Beach · Lake Michigan · Michigan
Cathead Bay, Leelanau State Park
A public beach on Lake Michigan in Leelanau County, Michigan, 1.7 miles of shore. It is on the federal list of BEACH Act beaches but was not on the state’s sampling schedule in the latest report.
The beach
On the record
- Water
- Lake Michigan
- Location
- Leelanau County, Michigan
- Length
- 1.7 miles
- Owner
- Public
- Access
- Public Access
- Water sampling
- Not monitored in 2025
- Swim season
- 105 days, as reported
- Monitoring tier
- Tier 3 (Tier 1 is highest)
- Water quality standard
- E. coli, geometric mean: 300 per 100 mL
- EPA beach ID
- MI001823
- Coordinates
- 45.1981° N, 85.5624° W to 45.1800° N, 85.5843° W
As the state reported it to EPA for the 2025 season. Sampling schedules change year to year. How beach monitoring works →
Down the shore
Nearest Michigan beaches
- Leelanau State Park, Lighthouse1.4 mi · MI
- Northport 7th Street Beach5.0 mi · MI
- Northport 5th Street Beach5.1 mi · MI
- Peterson Park5.1 mi · MI
- Northport 4th Street Beach5.2 mi · MI
- Northport Haserot Beach, Rose Street5.2 mi · MI
Straight-line distance.
By boat
Launches nearby
- Northport Marina5.3 mi · trailer ramp
On the horizon
Lighthouses nearby
- Grand Traverse Light1.0 mi · deactivated
Ashore
State parks nearby
- Leelanau State Park1.1 mi
Off the beach
What to fish on Lake Michigan
Source
Facts on this page are from the EPA BEACON profile for beach MI001823, the record Michigan files under the federal BEACH Act, retrieved 2026-10-10. The county is placed from the beach’s own coordinates. A blank field means the record is silent. Parking, fees, lifeguards and dog rules are set by whoever runs the beach; check with them before you go.
Chart shoreline generalized from Natural Earth (public domain). Not for navigation. Something wrong or missing? Write to contact@greatamericanlakes.com.