Edgewater and Huntington get a lot of the summer attention, and the shoreline east of downtown deserves just as much. The beaches on the east side of Cleveland start in Collinwood and Euclid along Lake Shore Boulevard and keep going through Lake County into Ashtabula County.
They are listed here in order heading east, so you can pick by how far you want to drive. For the west side beaches and the inland lake options, see every beach near Cleveland on the map.
Swimming conditions on Lake Erie change from day to day. Check the beach’s status and any water advisories before you go.
Heading east on Lake Erie
East side beaches, closest first
Collinwood
Euclid Beach Park
Best for: A city beach with a pier
Euclid Beach Park is a Cleveland Metroparks beach on the grounds of the former amusement park along Lake Shore Boulevard in Collinwood. It has a long pier, trails and one of the Cleveland script signs, and Villa Angela Beach sits right next door.
It is usually less crowded than the west side beaches, which makes it an easy choice for east siders who want sand and lake views without a long drive. Walk the pier, then follow the shore over to Villa Angela. The script sign makes a good photo stop if you have visitors in town.
Euclid
Kenneth J. Sims Park
Best for: A neighborhood beach in Euclid
Kenneth J. Sims Park is a Euclid city park with a public beach on Lake Erie, known as Sims Beach, on Lakeshore Boulevard east of Collinwood. It is a short hop from Euclid Beach and Villa Angela, so you can see more than one stretch of the east side shore in the same afternoon.
For people in Euclid, Wickliffe and the nearby suburbs, it is the closest beach to home.
Mentor
Headlands Beach State Park
Best for: A full day on the sand
Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor is Ohio’s largest natural sand beach, a state park on Lake Erie with swimming and picnic areas. It is the one to choose for a whole day at the beach, and it draws the biggest crowds of any beach in the area. The picnic areas make it easy to stay through lunch and into the afternoon.
Head toward the east end if you want it to feel wilder and less built up. Fairport Harbor sits just across the Grand River, so the two are easy to combine.
Fairport Harbor
Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park Beach
Best for: Accessible facilities
Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park is a Lake Metroparks beach with an accessible boardwalk, changing rooms and picnic tables. The boardwalk makes it a good choice for anyone using a wheelchair or pushing a stroller down to the water.
The changing rooms and picnic tables also make it an easy base for a long afternoon, and it is close enough to Headlands to visit both in one trip.
Geneva
Geneva State Park (Breakwater Beach)
Best for: A weekend at the lake
Geneva State Park in Ashtabula County has a long beach at Breakwater Beach, along with camping, cabins and a lodge, so it works for a weekend as well as a day. It is one of the best-liked beaches in the region.
If you are staying over, the beach is right there for a morning walk before the day gets going, and Walnut Beach in Ashtabula is a short drive farther east.
Ashtabula
Walnut Beach Park
Best for: A quieter beach day at the far end
Walnut Beach Park is a large public beach in an Ashtabula city park on Walnut Boulevard. It is the farthest drive on this list, and it is usually quieter than the beaches closer to Cleveland.
Pair it with Geneva if you are making a day of the Ashtabula County shore, or treat it as the destination on a summer weekend when the closer beaches are full.
The lay of the shore
How the east side shoreline is laid out
Inside Cuyahoga County, the east side beaches sit along Lake Shore Boulevard in Collinwood and Euclid, close enough to reach quickly from University Circle, the Heights or downtown. Past Euclid, the shore runs through Lake County, where Headlands in Mentor and Fairport Harbor face each other across the mouth of the Grand River.
Geneva and Ashtabula are in Ashtabula County, the farthest stretch of shore covered here. That end of the lake is the place to go when you want the drive to be part of the day and you are happy to trade a longer trip for more room on the sand.
Planning
Choosing an east side beach for the day you want
For an hour or two after work, Euclid Beach and Sims Park are the practical picks, since both sit on Lakeshore Boulevard inside Cuyahoga County. For a full beach day with room to spread out, drive to Headlands in Mentor. For a weekend with camping or a lodge room, Geneva is the park set up for it.
To see the most shoreline in one trip, start at Headlands and Fairport Harbor, then continue east along the lake to Geneva and finish at Walnut Beach.
West of downtown
If you would rather stay on the west side
Edgewater Beach off the Shoreway has swimming, a beach house and skyline views, and it is popular for sunset walks and summer evenings. Perkins Beach, below Cliff Drive just west of Edgewater, is small and better suited to a shoreline walk.
Huntington Beach in Bay Village has picnic areas, trails and fishing nearby, with Honey Hut ice cream by the beach. Lakeview Park Beach is Lorain’s main public beach, and for an inland option, Wallace Lake in Berea has a beach area in the Mill Stream Run Reservation, with Wallace Lake Grille right at the water.
Good to know
Questions before you go.
Can I bring my dog to an east side beach?
Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park has a separate area where dogs can swim. On the west side, the K-9 Coastline dog beach at Edgewater Park is another option.
Where is the best place to look for beach glass?
At Geneva State Park, beach glass hunters walk the quieter stretch between the main beach and the campground.
West side and inland too
See every beach near Cleveland
The <a href="/guides/best-beaches-cleveland/">full beach guide</a> maps the Lake Erie shore from Lorain to Ashtabula, plus inland lake beaches in the Metroparks.