. But, the bathrooms are disgusting and the head ranger is a total jerk. Traffic is always bad, and the head ranger has no idea what to do with it. You can wait out in line for hours. And after that, they might close the park because they’re full. You’re better off going to Weko beach in Bridgman. Until some serious changes are made in managing the park.

It’s really hard to rate a state park, but I’m going to try to keep it short and sweet.
The beach and the dunes themselves are gorgeous. The dunes are always a blast to climb, and the beach, when open, is sprawling and not usually super crowded.
It’s like 9 $ a car or something like that for out of state plates to get in, which I think is a little excessive.
The bathrooms are really, really gross. Seriously.
Also, I’m disappointed in the lack of concern for safety. When we went, the red flags were up. That means there’s no lifeguard, and no swimming because there’s dangerous currents or what have you. There were maybe, I don’t know, ten? people swimming in the water. We were there for maybe half an hour, just to soak in the sights, and not one patrol came and told them to get out of the water. It really bugged me.

The beach is 5 stars… BEAUTIFUL…clean…gorgeous. THE BATHROOMS ARE DISGUSTING!!! Not only have they not been improved in any way since at least the 70’s but they are filthy and smell. You can’t close the doors. Come on people! This is a State Park. Fix the bathrooms already. That’s the only thing keeping this beach from a 5 star rating!!!

First camping experience of my life, and it was awesome! Campsite was perfect, and with so many trails and dunes nearby, it was difficult to decide which ones to hike in the short time we were there. One of the trails runs along the dog park beach, which was awesome. I do wish the trails had better markings, but they weren’t impossible to navigate. The campsite had electricity and clean bathrooms/​showers. There’s a general store in the campground, where the price for firewood wasn’t too bad — 3 bundles for $ 12. Quick drive to Greenbush brewery, and also not terribly far from Tabor Hill winery. We will be back here to camp!!!

Reviewing here more from the hiker’s perspective than the beachgoer’s, though this looks like a great place to be both.
WD may not be the biggest park in the state, but still offers lengthy trails with diverse scenery, a sprawling beach on the big lake, and some of the best dune climbing in the area. We hiked a long loop beginning and ending at the trail to the dogs-​allowed beach, going over a wooded ridge, along wetlands, then down to Lake Michigan through a long passage among the dunes. Two fine hours afoot, and we could have stretched it longer with a few side loops. A big bonus here is being able to jump in the lake to cool off after the trek.
Restrooms really could use some rehab. They’re dark, congested, grimy, and overworn. Wanted to change into street clothes after our swim but found no place to sit and had to lean against a wall. At least the floors were dry.
Still, pleasant discoveries here outnumbered the unpleasant ones. A great place to stretch your legs in between winery tours.

Love the beach! But why can’t you fix your bathrooms. I’ve been going to this beach all my life and the same nasty dirty bathrooms have never been cleaned or improved. I know it’s. 10 bucks to get in and thousands of cars enter every week during the summer. How come you don’t use some of that money and repair those bathrooms?

Had a pretty good time at the beach on the 4^th. To be honest I was a little annoyed by the large amount of Hispanic music blaring ever ten feet we walked! I wasn’t expecting that on Independence Day!

This is a very popular place to camp and to get a spot you have to make reservations 6 months in advance. So after our annual fam/​friend Christmas Eve celebration, our friend got on the horn to hold a June date for us. We stayed for 2 nights on camp 91 and 92 which is in the modern section. We had electricity, showers and toilet access. The camp sits on sand. There are huge tall trees that keep the campsite nice and cool in the summer heat. The smoke from the full camp site also keeps the mosquitos at bay. Each site has a campfire pit that most everyone uses for cooking. There is a small store in the park that offers incidentals that is reasonable. On the park, which sits on Lake Michigan, there is a gorgeous sandy beach with lots of parking. At night there is a ranger who hosts star shows with his telescope. Very worthwhile to attend. He also drives around the camp and shows the kids the different insects that are local. Very cool. Go if you can.

Love this park! I have been coming here for years and it never gets old. Beach is always clean and the dune is always fun to climb. Great for a day getaway or overnight camping. You definitely feel safe when camping, but the security at the park is very strict. No alcohol is allowed, which is kind of a bummer, but there is still a ton of fun stuff to do without booze!

I LOVE this place and my number one reason for loving this place is because there is a dog beach further north. Once you enter the state park ($ 9 entrance fee per car), you drive as far as you can until you dead-​end into a parking lot and can’t go any further north, that’s where you and your pooch get out and follow the sandy path to your right until you see a sign saying «dogs allowed from this point» and you are there! Doggie beach heaven! On the Sunday that we went, the beach was packed with people and their furry four-​legged friends, all frolicking in the sand or water, all shapes and sizes, all well-​behaved and AMAZINGLY all on their leashes. I’m so proud and amazed that everyone on the beach was obeying the rules (that your dog must be on a 6-​foot leash) and no one was letting their dog run around unsupervised. Everyone was so well-​behaved and made such a conscious effort to make sure their dog wasn’t bothering anyone else or any other dog. It was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it. And the humans were laying on their towels tanning and enjoying themselves too, pets and humans co-​existing wonderfully together on this beach.
I wish we had come more prepared so we could stay longer, it was a brutally sunny and hot day and we didn’t have an umbrella or any shade to sit under. The other smart doggie parents had brought huge umbrellas or sun tents for their pooches to sit under and coolers with ice water, etc. We will definitely have to come back as it’s only an hour and a half drive from downtown Chicago and makes for a great day trip. The sand dunes are beautiful too. I almost hate to tell anyone about this place, but I feel compelled to share since there are so few places and beaches where dogs are actually allowed. But please keep it nice and don’t ruin it for everyone else!

We tent camped at the semi-​modern campground and used the beach.
This was our 4^th time camping at a different state park this summer, and despite a couple of isolated heavy showers we had a great time.
The semi-​modern sites lack electrical outlets and we had a nearby outhouse bathroom, as far as i could tell that’s the only difference from the modern side. Our site had complete tree cover which was great for keeping the sun from heating up our tent in the AM, but also kept our beach/​rain soaked items damp for the entire weekend. Wood from the general store was dry and usable.
At this time of year the cicadas/​katydids/​crickets were extremely loud at night, but i found them relaxing and it helped drown out any of our after hours campfire ruckus. I even heard an owl hooting in the trees in the dead of night
Despite being careful about putting nearly all food/​trash in our truck at night, A clever raccoon was happy to open our cooler and steal a couple eggs and tortillas. She was nice enough to close the lid and not make too much of a mess, so no harm. :)
The beach is fantastic Lake Michigan. Clean water dune sand beach with big breaking waves for swimming, tons of people with families, yet ample parking. The dune is a fun climb.
Checking into the campground, the DNR officers are very adamant about their ALCOHOL PROHIBITED policy (verbally, stamp your pass, large signs as your drive in). They seemed to be more strict in policy on this than any other Michigan State park that I have ever been. It initially gave me the feeling that the DNR was going to be a bunch of teetotaler buzz kills. That proved to not be the case as we kept our behavior/​loudness in check and kept our drinks concealed in coozies. We didn’t have a single DNR officer harass us over anything.
We had a great experience.

We came here after we got to New Buffalo beach, only to find it closed due to ecoli (yuck). Warren Dunes is only 15 minutes away from New Buffalo Beach.
Parking is just $ 9.00 a car for out of state plates.
Lots of parkland and plenty of beach, plus big sand dunes to climb if you are so inclined. Beaches were clean. There were bathrooms and a concession stand. You can bring in your own food but not alcohol. Not crowded.

If you’re in the area this is definitely worth checking out. Has a great beachfront to Lake Michigan and you can hike up the HUGE sand dune! After the hike grab yourself an ice cream sandwich at the little snack bar.

It really nice to get on top of hill. Once u get there it’s an amazing feeling knowing u did it.

A really fun spot. Different than Chicago-​Area beaches. Lots of eye-​candy! About 1hr 45min from Chicago. The drive goes quick!
Walk to the clay pit is longer than you think.
NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED. No charcoal grills allowed on the beach. $ 9 to get in per car (maybe for out of state only?). No water fountains, and they charge for tap water. Docking a star for that.
I wish I brought a board or a sled to go down the dunes!
*** I’ve got to dock another star unfortunately.
The bathrooms are nasty. We checked out the campground after we were done at the beach and there was the distinct smell of poo in the air.
Overall this place is great, but it does have some downsides.

How do you accurately rate a state park? The fun is up to you.
Warren Dunes is pretty awesome. Lots of shoreline to take in, though the beach can get a bit rocky at points. It would be nice if there were a place to spray off the sand.
Their website says the park features three miles of shoreline, six miles of hiking trails and it’s open year-​round.
We climbed the big dune that’s adjacent to the first main parking lot and that was a lot of fun. If you keep going past the peak of the dune, to the right, there’s a crazy-​steep drop-​off that’s an incredible cardio challenge to climb. Make sure you bring a water bottle to refresh yourself as you gasp for air.
However, DO NOT be a total ass-​hat and leave your water bottle on the dune. I counted at least three plastic bottles that had been abandoned up top. Leaving a water bottle in a state or national park should be punishable by chemical castration.
Be careful if you choose to run down a steep part of the dune. We saw a kid face-​plant and get an entire mouthful of sand. Awesome for us, sad for him.
I wish I had more time to explore and get away from the water bottle-​dropping monsters.

I went camping here last summer and loved it! They have a few different options for campsites depending on how much you want to «rough it». I decided to go with a campsite with an electrical hookup that had access to bathrooms and showers. Yes it wasn’t real camping but it was roughing it for a city girl (from Chicago).
The beach was clean and so beautiful! There were plenty of dunes to walk up and down and there were also wooded trails as well. The beach has umbrella’s and SUP for rental. The rental umbrella’s didn’t cost much. Didn’t have a chance to rent a SUP board since we didn’t realize until the last day that they were available to rent.
There is a local grocery store nearby if you need to restock and there is actually a small store in the park too.
We did need a daily/​annual recreation pass to get in. Since we were staying there for enough time it made more sense for us to get the annual pass than the daily one.
Oh and don’t leave any food/​garbage out! I found out the hard way when I woke up the first morning and all my graham crackers were gone (raccoon’s).

Been here several times and every time we go we have a blast.
(I also usually like to take a nap here, which I LOOOVE also!)
When it’s cooler (70’s), that’s perfect to have fun and just to play on the dunes (240 ft tall sand dunes!)
When it’s hotter (90’s), then it’s fun just to stay in the Lake Michigan.
Last weekend we went and it was in the 80’s, which was a bit too hot to be on the dunes (but some people were doing it), but a perfect temp to stay under the umbrella and take a nap before a few swims.
The changing area needs some work done on it, especially the ‘showering off station.’ Looks like it was built 40 years ago, and hasn’t been maintained very well.
Other than that, the beaches are big and clean, and this is a great place for families to go.

I’ve been going to «the Dunes» since I was in high school… so for about 25 years now. Great place to spend a warm day. We’re from the Chicago burbs so it’s a good idea to pack gear for the trip as we spend an entire day there:
water/​beverages
food/​snacks
beach towels
sunscreen
change of clothes
beach toys (for kids)
umbrella (gives small kids a time-​out from the sun)
football and frisbee (a must!)
sandals (might be needed to climb the dune. the sand gets hot)
sunglasses
camera (with a case to protect it)
As a father of a five year old, every Dunes visit includes the following:
playing in the water
building a sand castle
playing football and frisbee
collecting rocks on the shoreline
climbing up and running down the large sand dune
exploring other sand dunes and trails
Aside from the beach the Dunes have a great system of trails through the sand dunes and forested areas. You can spend a day hiking them and never cross the same spot twice. They also have picnic areas and the park is pet friendly. There are bathrooms and showers on the beach. Most of the times we go there’s also a small store with food/​beverages/​supplies available.
If you’ve never been to the dunes and like beaches, climbing, site seeing, outdoors, the lake or just relaxing, this is a great destination. Enjoy!