Waukegan Municipal Beach and Harbor Profile

By: DKrivoshik 08/01/2017

[caption id="attachment_7617" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Waukegan Municipal Beach[/caption]

Waukegan beach and the adjacent harbor are hidden gems that provide a great place to escape from the every day. The beach boasts over a mile of groomed beachfront backed by native dune habitat, while the harbor offers everything from boat launches to places to grab a tasty bite. When put together the two can offer a day filled with both relaxation and adventure.

[caption id="attachment_7636" align="aligncenter" width="570"] View of Marina in the harbor[/caption]

Waukegan Harbor and Boat Launch

The harbor has a lot to offer as well with a yacht club, a handful of vendors, a marina and a boat launch ramp. Using the boat launch costs $20 dollars per launch or $220 for the season. From this ramp, people may launch sailboats, motorboats and personal watercraft. Boat storage may be done at the Marina; information for fees and registration may be found at http://waukeganharbor.com/marina-slip-information/. It is one of the greatest adventures in Waukegan to explore Lake Michigan by watercraft. If you don't have a watercraft we recommend chartering a fishing boat to go out and catch some story worthy monsters on the lake. After a enjoying the harbor, we recommend grabbing an ice cream from Dockside before heading over to the beach.

[caption id="attachment_7635" align="aligncenter" width="570"] View from pier at Waukegan Beach[/caption]

Waukegan Municipal Beach

While at the beach make sure to take advantage of the beautiful waters of Lake Michigan for swimming. The park offers unguarded swimming at the unbeatable price of nothing; however, parking on the weekends is $20. The beach has volleyball nets, fishing areas, grills, and picnic spots so make sure to pack a volleyball, rod and picnic to take full advantage of what the beach has to offer. Finding a spot in the sand to sunbathe is not difficult at all as there is easily enough beach to go around. After the beach stay for some live music at the Stiner Pavilion through the summer concert series that takes place there.

Funding for this project was provided by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources