Lincoln Park - Montrose Beach Dunes Natural Area

Montrose Beach Dunes is a natural area located on the eastern end of Montrose Beach within Lincoln Park. The area was originally formed by landfill and has since been shaped by natural processes. In 2001, the Chicago Park District stopped grooming the area to encourage dune formation. As a result, the site now contains beach, foredune, and globally rare panne habitat, which support numerous state threatened or endangered plant species. In 2005, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources added the site to the statewide list of high-quality natural areas known as the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (INAI). The size of the natural area changes annually depending on lake levels.

Montrose Beach Dunes is an important area for foraging, migrating, and resident shorebirds, including the federally endangered Great Lakes piping plover, which first nested at the site in 2019. In total, over 300 bird species have been recorded at Montrose Beach Dunes and the adjacent Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary.

Paths throughout the dunes are soft-surface only (sand). However, a paved path borders the site to the south and the Montrose Beach pier forms the eastern border of the site. Birding from the pier provides good views of the shorebird habitat. 

Portions of the Montrose Beach Dunes Natural Area are managed as "early successional" habitat: open, sandy areas without a dense cover of plants. This conservation effort benefits shorebirds such as the Great Lakes piping plover and other rare, threatened, and endangered species that grow, forage, or nest only in this particular type of habitat. Wave action from Lake Michigan helps to maintain some open, sandy areas, but with so few protected sand beaches in Illinois, management by people can create more spaces for these rare species to thrive. Activities conducted may include periodic grooming, handpulling, and other management of undesirable plants.

In addition to maintenance conducted by the park district, Montrose Beach Dunes benefits from the dedication and hard work of volunteers who collect and scatter native seed, plant native species, pick up trash, monitor vegetation and birds, and remove invasive species. Learn more about volunteer opportunities by visiting our Community Stewardship Program page.

For questions regarding Chicago Park District Natural Areas, email nature@chicagoparkdistrict.com.