Great Lakes beaches are rated
A lengthy stretch of sandy Lake Michigan beach is deserted on a sunny afternoon at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Partly because of the absence of big crowds, Sleeping Bear was the winner in the initial ranking of the top five Great Lakes beaches by Stephen Leatherman, also known as "Dr. Beach." (June 29, 2011) Credit: AP
It finally happened. The famous Dr. Beach acknowledged that the Great Lakes have great beaches worth mentioning.
For years, Stephen Leatherman, director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, resisted because his expertise was ocean beaches.
The top-five Great Lakes beaches list names Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore beaches No. 1. Presque Isle State Park on Lake Erie in Erie, Pa., was ranked second, followed by Michigan's Sand Point Beach at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior. Bayfield Main Beach on Lake Huron in Bayfield, Ontario, and Oak Street Beach on Lake Michigan in Chicago round out the top five.
Beaches were evaluated on such attributes as cleanliness, width and sand quality.
