Treks on the Beach

Tired of the same North Shore surf and sand? Hop in the car and in five hours or less, find yourself shore side for some summer sun. Here are our picks for the most bikini-worthy beaches and lakes.

Sail Away 

Carlyle Lake: 5 hours from the North Shore, 284 miles South

The manmade lake was host to the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival Sailing Competition and is a must for the mariner in the family. "Carlyle Lake is known as the premiere sailing lake in the Midwest because we don't have coves and it's a wide open body of water," says Jackie Taylor, Carlyle Lake park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

To read the entire department piece, get a copy of Better magazine. Better was published in July 2008 by the Spring 2008 Medill Publishing Project students. 

THIS PHOTO IS USED WITH PERMISSION OF CARLYLE LAKE.