Park Avenue Boating Facility is Highland Park’s destination for sailors, paddleboarders, fishermen, powerboaters, and leisure visitors. The facility features a new concrete ramp and breakwater, sand launching ramp, two parking lots, and three boat storage areas. Park Avenue is also home to the North Shore Yacht Club an affordable membership organization that offers Learn to Sail, Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP), and kayaking lessons to the public.
Park Avenue’s north storage area accommodates boats up to 25’, power boats, sailboats, and personal watercrafts. The south storage area accommodates sailboats up to 18′. Additional space is available for sail/mast storage as well as rack/cable storage for kayaks and sunfish. Park Avenue Boating Facility and north beaches are non-swimming beaches. Lakefront swimming is only allowed at Rosewood Beach.
Portions of Park Avenue are owned by both the Park District and the City of Highland Park. The property to the south is owned by the City of Highland Park, which includes the road, parking spaces, and land where the south storage pad, yacht club building, and concrete boat launch are located. The site is also home to the Highland Park Water Treatment Plant, which provides safe drinking water to Highland Park and surrounding communities. The breakwater and concrete boat ramp, owned by the Park District, are located adjacent to the south property.