The Singing Sand Beach on Lake Superior

Published: Wednesday, July 19, 2017

For thousands of years, waves have been moving across hundreds of miles of cold, fresh Lake Superior water to create one of the most unique beaches in the world–the beach at Julian Bay. Located on the eastern shore of Stockton Island in the Apostle Islands, it faces out over the expansive 300 miles of Lake Superior. Due to the unique shape of the sand granules, the sand ‘sings’ when you walk on it with bare feet. Only 10-20% of the world’s beaches have this quality. So, not only is this beach beautiful, but it literally calls to you.

Lake Superior contains 10% of the world’s fresh water supply. With depths of 500+ feet, it is also cool and clear. The clarity of the water offers the opportunity to view a ship wreck under less than 25’ of water on the north end of Julian Bay. Visitors can float over the remains of the wreck with a kayak or small motor dinghy to examine what remains of the ship on the lake bottom.

As one of the more visited of the 22 Apostle Islands, Stockton Island boasts 10,054 acres of wilderness including miles of hiking trails, a small National Park visitor center, and a park service-maintained harbor with dockage on the south west side. Julian Bay beach is popular for hiking, climbing the smooth granite rocks on the south west end, and wildlife viewing; birds, deer, and the occasional black bear. While hiking the trails, discover the patches of wild blueberry bushes, often picked by visitors to include in tasty breakfast pancakes. The beach at Julian Bay is surrounded by dunes, savannahs, and pine forests and is not to be missed.