Here are Southwest Michigan’s best destinations for fall colors, bird watching, paddling and surfing.

St. Joseph Blog
Fall in Warren Dunes - Southwest Michigan. Photo Credit : Joshua Nowicki

Lake Michigan’s beaches are beautiful in autumn! 

Discover the best fall beach destinations in Southwest Michigan

Summer isn’t the only time to visit Lake Michigan’s beaches in Southwest Michigan. Fall days and lake temperatures are often warm from September until early October. Then from October through November, pull on a sweater, fleece, or jacket and enjoy the wilder Big Lake waves and less-crowded beaches from golden sunrise to star-studded night. For many, fall is their favorite beach season. Come see why.

Fall in Warren Dunes - Southwest Michigan. Photo Credit : Joshua Nowicki
Fall in Warren Dunes – Southwest Michigan. Photo Credit: Joshua Nowicki

Visit nine Lake Michigan beach towns
If you’re planning an autumn getaway, solo retreat, or fall color tour along the lakeshore, add these Lake Michigan beach towns and their beaches to your itinerary. 

Stevensville

Grand Mere State Park | 7337 Thornton Drive
Grand Mere boasts sweeping dunes, deep blowouts, a mile-long sandy beach, and hikes beneath canopies of colorful leaves. 

Round Barn Winery in Fall | Photo Credit : Joshua Nowicki
Round Barn Winery in Fall | Photo Credit : Joshua Nowicki

St. Joseph

Lions Park Beach | Lions Park Drive
This tranquil beach is a good place to hunt for rocks and beach glass or immerse in the fall beauty on the John and Dede Howard Family Recreational Trail.

Silver Beach County Park | 101 Broad St.

This is one of Southwest Michigan’s most popular year-round beaches with its 2,450 feet of shoreline from the mouth of the St. Joseph River to Park Street. The park gives you access to the South Pier, and you can walk to the beach from downtown St. Joseph. 

Tiscornia Beach Park | 80 Ridgeway St.

Great place to watch freighters, sailboats, and surfers in the fall. Best of all, you can park and walk out onto the North Pier to St. Joseph’s historic lighthouses.  

Benton Harbor/Coloma

Jean Klock Park | Jean Klock Boulevard, Benton Harbor

This is one of the most beautiful, lesser-used beaches in Southwest Michigan. It is also a  trailhead for a 10-mile natural and urban fitness hiking and biking adventure — the trees are autumn showpieces along the way. 

Rocky Gap Park | 1100 Rocky Gap Road, Benton Harbor

You will love the panoramic views of Lake Michigan, especially at sunset. This is also a popular rockhounding site due to all the rocks that wash ashore.

Hagar Park | 5440 M-63, Coloma

Enjoy a picnic beneath red and yellow leaves, toss a Frisbee, or send a kite soaring on the beach. Dogs are welcome. 

Roadside Park | 6930 Bluestar Highway, Coloma

Small, quiet, dog and kayak-friendly beach in the colorful forested dunes.  

New Buffalo

New Buffalo Public Beach & Lakefront Park | 200 Marquette Drive
800 feet of sandy beach near the public boat launch and downtown.

Sawyer/Bridgman

Warren Dunes State Park | 12032 Red Arrow Highway, Sawyer
Three miles of beach frontage, including a separate dog-friendly beach. A top pick for its giant dunes and beautiful fall foliage. 

Weko Beach | 5237 Lake St., Bridgman
Nestled among 42 acres of wooded dunes, it has 960 feet of sandy beach with some of the area’s favorite fall foliage and water vistas. 

Seven favorite fall things to do at our beaches

There are so many ways to fill several fall days in Southwest Michigan. Here are locals’ and visitors’ top picks from high adventures to total relaxation.

Take a fall color tour 

Follow the West Michigan Pike routes in this guide. Along the way, visit our pick-your-own and farm markets to gather just-harvested fruits and vegetables, plus bread, jams, desserts, and more for your fall beach picnic. This is also one of the best times of year to look for colorful rocks, beach glass, and fossils along the water’s edge. 

Explore the colors of Fall in Southwest Michigan. Photo Credit : Joshua Nowicki
Explore the colors of Fall in Southwest Michigan. Photo Credit: Joshua Nowicki

Paddle along the shoreline

Most beaches offer easy access to take your canoe, kayak, or SUP from the parking lot to the shoreline. Several also have launch areas on scenic rivers that empty into the big lake. Shoreline paddles give you gorgeous views of fall foliage along the bluffs and across the dunes.  

Watch for migratory birds on their Lake Michigan flight path 

The migration flight path along Lake Michigan’s shoreline is almost as ancient as the dunes. Fall is a peak time for birdwatching, seeing everything from songbirds and shorebirds to raptors. 

Be captivated by Great Lakes freighters and barges

It’s hard not to be drawn to the St. Joseph River and harbor when the big freighters and barges arrive or depart from St. Joseph. Watching these big ships navigate past the railroad swing bridge is especially enthralling. We hope you will also see the big ships at night easing through the channel by spotlight or their lights reflecting in the still harbor waters — it will take your breath away. Fall is the last season to be awed before the gales of November stop the shipping traffic on Lake Michigan until the next spring. 

Reel in the big ones from our piers, rivers, and the Big Lake

Pier fishing for feisty salmon, trout, and steelhead is a thrill in Southwest Michigan. You can easily access some of our favorite fishing spots from New Buffalo Public Beach, Silver Beach County Park, Tiscornia Beach, and South Haven’s South Beach.

Go surfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving

Many people are surprised to learn that you can surf, snorkel and scuba dive off the coast of Lake Michigan. Calmer days on the Big Lake are best for the latter two watersports, but frequent north and south winds make for surfable waves in the fall. You can often spot surfers from the shore at Lions Park, Silver Beach County Park, and Tiscornia Beach — or go out and ride the waves on your board! 

See the best sunsets 

It’s a daily ritual to head to any of our beaches to watch the sun sink below Lake Michigan’s horizon in a swath of peach, yellow, lavender, and scarlet colors brightening the evening sky. Even on overcast evenings, you will still find colors and a peaceful ending to your day on our shore. 

Fall Sunset Southwest Michigan in Dune Grass | St. Joseph MI
Fall Sunset Southwest Michigan in Dune Grass | St. Joseph MI Photo Credit: Joshua Nowicki

Stay over at near-the-beach lodgings

Lodgings in Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, and Stevensville are just minutes from our beaches, resort town shopping, dining, fall festivals, and attractions. It’s a great time of year to get the hotel rate and amenities you want, especially on weekdays. 

Book your fall getaway

World Class Fishing on Lake Michigan

South Haven Blog

Take a stroll along the Black River in downtown South Haven and you’re likely to encounter the serious fishing boats. If you’re already a fisherman (or fisherwoman), you may know what fishing on the big lake is all about. But if you’re like me, lake fishing invites curiosity and a certain mystique.

I’m not a complete fishing novice. I have experienced the occasional casting from a rowboat or canoe on camping trips, once tried fly fishing in Wyoming and had the distinct pleasure of salmon fishing in Alaska on a rare sunny day where, with a lot of help from a seasoned guide, I caught a 25 pound King Salmon.

Fishing on Lake Michigan, however, is a different experience and fishing with die-hard sports fishermen opens up a whole new world. Chuck Moore and his crew, experienced friends Bill and Kevin, graciously offered to take me out and glimpse their unique world. Moore’s boat is a 33-ft. craft called the Merry More, which he bought 4 years ago and retrofitted for optimum fishing.

We started out at 6:30 am and I was sure to take my Dramamine, though I wasn’t sure I needed it (I did). We headed out of the harbor into open water. It was a cloudy, close to foggy morning, but the lake was smooth. At about 3 miles out, the crew put trolling bags over the side to help with steering and to slow the boat while trolling. One by one, while Chuck steered the boat, Bill and Kevin put fishing lures onto the lines and cast them out, using boards to keep the lures away from the boat until 18 lines were out.

That was my first surprise of the day (that’s a lot of lines)–this is serious fishing. Chuck has radar in the cabin to track where the fish are lurking and steered the boat to optimize its position. The lures they used were called spoons (oblong pieces of metal with a treble hook at one end and a grommet or loop at the other.) The spoons were colorful and, it was explained to me, wobble in the water which attracts the predator fish. The lures have colorful names, too. One used was called Mixed Veggie, another, still in its package and never to be used, was named the O.J. Simpson.

Eventually we were 5 miles out in the lake. It occurred to me that we could have been on an ocean. We couldn’t see the shore and I once again marveled at this amazing body of water I have the privilege to live near which offers, what Chuck calls, “world class fishing”.

I confess, despite the Dramamine, I still became a bit queasy. I was told not to go below deck, to stand in the middle of the boat and look at the horizon. It helped. So did being called to land a fish. We hooked one and I was brought to the stern to bring it in. I began reeling it in and then a yellow devise called a rod butt cushion was placed on the butt of the fishing pole so that I could position it in my belly button and give myself some leverage without severely bruising myself. It took a bit of arm strength and I didn’t embarrass myself. The guys were good at giving instruction and I managed to bring the fish in so that they could net it and land it on board. It was a beautiful lake trout.

I let my husband, along for the fun, land the other three we brought in—two king salmon and a steelhead, all three larger than my lake trout. We headed back to the harbor, sooner I know than the guys would have liked. We watched them process the four large fish in about 15 minutes and we bid them farewell. They were headed back out. It was a good fishing day, and they weren’t about to let the day go to waste.

If you are looking for your own world class fishing experience on Lake Michigan, South Haven has a number of charter fishing companies who are eager to help. Here’s a resource to get you started on your fishing adventure: https://www.southhaven.org/experience/fishing-and-hunting

About the Author

Nancy Backas has been writing, mostly about food, for more than 30 years. South Haven is a favorite place, and she and her husband Terry visit as often as they can. The rich food and art culture, along with opportunities to explore South Haven’s magical natural surroundings is what draws she and her husband to SoHa. She looks forward to sharing her South Haven discoveries. And, while they currently live in Chicago, with moving plans in the works, South Haven will soon be their new home.