Montrose Beach

Located in Chicago’s neighborhood of Uptown, Montrose Beach – also known as Montrose Avenue Beach – is a popular beach with light brown sand and a nearby curved cement pier.  Montrose Beach is a part of a larger recreational park named Lincoln Park.

Montrose Beach has been listed as one of the “The 9 best beaches in Chicago for a taste of the lake life” by Lonely Planet magazine and it was also listed as one of the “The 25 best Chicago beaches” by Time Out Chicago magazine.  It is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  Montrose Beach is open from 6 am to 11 pm.

Montrose Beach has lifeguards from the Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day – during this time, lifeguards are on duty here between 11 am and 7 pm.  In addition to lifeguards, this beach has many other amenities including Wi-Fi connection, launching facilities for watercraft, concession stands, showers, barbecue areas, restrooms, volleyball courts, a beach house containing changing rooms, a nearby soccer/football field, a nearby playground, nearby recreational grassy areas, a nearby harbor, a nearby baseball field, a nearby skatepark, and rental facilities for watersports equipment, volleyball, and watercraft.

Dogs are allowed without a leash in the northwestern portion of Montrose Beach and this dog friendly portion is called Montrose Dog Beach.  If you are planning to visit this dog-friendly area with your pet, you can visit The Montrose Dog Beach Park Advisory Council’s website for more information regarding the dog-friendly area rules and the certification required for visiting pets.

Montrose Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, wildlife watching, picnicking, swimming, surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, surf-skiing, jet-skiing, boating, scuba diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing, parasailing, and biking.  Montrose Beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers, snorkelers, kayakers, canoers, and paddleboarders because the water here usually has manageable waves and is considerably shallow.  Its clarity also makes it ideal for snorkelers. 

If you like long-distance swimming, there is a long-distance swimming area that starts near a lifeguard tower named Tower 4 and this swimming area is parallel to Montrose Beach’s shoreline.  Tower 4 is located to the north of Montrose Beach’s beach house.  A swim club named Friday Morning Swim Club also organizes fun swimming meetups on Friday mornings at the nearby Montrose Harbor during summers.  Montrose Beach is popular with kitesurfers and windsurfers because it is the only beach in Chicago where kitesurfing and windsurfing are allowed.  

If you are planning to swim, kayak, surf, canoe, paddleboard, or snorkel near Montrose Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  Please also note that swimming near Montrose Beach is permitted only within the designated swimming areas and when the lifeguards are on duty. 

Kitesurfers and windsurfers can only exit and enter Lake Michigan from two sites on Montrose Beach and these sites are adjacent to Montrose Dog Beach and a nearby sanctuary named Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary.  If you like fishing, the cement pier near Montrose Beach’s south eastern end is an ideal fishing site.  If you like taking pictures with incredible views, the pier near Montrose Beach also offers amazing views of Lake Michigan and coastal Chicago.

Montrose Beach offers wheelchair access for visitors with disabilities and it has an accessible walkway for people with disabilities.

Getting to Montrose Beach is easy – this beach is located near 4400 North Lake Shore Drive and there are also paid parking lots near the beach, along with free and paid street parking spaces.

We recommend visiting Montrose Beach early during summers because this beach can get considerably crowded.

Montrose Beach hosts many fun events throughout the year including a marvellous fireworks show on the 3rd of July, many local summer camps for kids, a beach soccer festival, and numerous charity-related events.

There are many great attractions near Montrose Beach.  If you like birdwatching, Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary is a waterfront bird sanctuary that is adjacent to Montrose Beach and is home to more than 300 migratory and resident bird species including thrushes, many kinds of sparrows, falcons, purple martins, and owls.  This sanctuary is frequently visited by birdwatchers in Spring and Autumn.  Montrose Beach Dunes Natural Area is a natural area that preserves many kinds of local habitats including sand dunes and wetlands – this natural area offers a fun hiking experience and a unique insight into the beautiful local landscape and biodiversity.  Lincoln Park Zoo is a 35-acre zoo that is one of the oldest zoos in the United States and it is also home to 200 animal species including gibbons, black rhinos, iguanas, many birds, and black bears – this zoo also has fun rides for kids including a carousel and a toy train.  Oz Park is a recreational park that has interesting statues based on characters from the famous book The Wizard of Oz – this park also offers many other amenities including tennis courts, a playground, ball fields, benches, a garden named “Emerald Garden,” restrooms, and basketball courts.  If you are looking for another attraction near Montrose Beach, 360 Chicago Observation Deck is an observation area that offers amazing, Instagram-worthy, and unique downward-facing views of the city of Chicago. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Montrose Beach.  Alinea is an extremely popular fine dining restaurant that offers a variety of delicious dishes with innovative and modern culinary influences.  This restaurant has been awarded three MICHELIN stars and the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Restaurant in the U.S.”  Boka Restaurant – also called Boka – is another popular upscale restaurant that offers delicious seasonal American-inspired cuisine.  The Piggery is known for serving a variety of delicious pork dishes including Cuban sandwiches, burgers, tacos, and pork ribs.  BienMeSabe Venezuelan Cafe & Restaurant is a Venezuelan restaurant that is known for serving a variety of delicious Venezuelan dishes including arepas, empanadas, tequenos, and tostones.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Montrose Beach, Windy City Gyros serves amazing gyros and it also serves amazing burgers, chicken platters, sandwiches, hot dogs, seafood, salads, and Mexican dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Montrose Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Waldorf Astoria Chicago offers many amenities including a fitness center, a pool, a spa, a restaurant, and a bar.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Hotel Lincoln that offers many amenities including a fitness center, a bar, seasonal bike rental facilities, a bar, a restaurant, and a coffee shop.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Best Western Plus Hawthorne Terrace Hotel that offers many amenities including complimentary breakfast and a fitness center with a hot tub and a sauna.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Montrose Beach, 3-Star Hotel Versey Days Inn by Wyndham Chicago offers many interesting local artworks and it also has a lobby lounge and nearby retail stores.