As you drive out to Agate Beach, it can feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s 20 miles to the nearest store, after all, and you might pass one or two cars on the way. Turn the corner into the beach park, however, and you’re greeted by a surprising sight — campers relaxing by the fire, kids playing on the playground, and families scattered along the Lake Superior shore.
Agate Beach is remote, but it’s a popular summer escape. For more than 125 years, locals have come here to follow in the Finnish tradition of their ancestors — making the most of the hard-earned warm weather with swimming, berry-picking, and community.
Agate Beach
Agate Beach sits on Misery Bay, just up the shore from the Misery Bay Beach, but it has a completely different vibe. It’s often busy, especially on weekends in the summer — ideal if you like a lively feeling or if you’re bringing kids. Pack sandals or water shoes; the beach and the bottom of Lake Superior are relatively rocky.
Below the main campground, the beach is fairly narrow. Expect a steady stream of people to wander by your towel.
Prefer a wide, sandy beach? Here’s the secret: don’t go down to the beach by the community building. Keep driving past the campsites on the left until the road ends in a loop. Park here and head down to the water — the beach is bigger and prettier, with plenty of sand and fewer rocks. Most of the campground crowd stays on the other side, so it’s also quieter. The Little Elm River empties into Lake Superior nearby, creating a shallow area for kids to play.
About the Beach and Park
If you’re spending the day at Agate Beach, you can use the picnic areas that overlook Lake Superior. most have picnic tables and grills. The best spots are on the right as you enter the park.
- Day-use hours are sunrise to 11PM
- There are bathrooms near the campground and along the park road.
- Pets are allowed as long as they’re on a leash and in control
The park also has a boat launch that’s open for public use. The ramp is extremely long and relatively steep. Make sure to watch carefully as you’re backing down; beachgoers often use the launch as path, and there may be kids playing at the bottom.
If you’re visiting in the summer, bring snacks and stick around at the end of the day. The beach offers a beautiful view of the sunset over the lake.
Agate Beach Campground
Agate Beach Park, which is managed by Stanton Township, has a large rustic campground. There are no electric hookups. You can set up in the main area (in photo above) or along the park road. The sites along the road are nicer — the main campground tends to attract RVs with loud generators.
For 2023, campsites are $20 per night. Bring cash or checks, and put your payment in the pay pole by the community building. Spots are first-come, first-served, so try to get there early on weekend days; this is one of the more popular campgrounds near Houghton, MI.
How to Get to Agate Beach
Agate Beach is located 24 miles from Houghton on the southeastern side of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. Most of the drive is paved (though rough) roads, but the last mile or so is gravel. The GPS coordinates are: 47.039045, -88.926062. (You can also put the park name into Google Maps.)
Directions to Agate Beach
- From Houghton, drive 14.5 miles south on M-26
- After you reach Toivola, turn right on Misery Bay Road
- Drive 5.9 miles
- Turn right at the sign for Agate Beach (just after the Toivola fire hall)
- Drive 1 mile and turn right onto Agate Beach Road
- Drive 2 miles and turn left at the T-intersection to continue on Agate Beach Road.
- Follow the road 0.7 miles to the beach park
If you’re using Google Maps, it might tell you to turn left before the T-intersection. Ignore it — the road it wants you to take doesn’t exist. Just keep driving up to the stop sign and take a left.
There are plenty of parking spots along the park road, including several that are reserved for day-use visitors.
History of Agate Beach
People have been exploring the Agate Beach area for thousands of years — there’s evidence that prehistoric indigenous people were mining copper and traveling through the Keweenaw 7,000 years ago.1 Eventually, the area was populated by Anishinaabe people (including the Ojibwe) who migrated around Lake Superior from Newfoundland in Canada. French fur traders and Jesuit priests arrived in the 1600s.
Agate Beach became a gathering place for Finnish immigrants in the late 1800s. A small group of settlers created the nearby community of Toivola in 1893.2 They began to make the trek to Lake Superior to enjoy the warm summer weather, and eventually built a community hall at the beach.
This tradition continues today — in fact, locals still celebrate the Midsummer festival of Juhannus with a big bonfire by Lake Superior. Descendants of the original Toivola residents (and other Yoopers in the know) make the journey to Agate Beach every summer.
Things to do Nearby
If the beach is too busy for you, head down the shore to Misery Bay. For warmer water, visit beaches near Houghton, MI or go swimming in Twin Lakes State Park.
Sources
1 .”Timeline of Michigan Copper Mining Prehistory to 1850.” Keweenaw National Historic Park, National Park Service. Accessed 16 July 2023.
2. Holmio, Armas K.E. History of the Finns in Michigan. Wayne State University Press, 2001, pp. 113-115.