This Beautiful State Park On Lake Michigan's Shore Is A Midwestern Beach Escape

The word "beach" likely brings to mind sunny, tropical destinations along the Pacific Coast or party spots in the Gulf of Mexico — not images of the Midwestern United States. However, Lake Michigan boasts many beaches up and down its expansive shoreline, and some of them have been ranked among the country's best. 

Visitors love the crystal blue waters and soft, fine-grained white sand called "sugar sand" that's common to the lake's beaches. Some swimmers say the freshwater is a better alternative to an ocean because you don't have to deal with salt irritation — or quite as many dangerous creatures in the deep. While its geology is vastly different from an ocean, Lake Michigan often appears like one. One reviewer described it on Google Reviews as a "freshwater ocean," a perception shared by hundreds of other travelers.

The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume, Lake Michigan has 1,600 miles of shoreline in four Midwest states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. While Chicago might be one of the more popular cities with beautiful beaches on the lake, the city of Muskegon in western Michigan offers a more hidden gem: P.J. Hoffmaster State Park.

P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, named after the state's first superintendent of state parks, offers 3 miles of stunning shoreline along west Michigan's lakeshore. One of the park's most popular activities is the climb up its towering dunes. It's one of several parks in the state where visitors can hike along Lake Michigan's dunes.

The Dune Overlook Trail takes hikers up 220 steps to two observation platforms that offer panoramic views of Lake Michigan and the sand dunes. For a longer hike, visitors could try the Homestead Trail, a 2.7-mile loop that winds through wooded areas, over dunes, and along Lake Michigan. Visitors can learn all about how the dunes formed at the park's Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center, which is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during most of the year.

Despite the uniqueness of the dunes, the real draw to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park is its sandy beach, where locals and tourists alike lounge, swim, and picnic during the summer months. If you visit, prepare to pay $11 to park. Public restrooms are available, and if you want to stay overnight, there's a campground with 297 sites.