Gun Lake beach
Middleville, Michigan · on Gun Lake · Yankee Springs Recreation Area
Verified · 3 independent sources
- WATER
- lake
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- Yes, see below
- SEASON
- Varies by conditions
About Gun Lake beach
Gun Lake Beach is the main day-use swimming beach on Gun Lake inside Yankee Springs Recreation Area, a 5,200-acre Michigan DNR state recreation area near Middleville in Barry County. It is a fully developed swimming hole with an official, buoyed swimming area alongside a beach house with restrooms, a food concession, and paddlesport rentals, making it one of the most convenient places to swim in the area.
The beach sits on the shore of Gun Lake, the largest of roughly nine to ten lakes within Yankee Springs Recreation Area, a 5,200-acre DNR property established in 1943 that also contains extensive camping, hiking, and mountain biking trails. The Gun Lake day-use area includes Murphy's Point, a large shoreline area used for picnicking, boating, swimming, and winter ice fishing.
Swimming at Gun Lake beach
Swimming takes place in a designated, buoyed swim area on Gun Lake (about 2,680 acres, 17.8 miles of shoreline) fronting a sandy beach. Visitor accounts describe the lake as shallow (averaging around 8 feet) and calmer/smaller in scale than a Great Lakes beach, making it a family-friendly, gently sloping swim spot rather than a deep or dramatic one.
How to get to this swimming hole
The recreation area's day-use/beach area is reached from the park address at 2104 S. Briggs Road, Middleville, MI 49333; the beach is one of the developed day-use facilities directly off this DNR-managed access road within the park.
Parking: On-site day-use parking is provided at the Gun Lake day-use area; a Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry to the recreation area.
The hike in
No hike is needed to reach the beach itself, it's a drive-up day-use area with an on-site parking lot. Separately, a barrier-free (accessible) connector trail with two boardwalks links the Gun Lake Campground to the Day Use area and continues to a fishing pier on Gun Lake; this is a scenic/accessibility connector between campground and beach, not a required approach trail for beach visitors who park at the day-use lot.
Walk from the day-use parking lot to the water is short (typical state-park beach lot-to-shore distance); no specific walk time was published in sources found.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
OK with supervision
Buoyed, designated swim area with a gently sloping sandy beach and shallow water (lake averages ~8 ft near shore) makes it family-friendly, and camper reviews describe kids having plenty of room on the beach and shaded grass. However, a first-hand camper review notes the lake bottom is rocky in spots and the actual water-entry point is fairly small, so water shoes are recommended and adults should watch footing/entry rather than assuming a soft sand bottom throughout. No lifeguard presence was confirmed in any source found.
Parking
Paid
On-site day-use parking lot at the Gun Lake day-use area; a Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry to Yankee Springs Recreation Area (exact current dollar cost not found in sources checked this pass).
Restrooms
Yes
A beach house at the Gun Lake day-use area provides restrooms (plus a food concession, per the prior DNR-sourced dossier). Separately, camper reviews of the adjacent Gun Lake Campground describe 'well-maintained bathrooms and showers,' though those serve the campground rather than the day-use beach specifically.
Water clarity
Varies with season and flow
No source directly rated the water as clear or murky. A first-hand camper review (The Dyrt) describes the lake bottom near the beach as rocky in places, implying visibility/footing varies by spot rather than a uniform clear sandy bottom. Gun Lake itself is a 2,680-acre, up-to-66-ft-deep lake that supports bullhead, walleye, bass, crappie and pike (per Wikipedia/1991 MI DNR fishery report), consistent with a typical mixed-bottom Midwest lake rather than a spring-fed clear-water swim hole.
On the water
Restrictions: The designated swim area is buoy-marked and kept separate from boat traffic; a separate boat launch serves motorized craft on Gun Lake. No specific horsepower limit, no-wake zone, or electric-only rule for Gun Lake was found in sources checked this pass.
Paddlesport rentals (kayak/canoe/paddleboard type craft) are offered on-site at the Gun Lake day-use beach house per the official DNR recsearch page (cited in the prior dossier); this pass could not re-confirm current details because the DNR page returned an access error on refetch.
Rentals nearby
Paddlesport rentals (kayak/canoe/paddleboard-type craft, per official DNR page) alongside the food concession ('Yankee Bill's') at the beach house
At the Gun Lake day-use beach house, Yankee Springs Recreation Area, 2104 S. Briggs Road, Middleville, MI
What regulars say
Campers who stay at the adjacent Gun Lake Campground and day-use area report the beach is 'clean and fun' with a large sandy area and shaded grass, well suited to kids who 'have plenty of room on the beach.' One visitor cautioned the lake bottom is rocky in spots and the water-entry point is fairly small, recommending water shoes. Visitors also praised well-maintained, updated bathhouses in the campground area.
Backstory
Yankee Springs Recreation Area was established in 1943. The broader recreation area also contains Roosevelt Beach, a separate swim beach on Gun Lake with a historic 1930s-era structure, distinct from the main Gun Lake day-use beach.
Gun Lake beach: FAQ
Does Gun Lake beach charge a fee?
A Recreation Passport (Michigan state park vehicle pass) is required for vehicle entry into Yankee Springs Recreation Area, including the Gun Lake day-use/beach area.
Is Gun Lake beach kid friendly?
Buoyed, designated swim area with a gently sloping sandy beach and shallow water (lake averages ~8 ft near shore) makes it family-friendly, and camper reviews describe kids having plenty of room on the beach and shaded grass. However, a first-hand camper review notes the lake bottom is rocky in spots and the actual water-entry point is fairly small, so water shoes are recommended and adults should watch footing/entry rather than assuming a soft sand bottom throughout. No lifeguard presence was confirmed in any source found.
Do I need to hike to reach Gun Lake beach?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Gun Lake beach?
On-site day-use parking lot at the Gun Lake day-use area; a Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry to Yankee Springs Recreation Area (exact current dollar cost not found in sources checked this pass).
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Gun Lake beach?
Paddlesport rentals (kayak/canoe/paddleboard type craft) are offered on-site at the Gun Lake day-use beach house per the official DNR recsearch page (cited in the prior dossier); this pass could not re-confirm current details because the DNR page returned an access error on refetch.
What are the rules at Gun Lake beach?
Alcoholic beverages may not be possessed or consumed in the Gun Lake day-use area from April 1 through Labor Day. A Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry.
What water body is Gun Lake beach on?
Gun Lake beach is on Gun Lake, a natural lake verified in USGS hydrography data.
