GreatAmericanLakes

Beach · Lake Michigan · Illinois

Montrose Dog Beach

A public beach on Lake Michigan in Cook County, Illinois, about 480 feet 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.

Chart of Montrose Dog Beach on Lake Michigan, with neighboring beaches markedMontrose BeachFoster Avenue BeachKathy Osterman BeachThorndaleHartigan BeachRogers Avenue Park BeachMontrose Dog Beach

The beach

On the record

Water
Lake Michigan
Location
Cook County, Illinois
Length
about 480 feet
Owner
Public
Access
Public Access
Water sampling
Not monitored in 2025
Swim season
98 days, as reported
Monitoring tier
Tier 1 — the state’s highest monitoring priority
Water quality standard
E. coli, single sample: 235 CFU per 100 mL
EPA beach ID
IL911251
Coordinates
41.9690° N, 87.6430° W to 41.9680° N, 87.6420° 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

  1. Montrose Beach0.1 mi · sampled · IL
  2. Foster Avenue Beach0.8 mi · sampled · IL
  3. Kathy Osterman Beach1.5 mi · sampled · IL
  4. Thorndale1.6 mi · sampled · IL
  5. Hartigan Beach2.5 mi · sampled · IL
  6. Rogers Avenue Park Beach2.5 mi · IL

Straight-line distance.

On the horizon

Lighthouses nearby

On shore nearby

Worth the stop

Source

Facts on this page are from the EPA BEACON profile for beach IL911251, the record Illinois 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.