Carol Beach — Attraction in Pleasant Prairie

A friend and I were traveling back to Minnesota after visiting the Chicago area, and this beach was an amazing little gem to find on a hot day! We were seriously bummed about the beaches in IL either being 'local only' or charging a fee for day use, so we took the scenic way home to stop here, and it was totally worth it. The water level at the time gave for plenty of sandy beach area to set up on. There were definitely other people enjoying the hot day there, but it was by no means crowded. The water felt AMAZING on a 90° day, definitely not as cold as Superior water I'm familiar with. It's full of all the lovely rocks at the shoreline and into the water for a bit, but we were able to swim out, stand, and touch on a long 'sand bar'. The water was so clear, definitely bring goggles! The parking lot is limited, but I'd say appropriate for the size of the beach, and they did have portable...

It's nice but not so family friendly. While the water is clear if looking down into it from six feet, the surface has pockets of debris from the larger lake. You'll find yourself sharing space with dead bugs and area debris. We even found a few plastic bags. Limited parking is good so crowds are smaller. Sand is clean but be aware a lot of small rocks before you make it to the water. As long as you don't have young kids in tow then it's okay. I would recommend for the view and just remember you're headed to a beach front on the lake...

I hadn't been here for a while I was surprised by how little beach is left due to the lake being higher. Still a great beach for launching kayaks, playing in the water and having picnics. The beach is sand and so is the parking lot so be prepared for sand in and on everything. Get here early,...