Neshotah Beach near downtown, six miles of sand at Point Beach State Forest, and the old shorelines in between, with a plain word on swim safety.
The beaches in Two Rivers Wisconsin sit on one stretch of Lake Michigan shore, and one of them is about 0.8 miles from the middle of town. Neshotah Beach is the groomed town beach, and the long, quiet sand of Point Beach State Forest runs north of it, with a state natural area of old shorelines in between. Below: each beach in turn, a plain word on swimming safety, and which one I would pick for which kind of day.
Neshotah Beach: the town beach
Neshotah Park is at 2111 Pierce Street, about 0.8 miles east of the middle of Two Rivers in a straight line. The Manitowoc visitor bureau describes a 50-acre groomed sand beach with swimming areas, volleyball and launch areas for kayaks and jet skis. Its beach page also lists a beach house with a bathhouse, restrooms and a concession stand, plus playgrounds, courts, picnic shelters and the Rawley Point bike trail. That page is undated, so treat the amenity list as a guide and not a promise for the day you go.
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A visitor in July 2025 wrote that the portable toilets were clean, that a second set of restrooms sits at a concession stand toward the middle, and that another stand sells slushies and boba tea in the parking lot at one end of the beach. The same reviewer noted that glass containers are not allowed, that parking was easy with overflow space, and that a posted sign said leashed dogs were allowed from 6 to 10 AM on the main beach. Rules change, so read the signs at the entrance before you unload the dog.
A September 2022 reviewer called the sand fine and soft for a barefoot walk, and a June 2022 reviewer mentioned a changing house and an outdoor shower for rinsing off. An August 2026 reviewer called it a great spot for families, and a June 2026 reviewer came for a Beach Bash. Milwaukee Magazine, in a May 2025 day-trip piece, calls Neshotah the more developed of the two Two Rivers beaches, with concessions, a tented stage for live music and parking at the edge of the sand.
Point Beach State Forest: six miles of sand
North of town the shore changes character. The DNR says Point Beach State Forest has about 6 miles of sandy Lake Michigan beach, and Milwaukee Magazine calls that shoreline undeveloped. The forest entrance at 9400 County Road O is about 2.5 miles north-northeast of Neshotah Park in a straight line. The DNR lists the forest as open from 6 AM to 11 PM every day of the year, and a vehicle admission sticker is required. The state changes its rates, so check the current prices on the DNR site before you drive up.
The DNR puts down beach access mats at the lighthouse and lakeshore parking lots in summer, which helps if you are pushing a stroller or a wheelchair across loose sand. A 2022 family guide adds that the Nature Center Lodge concession is open seasonally. A June 2026 reviewer wrote that the sand felt like the ocean, and another that month loved the dog beach and the ice cream. A September 2026 visitor wrote of seeing otters and a pelican on a quiet day with few people around.
Campground, trails and lighthouse history have their own page: Point Beach State Forest.
To sleep near the sand, start with campgrounds in Two Rivers.
Point Beach Ridges: the beach behind the beach
Between the two main beaches lies Point Beach Ridges, a 558-acre State Natural Area inside the forest. The DNR counts 11 alternating ridges and swales that run parallel to today's Lake Michigan shoreline, and every one of them is an old beach. They formed over the last 8,000 years as glacial Lake Nipissing slowly dropped, and the state designated the site a State Natural Area in 1971. Walking inland, the DNR notes white pine and hemlock on the ninth ridge.
The DNR's own page for the natural area gives an odd entry point: a small, unmarked pull-off on the east side of County Highway O, about 1.3 miles north of its junction with State Highway 42, then a walk east along an overgrown lane. The same page says vehicles entering the forest need a state park sticker, and that camping, drones and collecting plants are generally prohibited here. The listing sits about 1.1 miles northeast of Neshotah Park in a straight line.
An August 2024 reviewer rode a bike through and found nothing blocking the trails, and a December 2021 reviewer pointed out that the Ice Age Trail cuts through. The Ice Age Trail's Point Beach Segment runs 10.0 miles, according to the 2023 Ice Age Trail Atlas. In winter the DNR grooms the Ridges Trail for classic skiing in loops of 3, 5.5 and 7.25 miles.
Rawley Point: the shore that ends at a lighthouse
The far end of the forest beach is Rawley Point, about 4.6 miles north-northeast of Neshotah Park in a straight line. Rawley Point Lighthouse is a steel tower 113 feet above the lake, operated by the Coast Guard. The DNR says tours are normally not available, and visitors can view and photograph the tower from the beach.
Visit Two Rivers describes the Rawley Point Trail as about 6 miles of hard-packed limestone linking Two Rivers to the forest, with its north end at the lighthouse. That makes a bike ride from Neshotah to the northern sand possible, though I would check the surface and the season before trusting any single page, mine included.
Swimming safety and water quality
Lake Michigan is not a pool, and the beaches here ask you to look after yourself. The DNR states plainly that Wisconsin state park properties have no lifeguards, which covers Point Beach State Forest. I found no dated source saying whether Neshotah has a posted guard, so call the park office on 920-793-5592 if that matters for your group.
For rip currents, the DNR advises flipping onto your back and floating, then swimming perpendicular to the current instead of fighting it. The DNR also says never to swim alone, to keep children within arm's reach and to check the National Weather Service beach forecast before and during your visit. A news summary of a National Weather Service Green Bay beach hazards statement for July 20 and 21, 2026 said it warned of high waves and strong currents and named both Neshotah Beach and Point Beach.
Water quality is tested through the state's beach program, which watches Great Lakes beaches for E. coli and uses it to decide when to close one. The DNR points beachgoers to its Beach Health site for current closings and advisories. It has happened here: in June 2018 county health officials closed Neshota Beach after a sample topped 1,000 colony forming units of E. coli, and it reopened under an advisory. That was one summer eight years ago, but it is the reason I look at the advisory map before I put kids in the water.
Which beach for which day
Here is my local judgement, and you can disagree with it. In my judgement, Neshotah suits a short afternoon with kids, a snack and a bathroom nearby, since it sits about 0.8 miles from the middle of town and has concessions on site. For a long walk with room to spread out, I would drive north to Point Beach State Forest and bring a sticker. For something odder, walk the ridges and think about each one as a shoreline the lake left behind. Pair any of them with a day around town.
When the sand is done, look through the restaurants in Two Rivers for dinner.
Beaches in Two Rivers are public shoreline you share with the weather, so check the forecast, bring water and leave the sand cleaner than you found it.
Frequently asked questions
Published November 2, 2026
