Crystal Lake Beaches Open Saturday, Offer Relief From Heat

Residents looking to cool down during the anticipated hot and steamy Memorial Day weekend can find respite at Crystal Lake’s area beaches, where new amenities have been added.

Main Beach, West Beach and the Lake House Beach at Three Oaks Recreation Center are scheduled to open Saturday, May 26.

Main Beach, at 300 Lake Shore Dr., and West Beach, 2330 Lake Ave., are owned and operated by the Crystal Lake Park District.

Three Oaks Recreation Center, 5517 Northwest Hwy., opened in fall 2010 and is run by the city of Crystal Lake. The center's Lake House Beach is free to Crystal Lake residents and drew many swimmers away from the traditional park district beaches, where a $1 resident admission fee was implemented three years ago.

In an effort to lure back some of those beachcombers, the Crystal Lake Park District is in the midst of adding a variety of new amenities.

Already in place at Main Beach is the Jungle Joe Action raft, a giant inflatable swimmers can climb and sit upon. The raft, meant for advanced swimmers, is located in the deeper water where the old 12-foot raft typically floats.

Soon to be installed are the Splasher Climb and Slide Tot raft for younger children, the Floating Splashmat, and an inflatable water volleyball court, said Jenny Leech, public information coordinator for the Crystal Lake Park District.

“The new amenities will be added in waves,” Leech said. “We’ll also be getting some resort-style chairs for the beach.”

There will be a fee to use the resort chairs, Leech said. The volleyball court will be free; however, a fee during high-use hours might be imposed.

The rest of the rafts and slides are free to beach visitors. Plans also call for adding rentals for umbrellas, loungers and standing paddle boards.

“It’s been a while since we’ve added anything new to the beaches,” Leech said. “We think we’ve brought in some nice features.”

More information about beach hours, rentals, and admission rates for residents and non-residents is available on the Crystal Lake Park District website.

Information about beach hours, rentals and other features at Three Oaks Recreation Center is available on the City of Crystal Lake website.