WI Lakes for swimming

[Mermaid Menanna]

Today was day 1 in what will be a wonderfully busy and fun summer filled with my search for WI lakes for swimming with my tail. I know it's only April but I was eager to get started. I have made a long list of lakes that fall within about a 1 hr drive of me in Juneau, WI. My search is for nice sandy (or mostly sandy) beaches that are conducive to mermaid swimming, no restrictions for the monofin/tail, no fees other than a park entrance fee (which can be avoided with a yearly park sticker for $25), and clear, clean water (as clean as water can get in this state these days).

Today hubby & I visited 3 different lakes, a total of 6 different beaches. I took photos at the best of these beaches, and will continue to do this so I can share in my wonderful funds with other mers here in WI or who are visiting in search of a new, fun filled place to swim. All 3 of these lakes have abundant fish populations and all offer public boat launches with a $5/day launch fee.

The first lake we visited was Green Lake, located in Green Lake County. Mapquest said it was about a 1 hr drive. Hubby & I made it there in approx 45 minutes with no idea where exactly the public beach was located on the lake... so we had to search for it. Green Lake has 3 different beaches. The 1st we visited was across the street from the Hattie Sherwood Campground, and appropriately named the Hattie Sherwood Beach. I found that beach to be "nice" but not real conducive to mer swimming. It has a very tiny piece of beach front that is mostly rock and would not be so easy to get into the water without damaging a tail. The plus: it has a lifeguard during swimming season and it has bathrooms with changing rooms available, along with a small covered pavilion off the end of the building with some picnic tables. Rules are posted for easy viewing with very few limitations other than basic good behavior, no littering, etc., and instructions that guests must listen to the instructions of the lifeguard on duty. There was no lifeguard today. There is also a small pier which will be put back into place once summer season arrives and specific instructions that nobody is allowed to swim under the pier. I didn't get any photos of this beach since it's not one I plan on returning to for swimming in my tail.

The 2nd beach was better. It is called Sunset County Park and is approximately 10 minutes drive from the first beach. This beach had a little bit more sandy area and a lot less rock for entering the water, no lifeguard, and the same basic rules. I forgot my camera in the car while we were investigating this beach. Ooops! The entire "park" area is just a small stretch directly alongside of the road with very easy access and ample parking. There were no bathrooms or changing rooms at this 2nd beach. The water at this 2nd beach was a lot clearer than the other, and I expect during this summer I will return to explore what appeared to be a prominent sandbar not far from shore. There was nobody else at this beach while we were there and I was enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. :-)

The 3rd beach was called Dodge Memorial Park and at this one I was impressed. There was a vast sand beach area with 2 small sandy outlets into the water, a small playground with swings and other "toys" for the kids to play on further back from the water's edge, volleyball areas (with sand), bathrooms, 2 bbq grills, and further down to the 2nd parking area were 4 public boat launches. The swimming area is well away from the boat launches, which I especially liked. The water was clear and you could visibly see a very large sandbar further out into the water. My only disappointment in this beach was the amount of litter I observed (and some of which I managed to remove). While it was not a lot by city people's standards, it was definitely in need of some beach and water cleanup efforts... which I hope to do each time I visit this summer for swimming. I saw a number of plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and lots of plastic bottle caps, along with the trash blowing around from the family who was out there having a picnic. I did manage to get some nice photos of this beach and expect to spend a fair amount of time there this summer if possible.
One note: This 3rd beach will obviously be more crowded (especially with children) than the 2nd beach and is approximately a 7 minute drive from the 2nd beach. I found this to be a nice opportunity to spend some time in an area where I will be able to entertain the kids with my tail/mermaid swimming during the summer, and when ready for a more peaceful swim, can jump into the car and travel the 7 min down the road to a quieter location that won't attract as many children/families.
On a 1 - 10 scale with 1 being the highest rating, I would rate these 3 beaches as such:
1st beach - 7
2nd beach - 4
3rd beach - 3

Here are a few photos of the 3rd beach. 29072
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[Mermaid Menanna]

The next lake we visited today was called Long Lake, and it is located just inside the Kettle Moraine National Forest in Fon du lac County. To access this lake a park sticker is needed. (No park sticker needed at Green Lake) While Green Lake has signs posted at every beach stating no dogs/pets allowed, Long Lake offers 2 beaches with separate areas away from the public beach where pets are designated. They have them posted as "pet beaches" though I didn't investigate whether or not there was actually direct lake access from those areas.
The 2 public beaches at Long Lake are North beach and South beach.
We started at North beach where an extensive pier was observed, though not yet set up for the season. The water access from the beach was more ample than at Green Lake, but it took quite a hike to get to it from the parking area. The walk to the beach is on a short trail with wide, path-like steps framed with wood beams. I would advise anyone making this short hike to keep an eye on the path as you walk, as there were small metal "nubs" sticking out of some of the steps where it looked like maybe a railing was once attached. The climb down to the beach is all downhill, which is pretty easy, but I had to take a break and was a bit winded on the walk back to the car. (I'm out of shape, so for anyone who is in good shape this shouldn't be too difficult) At the bottom of the stairs we needed to cross a paved path, then another grassy hill down to the sand and water. There were a scattering of picnic tables in that grassy areas, but it is posted that there are no garbage cans in the area so guests are instructed to bring their own garbage disposal containers and remove all trash they create while visiting. There are no buildings or bathrooms at this beach.
The water was clear but the shoreline was littered in snail shells (some of which were quite large from pond snails) and various sticks and invasive plant litter. This beach was much more sand and less rock/pebble content than Green Lake and the water appeared deeper. (I can provide basic lake stats to anyone who wishes them) I will definitely be spending time at this beach during the summer months.
On my rating scale I would give this beach a 3.
I didn't take my camera out onto this beach, was too focused on the hike to get to it, lol. Ooops! I will get pics the next time I visit.

From here we moved onto South Beach area and again, I was impressed. The water was clear, the beach was good size with plenty of sand right down to the water. There was a scattering of picnic tables and a bathroom & changing room further back from the beach area. There was also a small playground for the kids well back from the water.
We parked in the lot for the picnic/boat launch area (I saw 3 public launch sites available but we didn't investigate these) which was well away from the swimming beach. This left us to walk down a few stairs that were concrete lined with roofing shingle sheets, and a sturdy railing, and down a short pathway to the beach area. This was much easier to access without getting winded and the short trail ran through a little wooded area with a stream on either side of the trail and some very pretty pitcher plants beginning to bloom. I could have stood and enjoyed the stream for a while if we'd had more time.
The only thing about this beach that I found to be a slight turnoff in regards to mermaid swimming were some areas of rust runoff that were scattered through the sand on the beach. While they were very pretty and sparkled with a rainbow prism of colors, I can see it would be necessary to avoid sitting or walking through these areas to avoid damaging a tail. These rust trails were further back from the water, in the sand, and widely scattered, so with a little attention & care, could be easily avoided. I am more eager to revisit South Beach than North Beach, though I will note the same thing as with Green Lake's beaches... the nicer of the 2 beaches here will likely be the more crowded in summer because of the bathroom/changing room and playground found there. It was about a 5 minute drive between the 2 beaches, so as with the other, I intend to spend time entertaining at this beach while I enjoy it, and then retire to North Beach for a bit more adult seclusion to really enjoy the water and environment. South Beach was also littered with snail shells, however, most of them were the smaller (ram's horn variety) shells vs the many large ones at North Beach, and were fewer in number. I did not see any evidence of a pier at South Beach, but that really doesn't mean much since it's too early in the season for those things to be put into place just yet. There may be one move in later when swimming season begins.
Overall rating for South Beach: 2
Here are some photos of South Beach:
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[Mermaid Menanna]

The last lake on today's trip was called Mauthe Lake (pronounced "mothy", like the insect).
I was impressed yet again with this lake, also found within the Kettle Moraine State Forest in Fon du lac County. It was approximately a 10 minute drive from Long Lake to Mauthe Lake and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking!
Mauthe Lake was for sure my favorite of today's beaches, with a fairly long stretch of nice, clean, sandy beach leading into the lake. The water was clear though I did notice quite high in tannins, as it was stained a tea color. I don't know how, if at all, this may affect mermaid tails, so I suggest proceeding with caution. Knowing what I do about tannic acid, I would suspect they may stain some light colored fabrics that are sensitive to it, especially with prolonged exposure.
Overall this was a beautiful and nice clean beach. Back from the beach area, closer to the ample parking lot, there is a small playground for kids. I would suspect this is a busy beach in warm weather. There is also a large bathroom and changing room building between the parking area and beach. No hill climbing, no stairs, the land here is very level and it's an easy walk from parking area to the beach/water. As with Long Beach, there is a separate area posted as a "pet friendly beach" and no dogs/pets are allowed on the public beach, though I did see quite a few canine paw prints in the sand leading right to the water's edge. This being the off season I suspect it's not as highly patrolled at this time of year, but that surely changes during the summer season. There are no lifeguards at either Mauthe Lake or Long Lake beaches, and aside from the average rules of no food/beverages on the beach area, littering, or bad behavior, it seemed like a pretty free and easy place to swim. There were no public boat launches visible near the Mauthe Lake beach. Further back from the beach area there was an ample scattering of picnic tables and the scenery in the entire area is just gorgeous.
The one issue I had with Mauthe Lake beach that I didn't experience at any of the others today was the extremely high population of bugs... swarms of them, though not right at the water's edge. As the sun was setting, the closer we got to the parking lot area the heavier the bug swarms became. Upon arriving at the car we noticed that the entire car was covered in flying insects (may fly midges if I am not mistaken), so adding to the swarms that engulfed us as we walked to the car, it was a challenge to get inside the vehicle without bringing them all inside with us. We did squash a few once we were in and the doors/windows were closed. I would NOT leave open windows at this area, even for a few minutes. This may change as the weather warms up, but then again, it may also just change what species of insects are swarming around. Time will tell as this will be the first beach I intend to revisit once the weather is warm enough for swimming.
We did also notice a few of those iron streaks in the sand at this beach, though far fewer from the previous beach, and easily avoided.
Because this is also within the state park, a parking sticker is required to enter. Yearly stickers are $25, daily stickers are also available for all state parks for $7/day and can be purchased at the entrance to the park area. If arriving when the small booth at the entrance is closed, cash in the exact amount is required for paying via envelope/drop box. If I remember correctly, both Mauthe Lake and Long Lake beach hours are until 9 or 11pm. (Sorry, I forget which it was...)
My rating of this beach is a 2.
Here are some photos of Mauthe Lake beach:
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[Cordelia]

Fin-tastic! Some of these beaches are really pretty, too!

[Mermaid Menanna]

They are beautiful and I am eager to get into them this summer. :-) I can't wait to see what others I can find!

[Merman Jon]

Long Lake is a nice lake to be in. I haven't swam in the lake in my tail yet. But I swam in the lake with my friends. Heck, playing with the seaweed is very fun.

[Sarafin]

Sweet thanks for sharing! We should have a meet at one of these next summer. :)

[Merman Jon]

Agreed and your welcome

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