Picnicking at Harrington Beach State Park

On hot summer days the prime attraction of Harrington Beach State Park is its mile of Lake Michigan shore. You can enjoy the refreshing lake breezes while picnicking on the groves of trees overlooking the lake.

Beautiful views of Lake Michigan are a feature of the Point and South Picnic Areas (See the park map [PDF 215KB]. These two picnic areas and the Puckett’s Pond Picnic Area by the upper parking lot have reservable shelters. Your family or group can enjoy playing volleyball or horseshoes on one of the park’s courts. All of the park’s picnic areas have charcoal grills.

On display in the Point Picnic Area overlooking the lake is the anchor of the freighter Niagara that was consumed by fire just off shore in 1856, killing as many as 169 people (the purser did not have records of the number of passengers). Scuba divers will want to explore the remains of this wooden steamship, located a few hundred yards offshore in about 80 feet of water.

Walking in park’s Lake Michigan beach, you will discover limestone outcroppings rich in fossils. You can also see the remains of a pier that was used in the first two decades of this century for shipping limestone quarried and processed here.

For more information, ask Andrew Krueger, superintendent, (262) 285-3015.