Chicago skyline rising above Lake Michigan at sunrise.

Great Lakes state

Illinois

Chicago's celebrated Lake Michigan waterfront.

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.

Meet the coast

About the Illinois Great Lakes coast

Illinois meets Lake Michigan along the Chicago metropolitan shoreline.

CountryUnited States

Great Lakes shoreline Lake Michigan

In this guide2 places to explore

Live · Illinois

What's going on right now.

Weather, alerts, the water, the sky and local headlines, gathered from official sources as you read.

Gathering the latest conditions…

National Weather Service Environment Canada NOAA buoy observations Aurora forecast

Live data from the U.S. National Weather Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, NOAA's National Data Buoy Center and Space Weather Prediction Center; headlines link to the publishers. Sun and moon times are calculated. Conditions change quickly—check official forecasts before going on the water. Not for navigation.

Highlights

A great city on a great lake.

Chicago's Lakefront Trail

Walk or bike miles of continuous shoreline parks, beaches and harbors.

Explore the place

Illinois Beach State Park

Illinois' last natural beach-ridge shoreline, with dunes, marsh and oak savanna.

Explore the place

Plan your time

Settle in, eat well, travel smart.

Good places to base yourself.

ChicagoLake Michigan

A taste of the region.

Deep-dish and tavern-style thin-crust pizza
Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef
Lakefront summer food festivals

Know before you go.

Swim only at designated beaches; deep water lies right off the lakefront's concrete revetments.
Commuter rail lines run north along the lake and southeast toward the Indiana dunes — an easy car-free day trip.

Enjoy Illinois Illinois state parks

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Towns Lighthouses Parks Grouped pins expand when selected.

1 of 2 places mapped. 1 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.

Along the shore