Chicago Park District

Beaches

Enjoy a day at the beach.

The Chicago Park District manages the city's 26 miles of open and free lakefront for the enjoyment of Chicago residents and visitors. Admission to Chicago's beaches is free.  We invite you to walk, jog, swim, paddle, bike, rollerblade, sail, play volleyball, explore, or just relax along Chicago's lakefront. We hope you enjoy this summer at the lake. The 2012 beach season runs Friday, May 25 to Monday, September 3. Swimming is permitted and lifeguards are on duty at all beaches from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., unless otherwise posted. 

For questions regarding Chicago's Beaches, call 312-74BEACH (312-742-3224) or 312-742-PLAY (7529).

Swim Flag Notification System

When you are at the beach, look for a flag near the beach house or on a lifeguard stand. These flags are part of the Chicago Park District’s flag notification system and indicate the current water quality or weather conditions at your local beach.

Green - Swimming is permitted. Water is calm and water quality is safe based on current monitoring for E.coli bacteria.

Yellow - A swim advisory is in effect. Caution is advised while swimming. Water and weather conditions are becoming unpredictable. Restrictions may be implemented. There may be an increased risk of illness based on current monitoring for E.coli bacteria.

Red - A swim ban is in effect due to severe weather or water quality conditions, which may be hazardous.

Regardless of flag color, our beaches are always open. Flag colors represent conditions for swimming only.

 

SEARCH Beach

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PARK NAMEADDRESSDESCRIPTORQTYNOTES
12th Street Beach1200 S. Linn White Drive (12th St. @ Lake Michigan, on Northerly Island) 1Distance swimming is available parallel to shore at boat line.
31st Street BeachEast 31st Street and Fort Dearborn Drive 1Distance swimming is available parallel from pier to tower.
57th Street Beach5700 S. Lake Shore Drive (57th Street and Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is parallel to shore from 55th St. south to pier
63rd Street Beach6300 S. Lake Shore Drive. (E. Hayes Drive @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is at 64th Street, parallel to shore between 1st and 3rd buoys
Calumet Park9801 S. Avenue G 1Distance swimming is available from the south end of beach (10 yards north of Taylor Pier), and parallel to shore.
Fargo Beach Park1300 W. Fargo Ave. (Fargo Ave. @ Lake Michigan) 1No distance swimming is available here. See Leone Beach for information on the nearest distance swimming location.
Foster Beach5200 N. Lake Shore Drive (Foster Ave. @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is available from center tower to north end of beach, parallel to shore at boat line.
Hartigan Beach Park1031 W. Albion Ave. (Albion Ave. @ Lake Michigan) OR 1050 W. Pratt Blvd (Pratt Blvd. @ Lake Michigan) OR 1040 W. North Shore Ave. (North Shore Ave. @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is available parallel to shore at Farwell Pier
Howard Beach Park7519 N. Eastlake Terrace (Howard St. @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is not available at this beach. See Leone Beach for info on the nearest distance swimming.
Humboldt Park1400 N. Sacramento Ave. 1 
Jarvis Beach & Park1208 W. Jarvis Ave. (Jarvis Ave. @ Lake Michigan) 1There is no distance swimming available. See Leone Beach for information on the nearest distance swimming.
Juneway Beach Park7751 N. Eastlake Terrace (Juneway Terrace @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is not available at this beach. See Leone Beach for info on nearest distance swimming.
Kathy Osterman Beach5800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 1Distance Swimming is from South end pier to 2nd buoy north, parallel to shore at boat line
Lane Beach Park5915 N. Sheridan Rd. (Thorndale Ave. @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is not available at this beach. See Osterman Beach for info on nearest distance swimming.
Leone Beach Park1222 W. Touhy Ave (Touhy Ave. @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming from Lunt to Farwell and parallel to shore.
Loyola Park1230 W. Greenleaf Ave. (Greenleaf Ave. @ Lake Michigan) 1No distance swimming is available, see Leone Beach for info on nearest distance swimming.
Montrose Beach4400 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 1Distance swimming is from Tower 4 (north of boathouse), parallel to shore.
North Avenue Beach1600 N. Lake Shore Drive 1 Distance swimming is available at beaches 3 & 4 (north of boathouse), parallel to shore.
Oak Street Beach1000 N. Lake Shore Drive 1Distance swimming is parallel to shore Division St. to Chess Pavilion (20 yards west of buoys)
Oakwood - 41st Street Beach4100 S. Lake Shore Drive 1There is distance swimming available parallel to the shoreline.
Ohio Street Beach400 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 1distance swimming parallel to the shoreline, just north of where the beach is situated, to the red buoy (a minimum of 20 yards west of the buoy markers).
Rainbow Beach Park2873 E. 75th Street (75th St. @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is available parallel to shore at boat line.
Rogers Beach Park7705 N. Eastlake Terrace (Rogers Ave. @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is not available at this beach. See Leone Beach for information on the nearest distance swimming.
South Shore Cultural Center7059 S. South Shore Dr. (71st St. @ Lake Michigan) 1Distance swimming is from south end rocks to trees at north end of beach, parallel to shore at boat line