Tawas Point State Park
East Tawas, Michigan · Tawas Point State Park
Verified · 4 independent sources
- WATER
- lake
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- No fee found
- SEASON
- May
About Tawas Point State Park
Tawas Point State Park sits at the tip of a sandy spit enclosing Tawas Bay on Lake Huron, near East Tawas, Michigan. Its designated, monitored swimming beach works as a natural swimming hole with shallow, warm water, and the sheltered bay makes Lake Huron an approachable lake to swim in here, all alongside a historic Victorian-era lighthouse and an Important Bird Area.
The park occupies a 183-acre sand spit that curls out into Lake Huron to form Tawas Bay, earning the nickname 'Cape Cod of the Midwest' for its dune-and-beach-grass scenery. The point's sands have shifted and grown over more than a century, leaving the historic lighthouse (built 1876-77) well inland of the current tip, surrounded by dunes, wetlands, and woodland habitat that make the park an Important Bird Area with roughly 300 documented migratory species.
Swimming at Tawas Point State Park
Swimming happens off a wide sandy beach on the Tawas Bay (Lake Huron) side of the point, at a designated, water-quality-monitored day-use beach with a roped-off shallow-water swimming area -- described as suitable for casual, family-style swimming rather than deep-water or adventure swimming.
How to get to this swimming hole
The park is at 686 Tawas Beach Road, East Tawas, MI 48730, on the sand spit directly across Tawas Bay from downtown East Tawas/Tawas City; regional access is via the Sunrise Coast Pure Michigan Byway along US-23.
The hike in
No hike is needed to swim, the designated Tawas Bay swim beach sits directly off the day-use parking area (drive-up access, consistent with prior enrichment). Separately and NOT required for swimming, the park's own Sandy Hook Nature Trail is an easy interpretive loop through dunes, wetlands, and woodland along the shoreline, reported as 2 miles by stateparks.com and 1.5 miles by Islands.com (source discrepancy noted, exact trailhead location not confirmed by either).
Confirmed drive-up/short-walk beach access; no trail hike required to reach the swimming area.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
Good for kids
Swimming is at a designated, roped-off, water-quality-monitored day-use beach on Tawas Bay with shallow, warm water described as suitable for casual family swimming rather than deep-water/adventure swimming (michigan.org, Swim Guide). Swim Guide's listing does include standard safety language to watch for currents and obey posted advisories, so treat as generally kid-friendly with normal open-water caution rather than a fully enclosed calm pool.
Parking
Paid
A Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry to the state park (stateparks.com); this functions as the day-use/parking fee. The exact current Recreation Passport dollar amount was not confirmed from sources found this session (the official michigan.gov park page returned a 403 error on every fetch attempt).
Restrooms
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible restrooms at the day-use beach area (michigan.org). Separately, campers on Campendium describe the campground showers as 'good, clean, and plenty of fresh water spigots.'
On the water
Restrictions: The designated swim area itself is roped off (Swim Guide/Islands.com), which implies craft are meant to launch/land outside that roped zone rather than mix with swimmers. Motorized craft (pontoons, jet skis) are offered via a private marina immediately next door on the same road rather than at the swim beach.
Campendium's aggregated park listing includes 'paddle boat/kayak/canoe rental' as an on-site park amenity, confirming these craft are used on the bay here; stand-up paddleboards were not explicitly confirmed by any source so are omitted rather than assumed.
Rentals nearby
Tawas Point State Park (on-site concession)
Paddle boat, kayak, and canoe rental
At the state park day-use/beach area, 686 Tawas Beach Road, East Tawas, MI
Pontoon boat, jet ski, and kayak rentals
542 Tawas Beach Road, East Tawas, MI 48730, on the same road as the state park entrance (686 Tawas Beach Road), roughly a few tenths of a mile away
What regulars say
Camper reviews describe the campground and park as crowded on summer weekends and recommend a weekday visit for a calmer experience. One visitor in 2016 noted disappointment with the smaller 'camper beach' near the campground and said they didn't realize there was a bigger beach elsewhere in the park until later, so it's worth knowing that the main day-use swim beach and the campground's beach are different spots. Campers also flagged that large RVs sometimes park along the entrance road in ways that feel unsafe for kids on bikes, and that the shared dump station gets a slow line on weekends.
Backstory
The lighthouse here, originally called Ottawa Point, was first lit in 1853; storms and shifting sand led Congress to fund a full rebuild finished in 1877 (a 70-foot brick tower with a Fourth Order Fresnel lens), and the point was renamed Tawas Point in 1902. The state park itself was established in 1960 and opened in 1966; the Michigan DNR acquired the lighthouse for preservation in 2001, and a beach pavilion was added in 1993.
Tawas Point State Park: FAQ
Is Tawas Point State Park kid friendly?
Swimming is at a designated, roped-off, water-quality-monitored day-use beach on Tawas Bay with shallow, warm water described as suitable for casual family swimming rather than deep-water/adventure swimming (michigan.org, Swim Guide). Swim Guide's listing does include standard safety language to watch for currents and obey posted advisories, so treat as generally kid-friendly with normal open-water caution rather than a fully enclosed calm pool.
Do I need to hike to reach Tawas Point State Park?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Tawas Point State Park?
A Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry to the state park (stateparks.com); this functions as the day-use/parking fee. The exact current Recreation Passport dollar amount was not confirmed from sources found this session (the official michigan.gov park page returned a 403 error on every fetch attempt).
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Tawas Point State Park?
Campendium's aggregated park listing includes 'paddle boat/kayak/canoe rental' as an on-site park amenity, confirming these craft are used on the bay here; stand-up paddleboards were not explicitly confirmed by any source so are omitted rather than assumed.
When is the best time to visit Tawas Point State Park?
May through October, corresponding to the official water-quality monitoring season for the beach.
What are the rules at Tawas Point State Park?
Swim Guide's official beach listing instructs visitors to obey posted signage and any advisories from government agencies, and to stay alert for hazardous currents; the beach is sampled weekly for E. coli during the official swim season (May 1-October 31).
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