Beach bound and car-free

Summertime is for lying on the sandy beach and dipping your toes in the sparkling blue water of Lake Michigan.

Of course, a trip to the beach is even more enjoyable when your method of travel treads lightly on the environment. Those who want to combine their beach excursion with sustainable transportation can rest assured—Chicagoland offers plenty of great beach destinations easily accessible by bike or train.

Here are a few of the best options.

Transit

Illinois Beach State Park, Zion, Ill. The Zion station on Union Pacific North Line is less than a mile from the beach at this state park. The main beach area tends to be busy, but you’ll find plenty of privacy by walking south on the beach. Consider pitching a tent in the campground.

Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton, Ind. From the Dunes Park Station on the South Shore Line, walk about one mile north to the main beach. Consider staying overnight in the campground and exploring the park’s excellent system of trails. Cyclists and pedestrians pay only $2 to enter the park.

New Buffalo City Beach, New Buffalo, Mich. The lovely beach in New Buffalo is just a few blocks from a new train station that serves Amtrak’s Blue Water route. Consider staying overnight in this town that has raised its profile as a resort destination in recent years.

Sunrise Park, Lake Bluff, Ill. The Lake Bluff station on the Union Pacific North Line stops about one mile west of this small park that sits at the bottom of a bluff in a residential neighborhood. On the way to the park, enjoy the restaurants and shops in Lake Bluff. Like many municipal beaches on the North Shore, expect to pay an access fee if you’re not a local resident. Non-Lake Bluff residents must pay a $10 access fee.

Note about bicycles on trains: Metra passengers can take their bike on trains on weekends and during reverse commute times. Amtrak and South Shore Line routes do not allow passengers to bring their fully assembled bikes on trains.

Cycling

Chicago beaches. Not all beaches in Chicago were created equal. In many cases, a beach’s close proximity to the traffic and exhaust fumes of roads like Lakeshore Drive puts a serious dent in the atmosphere. A few pleasant beaches that sit a comfortable distance from busy highways are Leone Beach Park (Loyola Park), Montrose Beach, 12th Street Beach, Rainbow Beach, and Calumet Park Beach. 

Forest Park Beach, Lake Forest, Ill. Forest Park is easily accessible from the Green Bay Trail (in Lake Forest, head east from the trail on Deerpath Road). The beach is also about one mile east of the Lake Forest station on the Union Pacific North Metra Line. Enjoy the beach grass, walking trails, a playground and concessions. A $10 per-person fee is charged on the weekends.

Kemil Beach, Beverly Shores, Ind. This long, quiet beach is on the east side of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. In addition to the beach, cyclists will find the three-mile-long stretch of Lake Front Drive parallel to the beach to be one of the most delightful stretches of bikeable shoreline in the region. Kemil beach is easily accessible from the 9-mile-long Calumet Trail, located to the south. Near the beach, look for the curious houses that were barged across Lake Michigan from Chicago’s Century of Progress World’s Fair held in 1933-34.

A note about biking maps: Use the Chicago Bike Map (distributed free by the city) or Active Trans’ Chicagoland Bike Map to reach beach destinations in Chicago. The Chicagoland Bike Map will guide you to Forest Park Beach and the Northwest Indiana Bike Map will lead you to Kemil Beach. (Get a copy of the newly-updated Chicagoland Bike Map free when you join Active Trans or buy a copy.)

Know of a good beach destination accessible by bike or transit? Let us know!