Beaches of all kinds can be found along Great Lakes shores, from wooded hideaways to urban hangouts. And no matter how hot the weather, the water will always cool you off.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources DNR has identified 192 Great Lakes beaches, totaling 55 miles of public shoreline.  Water quality is tested at many of the busiest beaches.  A Web site informs beachgoers of beach health in compliance with the Federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000.

Google Earth
Google Earth is a free program from Google that puts a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. View exotic locales as well as points of interest such as local restaurants, hospitals, schools, and more.

Download Google Earth (for both Mac and PC)

Download the Google Earth Version of the Maps on this Website
After you've downloaded and installed Google Earth, you can take advantage of some of its advanced features to view the maps on this site.

OpenLayers
OpenLayers is an open-source web mapping software.  It is a project that includes the participation of software developers from around the world.

OpenLayers web mapping application including panoramas, parks, lighthouses, shipwrecks, beaches, parks, webcams, and NEXRAD radar (works in Mozilla Firefox).

Wisconsin Beach Health
http://www.wibeaches.us/

The Wisconsin Beach Health site has a state map that shows which Great Lakes (and inland) beaches are open or closed. You can also sign up to have beach advisories emailed to you.