Updated August 2026

Best beaches in Illinois by water quality

Illinois has 63 public beaches in the EPA monitoring dataset, 39 of them with enough bacteria samples to grade. 1 earn an A for consistently clean water, while 23 grade an F for frequently exceeding the safe-swimming limit. Full ranking below. National lists: cleanest beaches in the US and beaches that exceed bacteria limits most often.

Illinois beaches on the map

A 1

B 8

C 4

D 3

F 23

Grade	Beach	County	% over limit	Samples	Advisory
A	Illinois Beach State Park North Beach	Lake	1.9%	267	Excellent
B	Lake Forest Forest Park Beach	Lake	3.8%	234	Good
B	Illinois Beach State Park South Beach	Lake	4.8%	568	Good
B	Lake Bluff Sunrise Beach	Lake	5.7%	140	Good
B	Glencoe Park Beach	Cook	5.9%	253	Good
B	Highland Park Avenue Boating Beach	Lake	6.2%	146	Good
B	Kenilworth Beach	Cook	6.4%	218	Good
B	Lake Bluff Dog Beach	Lake	6.8%	44	Good
B	Highland Park Rosewood Beach	Lake	7%	229	Good
C	Winnetka Tower Beach	Cook	7.7%	235	Fair
C	Winnetka Maple Park Beach	Cook	7.7%	207	Fair
C	Evanston Lighthouse Beach	Cook	8.4%	95	Fair
C	Winnetka Lloyd Park Beach	Cook	8.5%	177	Fair
D	Waukegan South Beach	Lake	14.3%	161	Poor
D	North Point Marina Beach	Lake	15.5%	309	Poor
D	Waukegan North Beach	Lake	18.6%	156	Poor
F	Evanston Greenwood Beach	Cook	28.3%	92	Failing
F	Winnetka Centennial Dog Beach	Cook	28.4%	236	Failing
F	Evanston Lee Beach	Cook	29.3%	92	Failing
F	Lincoln Street Beach	Cook	29.7%	91	Failing
F	Oakwood Beach	Cook	31%	216	Failing
F	Evanston South Beach	Cook	31.5%	92	Failing
F	Foster Avenue Beach	Cook	40%	215	Failing
F	Evanston Clark Beach	Cook	40.7%	91	Failing
F	12th Street	Cook	41%	217	Failing
F	North Avenue Beach	Cook	41.4%	215	Failing
F	57th Street Beach	Cook	41.7%	216	Failing
F	Oak Street Beach	Cook	46.7%	214	Failing
F	Kathy Osterman Beach	Cook	48.6%	218	Failing
F	Loyola Ave. Beach	Cook	50.2%	217	Failing
F	Hartigan Beach	Cook	53.4%	219	Failing
F	Rainbow Beach	Cook	53.9%	219	Failing
F	Margaret T Burroughs (31st St. Beach)	Cook	54.2%	212	Failing
F	South Shore Beach	Cook	58.9%	219	Failing
F	Marion Mahoney Griffin Beach	Cook	60%	215	Failing
F	Ohio Street Beach	Cook	60.6%	216	Failing
F	Montrose Beach	Cook	63.1%	214	Failing
F	63rd Street Beach	Cook	63.9%	216	Failing
F	Calumet South Beach	Cook	66.4%	217	Failing

CSV

Download the full Illinois beach safety ranking

All 39 graded Illinois beaches with their Beach Safety Grade, exceedance rate, sample counts, and program status — from EPA monitoring data. Enter your email to download. A grade is a multi-year classification, not a same-day safety clearance.

Illinois beach grade updates

Get new grades and water-quality updates for Illinois beaches by email.

Where to stay near Illinois beaches

Find beachfront hotels, condos, and vacation rentals across Illinois — live availability and prices.

Top-rated places to stay near Illinois beaches

Prices for Oct 2–4, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Watch Illinois beach grades

Get an email when a graded Illinois beach posts a new sample or swim advisory.

Frequently Asked Questions

The table ranks Illinois beaches by Beach Safety Grade from EPA bacteria samples. Grade A beaches have the fewest exceedances of the safe-swimming limit.

Hotels, condos, and vacation rentals for Illinois beaches are on the map on this page. Compare water quality in the table, then book from the town you actually want to swim from.

Illinois beaches vary. Of 39 graded beaches, 1 earn an A for the fewest bacteria exceedances and 23 earn an F for exceeding the safe-swimming limit most often. A grade is a multi-year record, not a same-day clearance — check the county advisory the day you swim.

The day you swim. A grade is a history of samples, not a same-day clearance — check the county advisory before you get in.