Montrose Beach

I come here mostly to run, and take in the views of Montrose Harbor, and Lake Michigan. Parking is great; along with the option to do many other things that are in the area. Me being a runner I’m attracted to Cricket Hill, and also the Track field, which is in short distance from Montrose Beach.
One of the many peaceful places along the Lakefront where you can run, swim, tan, walk your dog, meditate, or read a book on one of the concrete benches along the outline of the beach. There is also an open area where you can play flag football, fly a kite, or throw your Frisbee. Located in between the beach and harbor there is a bike share pick up or drop off if you’re interested in getting a bike ride in, but don’t have a bike!
Enjoy!

The beach has plenty of free parking which I love by the way, but it also has plenty of garbage laying around which includes broken glass bottles, be really careful if you wanna walk barefoot.

My very favorite beach. It has great paths to run on, a large beach with volleyball, plenty of park space to grill out, a wonderful restaurant on the beach with live music, a diverse and eclectic bunch of people, and a bird sanctuary. There are paths that can take you down the lakefront to the harbors or north to more beaches. It is nestled away from the city and really feels like a getaway. We love hanging out here.
My favorite oasis in Chicago.

I was in the area recently for a family reunion of sorts and I was pleased to find that our house was less than a mile from the lakefront path and Montrose Beach. I am a runner so I decided this would be where I would get my cardio on in the mornings.
Unfortunately, the weather turned from springtime back to wintertime during my visit…35−40 degrees and snow! But that was not going to stop me!
The path close to Lakeshore Drive was clean and well-​maintained. I saw plenty of other runners and bikers and I never felt unsafe.
I was hoping for nicer weather to be able to enjoy the beach a bit more, but from what I saw it looks like it would be lovely in the summertime! Great views of the city and several other park amenities (track, playgrounds, etc).
I believe there is also free parking (the FREE part being the important part) which makes it convenient on another level.

Walking on the lakeshore path, watching the joggers come and go, and laying on the rock for a quiet, comfy nap was a five (5)-star experience, except minus one (1) star for forgetting my travel pillow and blanket.
Coming to the Montrose Beach was a spontaneous plan this Sunday afternoon. It has been quite surprisingly for the warm weather in early October. We Chicagoans should take a full advantage of this blessing from our dear Mother Nature because I’m sure that her mood will soon change for the worst!
Parking is free if you can find a spot nearby. Otherwise, the CTA busses that serve the inner and outer lakeshore drives should get you there close enough. I’m not an exercise junkie or a gym class hero, so I simply came for the pleasure of appreciating the lovely sky, embracing the gentle breeze, and perhaps a little bit of people-​watching if I’m still, somehow, awake.

It’s not that far from my place so I like shooting here. Specially family sessions. The beach. The sand. The rocks. The woods. Beautiful trees. Everything is here.
As a photographer I enjoy this place. Meeting with my clients and sometimes I stop by just For fun!
P

There was trash everywhere, from broken glass to dirty diapers.
The small rocks were everywhere I walked.
I almost stepped on a needle!!!
The water was suspiciously warm.

So I more view this as 3.5 stars, but I’ll round up to 4 just because it’s fun to people watch both on the beach, and other parts of this park are also nice (i.e. the pier, the dog beach, bird/​nature preserve, Cricket Hill, the southern point where you see boats enter/​leave the harbor). Heard a rumor that the park district might close the dog beach part because of rising water levels, and I’d sure like to hope that rumor isn’t true. Since the dog beach part and watching the dogs play, was always one of my favorite parts about this beach. And I almost don’t need to say this beats overcrowded and more yuppie North Ave. Beach, anyday. The bathrooms nearby in the park are meh, but in my experiences most Chicago park district bathrooms that aren’t part of a staffed park district fieldhouse are usually dirty anyway. And I’ve been known to be sneaky and desperately pee in odd corners, when the bathrooms by here close outside of the spring-​fall months they’re open. :)
Not sure about the weekends, but weekdays when I was with family who drove here not long ago, we didn’t have problem parking on the street. Hate that the park district recently switched the off street parking lots to paid lots only a few years back, but you can still park on the streets that run through the park for free. If parking is difficult and you struggle to find a free street parking space within the park, remember the 78 Montrose bus drops you off with a very easy walk to the beach, as long as you visit during summer months (runs as east as Marine Drive, the rest of the year). Divvy also has a bike station slightly west of the beach, which is another plus. It appeared to me on my most recent visit that Divvy actually added additional bike docks here, so cheers to them.

As a visitor to Chicago I didn’t know how amazing the beaches are in the city! But now I do! Wow! We had so much fun at Montrose Beach! It didn’t even feel like a lake to me, more like the ocean! The beach was crowded but we weren’t on top of each other. The beach was very clean. The signs and snack stand looked vintage — so cute! We found free parking but had to walk a bit, no big deal though! I hope to return again!

We found parking not far from our destination, but I’m lucky like that. There is ample free parking, fyi. First, we walked through the Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary, my bff and I are nature lovers so this was a special treat for us. Next, we took a walk on the pier and spoke to some of the fishermen/​women and had delightful conversations. Finally we ended up at «The Dock.» The service was very good for the volume they serve. Yummy food and drinks. We had refreshing Mojitos and a light supper. I had grilled veggies and they were very satisfying. The music was awesome that night. They had an Allman Brother’s cover band that I loved.
We had a Montrose Beach vacation, that’s what it felt like anyway.

I love Montrose cause of the whole parking set up. Normally I’m always able to score a free spot. With that said I kinda find this beach boring. Don’t quote me but I even feel like there’s less sand here than other beaches and the view of the skyline isn’t as great. A beach is a beach though so I’ll be back.

Love this beach! I always come here with my friends in the summer for a beach day. It is not as crowded as the north beach. The paid parking there is pretty large so it is always easy to find a spot. It is however tough to find free parking

This beach is pretty awesome. The best part, of course, is the free parking! It might be a bit difficult to find a spot, but I’ll circle around for a while to save $$ on parking!
I didn’t go down to the water, but I love all the grassy picnic spots up and down this beach. Makes a great place to spend a sunny afternoon!
I’ve also attended a few festivals here in the distant past and I know they hold concerts occasionally, which I think is awesome.

This beach is mediocre.
I mean, all beaches can get kind of dirty, right?
But Montrose Beach is probably the most nastiest so far. I mean, the washrooms are DISGUSTING!
Most people take a nasty a** sh** and don’t even bother to flush. Bottles, condoms and urine, etc, can be found ALL over the floor.
But all beach bathrooms are nasty so… Yeah
The little restaurant/​bar is cool to go see a band performance. But don’t ask me how the food is, because I did not eat there.
I believe we even spoke to some of the band members when we went this past Summer 2014. LOL
The water is, kind of gross to be honest. And I could barely even swim, even though it was around 60°F to 70°F.
The swarm of seagulls, FREAKED ME OUT!
And I have a phobia of seagulls, so, I was trying to avoid them the best of my ability.
But, that swarm/​cage/​area for them is quite pointless to me. And they just come snapping at you, and snatch food from people left and right.
We where trying to eat our food in peace!
Foster is definitely my go-​to beach. It is WAY cleaner, and better for barbecues/​picnics/​parties in my opinion.
Overall, just skip it, if you’re a germaphobe I guess.

Came here late on a Friday night after grabbing some tacos. It was windy, but still a perfect night out for tacos and conversation with a pretty girl.
Plenty of free street parking and no harassment from the cops, even though it was after closing hours.

Love this beach! It’s not my favorite, but it’s pretty good.
First good thing about it? Parking! Tons and TONS of free parking! There’s even parking for my bike at a bike rack.
Next, there’s a lot here. There’s a harbor with boats and athletic fields. It’s not JUST a beach.
Third, the beach itself is not that crowded. As a result, it’s decently clean. You don’t have to worry about trash and broken glass.
Fourth, there are nice facilities. There are lockers, bathrooms, a bathroom, and a fountain for drinking water AND cleaning sand off of your feet.
Fifth, there are water sport rentals. You can get a jet ski, kayak, or paddle board. It’s a nice option if you want to mix up your beach activities. Oh — and besides that, there are good places for fishing off of the harbor.
Sixth (and this really isn’t a plus for me), it’s a dog beach.

Is an easy walk from my apartment so I love going there in the summer months. There is a bar/​restaurant and they have live bands almost every night. Fun and cheap activity.

I came here with a group of friends on a Saturday afternoon. Although Montrose Beach wasn’t as crowded as North Avenue Beach, it was still difficult to find parking (the bf circled around for ~45 min). However, parking was free.
Oh and did I mention there were random shards of glass from broken beer bottles scattered around the beach?

I am absolutely biased because I live a mile away from here.
…but I really enjoy this beach because it isn’t crazy crowded like North Avenue and it’s tucked away from all the sounds of Lake Shore Drive. I enjoy that there are some opportunistic people along the beach or grass selling tacos, mangoes, ice cream, beer and pop.
I enjoy the diversity of this beach as well, singles, couples, families, young, old… it makes me appreciate living so close to a mini-​city getaway.

Every Friday we head here during summer camp… Not bad. Well guarded and near concessions. Watch out for glass in the sand and some trash that is probably unavoidable being a city beach. But overall it is a decent, free, place to set up camp and enjoy the lake.

There’s lots of doggie bombs and babies so watch out when playing Frisbee. Your amount of fun can definitely be determined by whether or not you fall into shit or kick a toddler in the head.
Fortunately I avoided both on my last trip up this way so it wasn’t a bad experience, but this beach is pretty crowded, kinda dirty, and doesn’t have close to the same eye candy you’ll find at the others.
There’s free parking which is a benefit, but other than that it’s a sandy crotch.

I wish I came here when it wasn’t so crowded, but I guess even that was an interesting experience. And I’m sorry, but any «beach» here in the Midwest should have quotation marks. I’m used to real beaches, with salty ocean water, huge rolling waves, and surfers up and down the coast. This is coming from a Southern California girl :)
Anyway! Came here on July 6^th, which happened to be a Saturday /​one of the days for some weekend long EDC festival. So you can imagine the cars/​traffic, crowds, and loaded ravers. It was a bit of an overcast day but HOT, so I enjoyed my $ 1.50 popsicle and some frisbee throwing. I miss the beaches in Cali, but this will have to do for now.
Maybe I’ll add a star in my next review if I am able to experience the beach on a less crowded day. All the other reviews talk about free parking, which is definitely a plus in my book.

Nice beach, free parking, only issue can be some over-​crowding. Come early to avoid it and you should be fine.
The beach is rather large here and you can always find a spot not too near anyone else to set up camp. Many people stay the day and have coolers and food nearby.
I enjoy the the dog beach is right next door. I’ve brought my pup over to the dog beach, then crossed the fence over to this beach for a picnic (without dogs getting into the food). Lots of families, lots of groups of friends.
There is food available nearby and there are always vendors walking around the beach itself. I’ve never had any issues with the beach being unclean.
All in all, a great way to spend a lazy summer day with friends.

Ahhhhh! May day at the beach
Light breezes
Powerful sun
A solitary red beach chair
An expanse of soft white sand
And that I’ve-been-to-the-beach smell
Bring on summer, all you gods of prairies and dunes!