Beaches along the North Shore are scheduled to open for swimming on May 24, and there will be changes at most of them this year, from price increases to free passes to improvements that will be worked on in future months. There’s also a free non-swimming beach.
Glencoe
Although Glencoe voters approved renovations to their beach last fall, those improvements will be phased in over the next two or three years during spring and fall, so the beach can remain open during summer, said Erin Classen, spokeswoman for the Glencoe Park District.
Glencoe Beach will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily and the Park District will continue to offer a reciprocal pool-beach pass with Northbrook, Classen said.
Prices: The pass, which costs $38 this year, gives Northbrook residents access to the beach at the same price as Glencoe residents, and gives Glencoe residents access to Northbrook Dog Park, Northbrook Sports Center and Meadowhill Aquatic Center, plus member rates on aquatics lessons and water fitness classes, she said.
The cost of the season pass increased from $36 last year, Classen said. The price of the non-resident season pass increased from $72 to $76 this year, she said. Daily admission fees remain the same at $12 for residents and $24 for non-residents, Classen said.
There is no charge for parking, according to the district’s website.
About 4,000 people visited Glencoe Beach during operating hours last year, she said. A season pass is required to access the beach during mornings and weekends.
Winnetka
Improvements at Centennial Beach in Winnetka also have not begun yet, although they were approved last year, said Shannon Nazzal, executive director of the Park District.
The Park District has not yet secured permitting for the Centennial improvements, nor for work at Elder Lane Beach, which is temporarily closed due to damage to infrastructure, Nazzal said. Centennial Beach will continue to be used as a dog beach, she said.
“We’re currently in the process of trying to get Elder Lane Beach open for basic use,” Nazzal said. “We’re hoping we’ll be able to have it open sometime this summer. We’re hoping in June at the latest.”
In the meantime, Winnetka beaches that will open May 24 include Maple Street Beach, Tower Road Beach and Lloyd Beach, which features the Stepan Family Boat Launch, Nazzal said. Lloyd will open on May 17 for boat launches, but swimming is not permitted on the beach, she said.
Prices: Winnetka beaches are open from dawn to dusk and typically draw about 5,500 to 6,000 people each year, Nazzal said. Daily swimming admission is $12 for residents and $24 for non-residents.
Season passes cost $125 for residents and $250 for non-residents. Beach access is restricted to season pass holders on weekends and holidays.
Kenilworth
Work to protect Kenilworth Beach from erosion was done this spring, Village Manager Kathy Thake said.
The existing shoreline protection system had become inadequate, she said, with infrastructure that absorbed wave energy failing over time. Among the steps the village took to address it was adding armourstone, a type of stone used in erosion control.
“There is more to come in future years. For example, this fall, we’re going to add a pedestrian ramp. That will be a major project,” she said.
Prices: Kenilworth Beach will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. until Sept. 1. Season passes cost $100 for resident families of four or less and $10 for each additional family member. The passes are $500 for non-resident families of four and $100 for each additional family member.
Passes cost $40 for individual residents and $200 for individual non-residents. Daily passes are not offered.
Wilmette
The Wilmette Park District is introducing The Cove, a non-swimming zone that will provide Lake Michigan access to non-motorized watercraft and share the southern end of the Gillson Park lakefront with The Dog Beach, which will allow off-leash dogs, Park District spokesman JP McNamara said.
Residents complained last year when the Park District erected a fence across the South Beach area of South Park and began charging admission fees for swimming there.
The fees will remain for swimming and launching watercraft, but the south end of the beach will be free to those who simply want to sit on the beach or relax in the sand, McNamara said.
“You can bring a vessel and launch at our beach with the use of a pass,” he said. “But it will be monitored by staff to make sure everything is going OK over there, where patrons can put their toes in the sand, relax and enjoy unobstructed views. There will be no swimming other than those with vessels.”
All Wilmette beaches will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, McNamara said.
Prices: Pricing for daily beach passes per the Wilmette Park District website, is $11 for residents and $17 for non-residents at Gillson and Langdon beaches; $5 for residents and $10 for non-residents at South Beach. Parking costs $17-$26 additional, depending on day and residency status.
Season passes for one individual cost $66 for residents and $166 for non-residents, with additional fees for additional family members.
Evanston
In Evanston, the only change to local beaches will be providing free beach access to all students enrolled in Evanston-Skokie School District 65 or Evanston Township High School, said Tim Carter, lakefront and athletics division manager for the city.
“This change primarily affects non-resident students who mostly live in Skokie, as they and their household members are now eligible to receive a beach pass at no cost,” Carter said.
Prices: Evanston beaches are free to all City of Evanston residents. For Skokie residents who are not District 65 families, beach passes cost $35 for those purchased from April 14-June 6, $43 for those purchased June 7-Aug. 1 and $24 for those purchased Aug. 2- Labor Day.
Non-residents outside of Skokie must pay $63, $85 and $43, respectively, during each of those time periods.
Daily beach passes cost $10 for Skokie residents who are not District 65 families and $12 for non-residents from other communities.
Evanston beaches include Lighthouse Beach, Clark Street Beach, Greenwood Beach, Dempster Beach and Sailing Facility, Lee Street Beach and South Boulevard Beach. Hours vary throughout the beach season. More information may be obtained at cityofevanston.org.
Evanston’s swimming beaches attracted 162,611 visitors last year, Carter said.
