saugatuck dunes state park

Nice peaceful walk through the wooded dunes to Lake Michigan.Well marked trails with an easy level of hiking required. miles of possible options, or a direct mile walk to the unspoiled beach.Located right next to a mansion that offers tours as well on a county park

The Saugatuck dunes state Park is a natural area with hiking trails in the summer and cross-country ski trails in the winter. The fall is especially beautiful is the leaves are changing. From the parking lot you walk up over the dunes through a pine and oak forest some of the most beautiful glimpses of Lake Michigan. The sunsets are spectacular.

We love going to Naugatuck Dunes State Park. The trails are fairly rigorous. That's fine - most of the time we need the exercise. If you are into cross country skiing or snow shoeing, this is the place to go. Do a great loop and drive into town and stop at the Butler Hotel for some sustenance!

I live here in Grand Rapids .. explored lots of places searching for best spots for fall colours! finally I came across this.. This was just marvelous.. 1.5 mile walk in woods towards beach was real fun! not too much red but it was colourfull. there are some really good spots for photographs! In the beach was calm & clean.. ofcourse it was bit cold.. we couldn't stay long .. in the end we had some memorable thoughts!! check out our photos too!

We had lots of fun. The tour was informative and entertaining. Picturesque views. It was great to walk in the sand on the dunes barefoot. Highly recommend.

What an exceptional place to take a walk! The fall colors were brilliant and the weather exceptional. It was a breezy day making the beauty of the woods, with the wind blowing through them, a picture perfect event.

There are two large beaches on Lake Michigan in this area. Oval Beach and Saugatuck Dunes State Park. We went to both (see separate review for Oval Beach). As far as Lake Michigan beaches go, both of these are much more narrow than those at Ludington, Holland, etc. The parking lot at Saugatuck Dunes is at least a 10 minute walk from the beach so if you are taking just a sheet & a very small cooler, it's a pretty walk to a nice, sandy beach. If you are lugging beach chairs, coolers, beach toys, etc., I'd either hire a camel or go somewhere else. The walk to the beach is through a wooded dune and is very pretty; there are other small hikes at the park which we didn't do. There is also a frisbee golf course. I noted someone else mentioned the bugs while walking through the dunes and I agree; it was odd they were out in late October, but they were & they were vicious little boogers; not mosquitos, but they bit - remember bug spray. The only facilities here are pit toilets; 2 in the parking lot and one closer to the beach. The ones in the parking lot did not have any tissue, so bring your own.

We went there Monday daytime and had a great time. Very few people there and enjoyed the fall colours. Dogs ran and had fun, we climbed up and down the dunes so got a great leg work out!!Trails well marked so nice to wander around.

Enjoyed the hike over wooded sand dunes to get to the beach. Not as easily accessible as some beaches in the area, like Oval Beach, but that contributes to it's charm.

Didn't realize you have to walk two miles thur the woods before you get to the beach. Daughter got bite by bugs, so we turned around. Maybe during the summer it would be better.

We took the 2.5 mile loop hike through a stunningly beautiful forest only to come out to an equally beautiful beach. We went after season so it was quiet and peaceful. Highly recommend. We enjoyed this beach even more than Oval Beach.

When planning my trip to southwestern Michigan I made it a point to be able to spend at least one day at Saugatuck Dunes State Park. I made a mistake. I should have planned for two or three days. The park is simply uncompromisingly beautiful with one awe inspiring scene after another of beach, water and sun as the day progresses. The walk in provided a transition from our hectic day to be ready to get lost in the rhythms of the waves and wind. It was a very sunny day and pitching our camp up under the trees off the shoreline was perfect. Even though the beach was crowded we were able to find a private spot. We could go down into the beach for an amazingly warm swim or lay back and sleep, read and simply gaze in the shade and quiet. We had just purchased new beach chairs and cooler that were ultra light and easy to carry. The long hike in makes packing a priority. Leave no trace when your day is done. Take out all you brought in. There are no garbage/recycle containers. Families with little ones were carrying the children out in stages after the day in the sun. But it is all worth the effort. You do not want to miss a day or two at Saugatuck.

We wanted to visit 3 beaches in the area, so we had gone to Oval Beach (gorgeous---easy to get into), Pier Cove Beach (gorgeous, small 10 car lot) and finally, Saugatuck Dunes State Park. Chamber of Commerce says 'easy ten minute walk'. IF you're on the right trail! My fault! Could only see one sign when we got to the lot & it did mention the beach, but we ended up on the wrong trail. Beautiful woods, much more than ten minutes, and at the end, up and down 2 smaller dunes, on the sand, in the afternoon, in 80 degree weather (equals burned feet). When we got there, it was beautiful! Pure golden sand, dunes around, not a thing in the clear water. And NOT a lot of people. Lovely! We managed to find the correct trail back (The Beach Trail) after we walked along the water, down where there were more people. OK. That was maybe a 15 walk, not too much hot sand on sandalled feet. We all came out with quite a few mosquito bites, so you want to prep for that. And don't carry too much! It's worth it when you get there, but it is a bit of a hike. Outhouses only, in the parking lot area, and also picnic tables in that area if you want to eat & not carry that stuff down.

Saugatuck Dunes State Park features pristine dune forest in a quiet setting. Only one drawback: it is not handicap accessible. Be prepared for a hike to the beach area.

Awesome and challenging hike to,Lake Michigan. It easy challenging but well worth it. Make sure to take water and a snack along. We took our time and it took us 2.5 hours to do the South trail