Harrison Township, MI -

Lake St.Clair                                                                            

3/5 Stars

Overview:

            Metro Beach is a great park in the Detroit area, but when it comes to the actual beach part, I wouldn’t recommend swimming in the lake at this beach location. Not what you were hoping to start off a beach review. The reason is from time to time, the beach is shut down because of E. coli levels at the beach. The rest of the lake is great to swim in, it’s just the location of this beach. Metro beach is located in a cove of Lake St. Clair and doesn’t get good water movement. I go swimming in other parts of Lake St. Clair, just not at Metro Beach. While Metro beach gets knocked for the swimming conditions, it makes up for it in other activities at the park. One of the best parts of Metro beach is views of Lake St. Clair and on a clear day you can see the Detroit skyline. If you are looking for a place to swim, there is a great pool area and splash park for families. There is also a golf course, mini golf course and numerous playgrounds to enjoy. For fitness people, there are miles of paved sidewalks for biking, skating, running and walking. Metro Beach is one of my favorite parks in the Metro Detroit area. If you live in Metro Detroit and are looking for a place to enjoy a beautiful day outside, Metro beach should be at the top of your list.

Location:

            Southeast Michigan, Lake St. Clair.

Distance from:

• Detroit 25 miles (28 Minutes)
• Port Huron 42 miles (40 Minutes)
• Flint 66 miles (1 hour 8 minutes)
• Toledo 82 miles (1 hour 19 minutes)

Swimming conditions

            As mentioned before I wouldn’t recommend swimming at the actual beach because of E. Coli and the location on the lake, but if you are looking to swim, I would go to the pool next to the beach. The pool has a small water slide and floating obstacle course, the pool area is an extra charge of $5 per person per day. The pool area has life guards, as where the lake beach doesn’t. There is also a splash park for very young kids to play in (free).   

Sand / Land conditions:

            The beach is over 100 yards long and about 50 yards deep from the sidewalks.  I wouldn’t call it a white sand beach, but the sand is a medium grain with pebbles mixed in. Another reason why I wouldn’t recommend swimming here, is flocks of Canadian geese often hangout at the beach. The actual beach front, is a small fraction of the total area of the total park area. The beach can be a nice area to have a picnic or soak up the sun as long as our Canadian neighbors aren’t there.

Views:

            The views offered at Metro Beach are one of the best parts of the park. If you take the board walk and trails east from the beach, you will end up on the peninsula. It is a great place to go for a walk or bike ride. Lake St. Clair is an unofficial mini-Great Lake and is a very popular boating location. You are sure to see a variety of boats on the lake and in the canal on the north side of the park. There are also docks and a small marina at the park if have a boat and looking for a good place to stop. From time to time, you can see freighters making their way across the lake. On a clear day, you can see the Detroit skyline over 16 miles away as the crow flies.

Bathrooms:

            By the swimming area the park has large locker rooms with showers and bathrooms like you would expect to find at a regional or state park like this. There are also other bathroom locations throughout the parks if you are doing other activities.

Cost / Parking:

            A daily pass for a car is $10 and another $10 if you bring in a boat on a trailer. Annual pass are available for $35 and will get you into the other metro parks in the region. It is a great value for anyone living in the metro Detroit area, I get it every year. There are huge parking lots at the park centrally located. There are additional costs for the pool area, mini golf, regular golf and they do offer rental equipment at the park.

Ratings:

Beach size: 4/5

Views: 4/5

Bathroom: 3/5

Swimming conditions: 2/5

Overall: 3/5

The views and other activities are why you come to Metro beach. One of my favorite parks in Metro Detroit.

Travel rating: If you live in metro Detroit or are visiting metro Detroit, it’s a good place to spend an afternoon. Don’t make a trip just for Metro Beach.