Indiana's 6 Best Lakeside Beaches For Classic Midwest Summer Fun

Going to the beach in the summertime is one of life's great pleasures. Building sandcastles with friends, cooling off in the water, and enjoying a cold drink and snack — so long as the ice in the cooler holds out — are all solid beach bucket list items. But what if you don't live near the ocean or can't get away for a week to the coast? Never fret, Midwesterners. Indiana may not border an ocean, but it still has plenty of lakeside beaches to enjoy summer fun. In fact, Lake Michigan's sandy beaches along Indiana's northern border have all the fun of an ocean beach but without the salty water.

While the Indiana Dunes along Lake Michigan's shoreline boast the most popular beaches in Indiana according to TripAdvisor, there are other lakes in the state that deserve a spot on your summer must-visit list, too. They're not as crowded as the dunes and get you closer to some of Indiana's most unique cities and towns. Whether you're looking for an ocean-like beach experience or you just want a fun spot to enjoy a game of cornhole in between dips in the lake, here are six of Indiana's best lakeside beaches to enjoy this summer.

If a Northwest Indiana local asks if you want to go to the beach, they probably mean this beach. Porter Beach in Indiana Dunes State Park is over 3 miles long, which allows summer crowds to spread out. It's a wide, sandy beach with large parking lots, restrooms, showers, and an on-site cafe at the historic Dunes Pavilion. The state park is surrounded by Indiana Dunes National Park, and while you can access Porter Beach from either one, the state park has amenities and is cheaper for one-time visitors.

Another wide, soft, sandy beach on Lake Michigan, Kemil Beach, is where you go to relax for the day without bumping elbows with others. This beach is in Indiana Dunes National Park, but it's not as crowded as other nearby beaches simply due to a lack of parking. The parking lot is small, with just under 100 spots, and doubles as the Dune Ridge Trail trailhead. Getting a spot can be tough, but it keeps the crowds down. There are no amenities here besides parking lot restrooms, not even lifeguards, so plan accordingly.

Michigan City is an underrated beach town on Indiana's Lake Michigan lakeshore. It may be the far eastern end of Indiana Dunes National Park, but it also has its own beach to brag about. Washington Park Beach is a beautiful sandy beach, just without the towering dunes that give the national park its name. Go swimming, boating, or even surfing when the wind cooperates, or check out the lighthouse pier or the on-site zoo. When you're ready to get out of the sun, the city has great shopping.

At 10,750 acres, Monroe Lake is Indiana's biggest lake entirely within the state, and it has three public beach areas: Fairfax, Paynetown, and Hardin Ridge. These small, mostly sandy but sometimes rocky beaches are an easy-to-reach option for those in south-central Indiana, each about 30 minutes or so from Bloomington. All three are in recreation areas, meaning they have additional amenities like picnic shelters, concession stands, or boat rentals. Fairfax and Paynetown are both maintained by the state, but Hardin Ridge is within Indiana's lush national forest, Hoosier National Forest. All collect small day-use fees.

In the heart of southern Indiana sits the state's second-largest reservoir, Patoka Lake. This 8,800-acre lake is known for its boating opportunities, with large areas open to unlimited speed, but it also has a sandy beach that's never as crowded as the dunes up north. Enjoy a relaxed day at the beach with a playground, picnic shelters, and a boat ramp. Patoka Lake's beach is 30 minutes south of French Lick and its historic resorts and beautiful scenery, or an hour west of Louisville, Kentucky, one of America's friendliest cities and a foodie mecca.

For lakeside beach fun in north-central Indiana, head to Salamonie Lake, about an hour from Fort Wayne and a little more than one and a half hours from Indianapolis. Salamonie Lake's only public beach is in the Lost Bridge West State Recreation Area, and it's a bring-your-own-fun kind of beach. There are a few picnic tables and port-a-johns, and that's it. The park surrounding the lake, however, is full of other activities like mountain biking, disc golf, and hiking, so you can work up a sweat and then jump in the cool water at the beach.