At a Glance

• Castle Park Reserve protects critically-important dune habitat on the Lake Michigan shoreline. The reserve can be accessed by walking along the beach. The nearest public access point is Laketown Beach, about a mile to the south. Please respect the private property between Laketown Beach and the reserve and walk close to the water’s edge.
• Trail length: No trail.
• Before you visit, check out our preserve guidelines. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Conservation Value

Castle Park Reserve protects nearly 400 feet of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline in a designated Critical Dune area. Together with Dune Pines Nature Preserve and an adjacent privately-held conservation easement, Castle Park Reserve is part of a natural area that protects more than 50 acres of lakeshore habitat.

What’s New

The Land Conservancy is working on a long-term restoration effort at Castle Park Reserve to re-vegetate and stabilize a dune that has been degraded by past human activity.

Several research projects have been conducted at Castle Park Reserve in recent years to study innovative dune restoration techniques being implemented on the reserve. One study focused on the relationship between dune movement and an invasive species, while others focused on using sand fences and vegetation planting to stabilize eroding dunes.