Rock Hunters Delight!

February 22, 2009 12:18 PM

Are there any good rock hunting beaches in the southern half of Lake Michigan? Or just pebbly beahces as compared to the sandy dune topography I'm familiar with?

In anticipation of warmer weather, I'd like think about wading in water looking for cool rocks, but I don't want to go as far as Lake Superior. So anything within a day trip from Chicago - other lakes or river locations welcome as well.

posted by readery to science & nature (7 comments total)

It is a very LONG day's drive from Chicago, but..

Petoskey
posted by HuronBob at 1:13 PM on February 22

The river in Kickapoo State Park down here by Champaign has a really nice rocky shore. I picked up a bunch of rocks there a couple of weekends ago.
posted by MsMolly at 3:02 PM on February 22

Thanks MsMolly, this looks like just the thing - I'm glad to see it's going to stay open. I may make it an overnight and camp, if budget cuts don't close it up.

Huron Bob - I love Petoskey - all the upper great lakes are awesome for rock lovers, wish I could get up there more often.
posted by readery at 6:24 PM on February 22

I think the place where we went down to the river was what's marked on this map as the road that goes past Sportsman's Lake. There are probably other good rocky parts of the river, but that one was definitely nice.
posted by MsMolly at 6:40 PM on February 22

Indiana Dunes. Yeah, I didn't know Indiana had beaches either till I went there. Its tricky.
posted by hal_c_on at 7:16 PM on February 22

Last time I went to one of the beaches along the Indiana Dunes national lakeshore, that beach had about a 2-foot wide bed of pebbles and rocks you had to walk across to get to the water. My feet hurt after walking on them. Unfortunately I don't remember which beach it was because it wasn't my usual beach.
posted by IndigoRain at 7:17 PM on February 22

Indigo Rain, might it have been one of the beaches on the eastern end of the Dunes, by Michigan City? I remember a beach like that too, with a lot of rip tide signs.
posted by readery at 6:35 AM on February 23