Explore the shoreline

Great Lakes coastal towns

Harbor towns, beach towns, cities and island communities on all five Great Lakes.

32 places in this view · Save a favorite or use the map to get your bearings.

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Find your next shore stop.

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Towns Lighthouses Parks Grouped pins expand when selected.

30 of 32 places mapped. 2 remain in the list without a map pin. Unverified locations and precise shipwreck sites are not plotted. Pins are representative locations, not verified entrances.

Black-and-white basemap by OpenStreetMap. Great Lakes highlighted in color. Hold Ctrl (or Command) while scrolling to zoom. Use two fingers on touch screens.

Lake outlines: Natural Earth (public domain). Town centers: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Not for navigation.
Coastal town Wisconsin · Lake Superior Bayfield A small harbor town and gateway to the Apostle Islands. Explore place
Photo: Dls4832 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Bayfield Wisconsin.jpg by Dls4832 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Illinois · Lake Michigan Chicago A world-class city with a miles-long Lake Michigan waterfront. Explore place
Photo: NorbertNagel · CC BY-SA 4.0

Chicago Skyline Sunrise March 15 2026 - 02.jpg by NorbertNagel · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Minnesota · Lake Superior Duluth A working harbor city at the western tip of Lake Superior. Explore place
Photo: Bspor.88 · CC0

Duluth, MN - Aerial Lift Bridge and harbor, aerial, August 2024.jpg by Bspor.88 · CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Pennsylvania · Lake Erie Erie Pennsylvania's Great Lakes city beside Presque Isle Bay. Explore place
Photo: Tomdonohue1 at English Wikipedia · Public domain

Bicentennial Tower.jpg by Tomdonohue1 at English Wikipedia · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Huron Mackinac Island A car-free island where Lake Huron meets the Straits of Mackinac. Explore place
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0

Mackinac Island July 2010 02 (downtown from harbor).JPG by Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ontario · Lake Ontario Niagara-on-the-Lake A heritage town where Lake Ontario meets the Niagara River. Explore place
Photo: Paste · CC BY-SA 3.0

Niagara on the lake.jpg by Paste · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Michigan Traverse City A northern Michigan favorite between bays and rolling countryside. Explore place
Photo: Phoenix-Five · CC0

Downtown Traverse City from Wayne Hill.jpg by Phoenix-Five · CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Huron Alpena Thunder Bay's waterfront city and a gateway to Great Lakes shipwreck history. Explore place
Photo: Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0

Alpena City Hall (53882685763) (cropped).jpg by Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town New York · Lake Erie Buffalo The eastern end of Lake Erie, where grain-elevator heritage meets a renewed waterfront. Explore place
Photo: Reading Tom from Reading, UK · CC BY 2.0

Autumnal skyline view from Erie Basin Marina, Buffalo, New York, October 2012.jpg by Reading Tom from Reading, UK · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ohio · Lake Erie Cleveland A Lake Erie city linking waterfront museums, neighborhoods and urban beaches. Explore place
Photo: Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0

Cleveland skyline from Lakewood Park, June 2024.jpg by Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ontario · Lake Huron Goderich An Ontario harbor town with a distinctive town square and sunset-facing coast. Explore place
Photo: Whpq · CC BY-SA 3.0

GoderichBeachView.jpg by Whpq · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Minnesota · Lake Superior Grand Marais An artist's harbor at the meeting of Lake Superior and the Gunflint Trail. Explore place
Photo: Pete Markham from Loretto, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

North Shore Trip - Beautiful Grand Marais, MN (14969233032).jpg by Pete Markham from Loretto, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ontario · Lake Ontario Kingston A limestone waterfront city at the meeting of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence. Explore place
Photo: DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0

Waterfront, Kingston, East view 20170416 1.jpg by DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Michigan Ludington A ferry port framed by Lake Michigan beaches, dunes and lighthouse trails. Explore place
Photo: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory · CC BY-SA 2.0

Ludington light at sunset (21099533911).jpg by NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Superior Marquette A northern Michigan city with sandstone shoreline, trails and a historic ore harbor. Explore place
Photo: ThiloG · CC BY-SA 2.0

Marquette Lower Harbor Ore Dock, 2013.jpg by ThiloG · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Indiana · Lake Michigan Michigan City Indiana's lakeside city with a lighthouse skyline and sandy beach. Explore place
Photo: Dan Previte · CC BY 2.0

Michigan City East Lighthouse aerial 2021 - Michigan City, Indiana.jpg by Dan Previte · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Wisconsin · Lake Michigan Milwaukee Lakefront museums, public beaches and river neighborhoods on Wisconsin's coast. Explore place
Photo: Isaac Rowlett · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dji fly 20241201 160430 0031 1733092392756 photo.jpg by Isaac Rowlett · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Superior Munising The harbor gateway to Pictured Rocks and a coastline of cliffs and waterfalls. Explore place
Photo: Notorious4life · CC0

Munising, Michigan (02 August 2016).jpg by Notorious4life · CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Michigan New Buffalo A compact southwest Michigan harbor with a beach-town pace. Explore place
Photo: BigBear_in_IN · CC BY-SA 3.0

New Buffalo Harbor, MI - panoramio.jpg by BigBear_in_IN · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town New York · Lake Ontario Oswego A historic Lake Ontario port where the Oswego River reaches the lake. Explore place
Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0

From the Oswego River Bridge looking toward Lake Ontario, Oswego, New York - 20210221.jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Michigan Petoskey Little Traverse Bay views and a historic downtown in northern Michigan. Explore place
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0

2009-0619-Petoskey-marina.JPG by Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Huron Port Austin A small harbor at the tip of Michigan's Thumb. Explore place
Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain

Port Austin Michigan aerial view.jpg by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ontario · Lake Erie Port Dover A fishing-port community on Ontario's Lake Erie coast. Explore place
Photo: JasonParis from Toronto, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0

Erie Beach, Pier and lighthouse at Port Dover, Ontario -a.jpg by JasonParis from Toronto, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ohio · Lake Erie Put-in-Bay South Bass Island's harbor village, with a national memorial above Lake Erie. Explore place
Photo: NAHann · CC BY-SA 4.0

View from the top of Perry's Memorial Ohio.JPG by NAHann · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town New York · Lake Ontario Rochester A Genesee River city with a Lake Ontario shoreline at Charlotte. Explore place
Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ontario Beach Park, Rochester, New York - 20201018 - 03.jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ohio · Lake Erie Sandusky A bayside Ohio city and a jumping-off point for the Lake Erie islands. Explore place
Photo: Mike Sharp (2old) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ohio - Sandusky Waterfront.jpg by Mike Sharp (2old) · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Wisconsin · Lake Michigan Sheboygan A Wisconsin harbor town where Lake Michigan meets art, beaches and dune country. Explore place
Photo: Jordan M. Lomibao · CC BY-SA 4.0

Sheboygan.downtown.jpg by Jordan M. Lomibao · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Wisconsin · Lake Michigan Sturgeon Bay Door County's shipbuilding town and a bridge between bay and open lake. Explore place
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5

SturgeonBayWisconsinBay.jpg by Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ontario · Lake Superior Thunder Bay An Ontario port city facing the Sleeping Giant across Lake Superior. Explore place
Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Thunder Bay skyline.JPG by P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ontario · Lake Huron Tobermory Bruce Peninsula harbor life between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Explore place
Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0

20150704 - 010 - Tobermory, Ont. - The "Tobermory Frontier" at Big Tub Harbor (panorama).jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ontario · Lake Ontario Toronto Ontario's largest city, with island parks and a changing Lake Ontario waterfront. Explore place
Photo: ImagePerson · CC BY 4.0

Toronto West Humber Bay Mimico Stonegate, Lake Ontario Waterfront.jpg by ImagePerson · CC BY 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Minnesota · Lake Superior Two Harbors Ore docks, a historic lighthouse and a working Lake Superior waterfront. Explore place
Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain

Two Harbors Minnesota aerial view.jpg by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.