Tunnel Park — Attraction in Park Township

This is our favorite beach for three generations. Our experience is unique with each visit. If you love Michigan sand, cool water, and feel indifferent about an ever changing crowd and conditions— this may be for you.

Parking: You have to pay for parking at the kiosk or you will get a hefty fine. This is a new development in the past couple years. You can park across the street from the park entrance if there is space available .

Sand: Typical Michigan sand litter fluctuates, depending on the crowd, but on average it’s tidier than the state park.

Water quality: If you like the beautiful clear blue water that’s going to be on cooler days when there are a few fewer swimmers. When the water is warm and the crowds are thick, it gets really green and gunky and greasy.

The playground is nice. It can be busy. It is not difficult to keep track of your children from the benches. There is a lovely Sandune and boardwalk from the playground to the beach. Many nice boardwalk views and photo op walk with nice overlook areas.

The covered areas in pavilions can be rented, but our first come first serve when not reserved

There are plenty of picnic tables and grills nearby paid parking. I recommend packing a tablecloth foil and easy light charcoal bag

There are well kept restroom facilities (for a public beach)There are areas to rinse off sand in the outdoor shower, but there’s definitely a high demand so be mindful of the people around you.

No lighthouse or pier. Go to the state park for that. No fishing area. Not a lot of length of beach to walk. Sandwiched in by private properties. There are vending machines for soft drinks near the restroom and changing rooms. Some nice sandpit volleyball areas. Plenty of space for other activities like frisbee or soccer. Maybe Football. No pets. Great bike paths to...

I'll start with the pros.

This is a pretty nice beach with a fun playground and a nice sand dune for people to climb. Even though it was quite crowded during our visit, there was plenty of room for everyone to enjoy themselves. I do like that they don't have trash cans on the beach, it helps with the litter. The bathrooms are clean and were tended to several times while we were there.

Cons...

This beach has ZERO accessibility for people who are not extremely able bodied. There are two ways to enter, through a tunnel and down a bunch of stairs, or up several stairs and then down a bunch of stairs. After doing some research, it seems all of the beaches in the area are this way. It's disappointing that in 2025 we can't find a way to make these beautiful coastal beaches accessible to all people. As someone with a knee injury, I had to really plan my time so I didn't have to hike back and forth to the car or the bathroom. The bathroom is near the parking lot so you have to climb the sand and stairs to get there and back. I'm not an architect, but there should be a way to make this a possibility so EVERYONE can enjoy the beach.

The cost of parking is also a bit of a bummer. $8 is a lot. I'm sure this goes to cover beautification or other fees, but we went here two times while on our vacation and it was a bummer to pay $16 just to park our car at a beach. There are no spots to park nearby that are free. Apparently the lot across the street used to be free but now it's the same fee as the other one.

Overall, if you're able bodied and don't have any issues with your knees, hips, feet, etc, you will enjoy this beach. But if you have any issues at all with bending your knees, this beach presents...

Astounding. Beautiful. Creative. The view is astounding. And there is a lot of parking available. And there are volleyball nets and picnic tables. There are grills and terrific trees. The people I came with had beautiful souls and treated us to a tasty meal and dessert. We had corn tortillas, avocado, chicken, and watermelon. Delicious! We built sand castles and dipped our feet in the water. They proceeded to getting completely soaked. I just dipped myself half way and then, started making sand castles. The waves were amazing. It was not overcrowded. There was not trash everywhere and the trash cans were not overflowing either. The clouds and the sun felt picture perfect. Thank God for such a blessed grand day at Tunnel Park. I only went through the tunnel when leaving which means there are multiple entrances to the beachfront. It was gorgeous. The children loved it and the parents enjoyed themselves. I think it was okay. Hahahaha! I loved Tunnel Park. loved the way the sand had no rocks. The mood was family friendly with a hint of adventurous. Have a...