Beach · Lake Michigan · Illinois
Winnetka Elder Park Beach
A public beach on Lake Michigan in Cook County, Illinois, about 400 feet of shore. The state samples the water for bacteria once a week through a 364-day swim season.
The beach
On the record
- Water
- Lake Michigan
- Location
- Cook County, Illinois
- Length
- about 400 feet
- Owner
- Public
- Access
- Public Access
- Water sampling
- Yes — once a week in the swim season
- Swim season
- 364 days, as reported
- Monitoring tier
- Tier 1 — the state’s highest monitoring priority
- Water quality standard
- E. coli, geometric mean: 300 CFU per 100 mL
- EPA beach ID
- IL928218
- Coordinates
- 42.1000° N, 87.7160° W to 42.0990° N, 87.7150° 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
- Winnetka Centennial Dog Beach0.1 mi · sampled · IL
- Kenilworth Beach0.6 mi · sampled · IL
- Winnetka Maple Park Beach1.0 mi · sampled · IL
- Winnetka Lloyd Park Beach1.3 mi · sampled · IL
- Wilmette Langdon Beach1.4 mi · sampled · IL
- Winnetka Tower Beach1.4 mi · sampled · IL
Straight-line distance.
On the horizon
Lighthouses nearby
- Grosse Point Light3.2 mi · deactivated
- Wilson Avenue Crib Light11 mi
On shore nearby
Worth the stop
- Chicago Lakefront Trail15 mi · drive
- Illinois Beach State Park23 mi · beach
Off the beach
What to fish on Lake Michigan
Source
Facts on this page are from the EPA BEACON profile for beach IL928218, 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.