WAYS TO PLAY
Sailing Beach, Boat Rentals & Permits
North Entrance
Lake Ave & Michigan Ave
South Entrance
Sheridan Rd & Michigan Ave
Langdon Beach
Chestnut Ave & Sheridan Rd
POINT OF CONTACT
Megan White
Lakefront General Manager
PHONE NO.
POINT OF CONTACT
Niki Koclanes
Lakefront Program Supervisor
PHONE NO.
POINT OF CONTACT
Ben Wozney
Lakefront General Manager
PHONE NO.
Season: Sailing season begins May 4 and ends October 13
Hours
- May 4-24: Limited hours
- May 25 through September 2: 8 am-8 pm
- September 3-15: Limited hours
- September 16 through October 12: Gates open 10 am-6 pm
About the Sailing Beach
The Wilmette Sailing Beach houses personally owned vessels from stand up paddleboards to catamarans. Access is restricted to boat owners and their guests. Boat rentals are offered to the general public on Fridays and weekends, more info can be found below.
Sailing Boat Space Waitlists
Would you like to keep your boat on the Sailing Beach? All spaces on the Wilmette Sailing Beach are currently filled. Click Here to add yourself to the waitlist of your choosing.
When registering for the waitlist, only select the number of family members that match the number of spots you want. Example; only select 2 family members if you want 2 SUP spaces, only select 1 family member if you want 1 catamaran space. Waitlist vessel types are: stand up paddleboard (SUP), windsurfer, monohull (which includes kayaks, sunfish and lasers), laser II, and catamaran.
Check Your Waitlist Status
Our spreadsheet gets updated regularly as we move people into boat spaces during the pre-summer months. To see your status on the Sailing Boat Space waitlist, Click Here
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Boat Rentals
- Sailing Lessons
- Important Rules at a Glance
- SUP & Kayak Trail-In Permits
- Rental boats are only available on Friday afternoons, Saturdays and Sundays from June 3 through August 13.
- Staff is on hand to help visitors evaluate their skills and to assess weather conditions. For safety, staff reserves
the right to refuse rentals at any time. - All boat rentals must be reserved and paid for online. Click Here to search available time slots.
Kayak & Sup
90-minute rentals
- Stand Up Paddleboard or Single Kayak R-$60 / NR-$81
- Double Kayak R-$89 / NR-$120
Hobie & Sunfish
60-minute rentals
- Sunfish R-$62 / NR-$74
- Hobie Wave R-$87 / NR-$105
- Hobie Getaway R-$102 / NR-$121
Rental Regulations
- Anyone who is looking to rent a vessel must be 18 years of age or older, or must be accompanied by a guardian.
- Parking is not included in the rental price.
- 2 individuals per vessel are granted access into the sailing area for the rental time only.
- No swimming or wading allowed at the Sailing Beach.
- ID cards are required for access to the Sailing Beach.
- No dogs allowed on the Sailing Beach.
- The sailing road is for pickup/dropoff only. Vehicles must park in designated parking areas outside the Sailing Beach gate.
- Glass bottles, alcohol, portable grills, tents, canopies, tables, or E-Z Ups are not allowed at the Sailing Beach.
- DNR registration is required for all sailing vessels, i.e. Catamarans, Lasers, Sunfish.
Details about Trail-in Permits
- Trail-In fee includes vessel sticker only.
- Kayaks and stand up paddleboards are the only vessels able to be launched at Gillson Park.
- Trail-in launches are permitted every day from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- Launch and land area is on South Beach north of the pier. Vessels may not land and exit on the sailing beach at any time.
- Vessels are not to operate near or enter the swim area.
- Lifejackets are required and patrons must follow all Coast Guard regulations.
- Permit stickers must be affixed to vessels.
- One Trail-in permit sticker per vessel, permit stickers are not transferrable.
- Only season Trail-in permits are available. No daily passes are available.
How to Purchase
Season trail-in permits can be purchased online here and picked up in person at the Gillson Beach House
starting May 27.
- Beach House Hours: 7 days a week 9 am-6 pm
- Address: 101 Lake Ave Wilmette, IL 60091
Trail-In Permit Fees
- $177 for residents
- $266 for non-residents