Montrose Beach Surf Guide

Montrose Beach Surf Guide

Montrose is Chicago’s largest urban beach, located on the city’s north side at the southwest tip of Lake Michigan. It is a designated surfing beach by the Park District. Surf works on medium swells generated by NW to N winds, all the way to an E wind if powerful enough. Best conditions occur in the fall when sustained, cold NW to NE fronts hold for several hours while winds move off-shore (W to S). Shifting inner, middle, and outer sandbars create multi-sectioned waves and varying takeoff spots from swell to swell. Still, the most consistent lineup is directly off the end of the beach walkway towards the summer buoy. The beach is anchored by a prominent hook-shaped pier on its southeast end. Sections closer to the pier are often more protected from wind and cross-swell, but further north on the beach can be more sizable. Views from the lineup include protected dunes that comprise one of North America’s premier migratory bird habitats and Chicago’s downtown skyline.