Tunnel Park is a great place to visit even at the end of September. If they are charging admission, there is free parking right across the street. Lake Michigan can be accessed by either the tunnel or the large steps. Always a great place to be.
A cozy, gorgeous public beach, much smaller than the state park, and much less traveled. Beautiful overlook at the top of the dune, or you can walk through the tunnel and down to the beach. Not for the elderly who do not deal well climbing.
One of our favorite parks. The views are amazing, the volleyball courts are so fun. There is a dune where people can roll down. The upper part provides some of the best views of Lake Michigan in the area. Great for picnics or group outings. Great park. Parking can be troublesome and there are no food concessions.
I was traveling solo and knew nothing of the area. I should also add that I have a terrible sense of direction. So basically I looked on the map and chose a park that looked close to the beach. I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful the beach was and how nice the lookout deck was. There are benches to sit on on the deck, and stairs going down to the beach as well. Very glad I stopped there!(And yeah, there was also play equipment if you've got kids)
We stopped for a few hours here at the end of September and enjoyed the quiet walk along the beach. Just a suggestion that they put a Tunnel Park sign on the entrance side so it shows in pictures.
There is alot of beautiful sand and water, and grill's to use. To much teen activity now day's. Not such a great place to feel secure at.
Tunnel Park is located north of Holland State Park off Lakeshore Dr. There is parking on both sides of the street. There is a State Park fee to use the park. The picnic area is on the East side of the tunnel entrance. grills,tables, playground and volley ball courts are located there. To get to the beach, for the adventurous you may take the steps up and over the dune or the easier way that most people use is through the tunnel. A cement deck is there to overlook the beach and the beautiful blue-green waters of Lake Michigan. There is a large beach to walk or take your blanket or chair and take in the view or go in the water. The lake is all white sand so easy to walk in if your lucky enough to have the warm water temperatures. The temperature can be 50 f degree to 80 depending on air temperature and the directions of the wind. One day it could be 65 F the next 75 F.
If you don't want as much hustle and bustle as Holland State Park this is a nice spot. Often the parking/picnic area is packed during busy summer times, but the beach is much less crowded. Walking through the tunnel, you emerge on the other side of the dune in a different world. Still can be difficult to get a parking spot here during weekends and holidays. we usually bike it.
What attracted me to this beach, was the entrance to it. We had to walk through a small tunnel to reach the dunes and the beach, facing Michigan Lake. I had no idea that it contained 22 acres! There were several people enjoying the beach, but quite less than in Holland State Park. Still I enjoyed exploring every aspect of it. At the top of the stairs there was some info about ships that had stranded nearby.We stayed for about an hour, enough time to explore anything there was. However if you are there to enjoy the beach, you can stay there until 10 P.M. I am not that certain that the sun will still be up though!Enjoy!
Not sure if the beach is like this in the summer or not, but in Sept. there are no signs disallowing a nice long walk all the way down to Holland State Park following the beach the whole way. Clean and beautiful water and sand. Not sure if I like Tunnel or the State park better, they are both great.