Douglas Beach Park

"Trash and dog poop near stairs. Not good for rock hounds. Mostly sandy beach. No dogs allowed on the beach."

"You will arrive to this beach park. You will gaze down at a seemingly endless series of steps in varying widths, lengths and steepness. You will debate if it is worth it to descend and ascend these steps to go to the beach. You will see a few people on the beach who you are quite certain struggled mightly with the aforementioned steps. You will think if they can do it. I can do it. You will the descend the steps. You will get to the beach. You will be delighted with how delicate and soft the tan sand feels on the soles of your steppers. You will notice a lot of rocks, small rocks, scattered along the area of the sand where the remnants of waves clash with the sand. You will find a flat rock. You will try to skip it. You will feel disappointed that your perfectly flat rock’s skipping trajectory was interrupted by a less than moderate sized wave. You will look around. You will briefly forget you are in michigan and you will think you are near an ocean in an exotic locale. You will remember you are in michigan. You will think the lake is too cold for swimming and splashing. You will dip your toe in the lake. You will realize it’s warmer than you think. You will play in the water for a bit. You will do other beach things. You will decide it’s time to go. You will look at the stairs. You will think, why did I decide to descend these stairs to get to the beach? With sand stuck all over your legs and feet you will ascend the stairs. You will wash your feet off. You will load in your car and a small war will be unleashed between cars waiting for your spot. You will look upon this beach day with fondness. You will be happy you conquered the stairs."

"Wonderful beach. There was plentiful parking when we arrived (~6 pm on a Saturday), and the beach was secluded and peaceful. Parking spaces are, admittedly, fairly limited (around 10-12 spots), but they are worth waiting for if you are not a fan of crowded places. Perfect for introverts who want to enjoy the beach! Beware of the riptides, and bring water shoes to avoid having your feet mangled by the rocky shoreline. Hotels in the area are exorbitantly priced, and the downtown saugatuck area is over-hyped at best, so either plan for accomodations in advance, or make this a day trip (which is what we opted for)."

"The perfect little beach. My visit was in the autumn, so it was very quiet, peaceful, and clean. The stairs down the dune to the beach seem new and thoughtfully built with benches and a lookout. It looks like the public portion of the beach is very small so maybe not the best for a hot day at the beach when the intention is to lounge around, but it’s perfect for taking a stroll at the water’s edge. It looks like very minimal parking, so walking or biking is probably the best bet."

"Family friendly beach. Public part is not very wide so during busy times can get tight. Bathhouse on top with lots of stairs down to the beach. Sandy with some rocks... enough to make a rock hunter happy. Quiet area."