Photos: Workers shoulder stair debris through dunes

Work continues on the removal of the 32-year-old wooden stairs at Laketown Township Beach, 6710 142^nd St.

Curtis Bergman and his crew cut apart the stairs overlooking Lake Michigan then move the scrap wood by hand — and over their shoulders — through the paths to a staging area at the top of the steps to the parking lot. After a pile accumulates, they bring the wood down the sand-covered steps to a trailer in the parking lot for disposal.

Check out the Instagram video of the Tuesday, April 22, 2025, work on Instagram here.

Workers then head back up the sand paths to get more scrap.

Visitors must stay off the stairs and stay on the marked trails to protect the dunes. Please do not handle the debris in the staging piles.

The township closed the stairs on March 26 due to safety concerns and is looking at options for new stairs.

Getting to the beach

The beach is still open, but the route to and from the lakeshore is now different.

The stairs from the parking lot up the dune remain open though they are covered in sand. Please stay on the marked paths to protect the dune. Take the path through “the bowl,” a steep drop with a flat bottom. Stay off the edges and do not disturb the dune grass. Once at the bottom of “the bowl,” you’ll see another small hill. Go up and head to the lake.

Heed the no trespassing signs and follow other rules of the beach, including no fires.

To get back up the dune, stairs are no longer an option. Visitors must walk back up through “the bowl.” It is a difficult walk because of the soft sand. There are no handrails or any assistance to get back up.