The summers are long, hot, and humid in Ontario’s most populous locations, which causes a lot of people to leave the city and go to the beach. Ontario’s beaches are as diverse as the state itself. See our ranking of the top beaches in Ontario for suggestions on where to go.
1. Sauble Beach
Sauble Beach, which stretches along Lake Huron for 10 kilometers, is a popular beach location in Ontario. You are permitted to park your car on the sand in a few sections of Sauble Beach. Simply pay your ticket, park, and set up your day camp instead of dragging all of your equipment over the sand in the hot sun.
The beach is well prepared for summer visitors; eateries providing conventional beach fares, such as ice cream and other snacks, are located right behind the shore. In addition to stand-up paddleboarding, jet skiing, and kiteboarding, volleyball is a popular water sport at Sauble Beach.
2. Wasaga Beach
Wasaga Beach is the world’s longest freshwater beach, and it can be reached from Toronto in just 90 minutes. This beach attracts over two million tourists each season since it stretches for 14 kilometers in a long, arcing arc along Nottawasaga Bay. This beach is perfect for families with young children and non-strong swimmers due to the warm, shallow water.
Depending on your interests, where you set up could change. Sections 1 through 6 make up the division of the beach. Parts 1 and 2 are in the city and have a boardwalk surrounding them. The vast majority of people, along with all the eateries, stores, and services, are located here. People are mingling in large groups, having a nice time, and, of course, seeming cool as they walk by while secretly doing some serious people watching.
3. Woodbine Beach
Toronto’s most well-liked beach, Woodbine Beach, is located in the GTA’s The Beaches neighborhood and is frequently crowded on warm, sunny weekends. Beach volleyball in Toronto is mostly played on this broad stretch of sand. The beach is constantly crowded with perspiring individuals attempting to look nice while diving and spiking.
The beach itself is a three-kilometer strip of undulating sand that is wider at the western end and gets narrower as you move east. Up through Labor Day, lifeguards are on duty. There are free restrooms, changing areas, and outdoor showers available.
4. Sandbanks Provincial Park
The beach in Sandbanks Provincial Park is one of the most distinctive in the province of Ontario. This beach, which lies on the beaches of Lake Ontario, is well-known for its enormous sand dunes that slope down to the sea. Run down the dunes and splash into the ocean if you’re a kid or youthful at heart.
There are three beaches in the park; Outlet Beach is ideal for families with young children because the water is warm and shallow. The location of Dunes Beach is where the sand dunes merge with the ocean. The lengthy beach at Sandbanks is rarely busy. Keep in mind that the water at Dunes Beach can grow deep very rapidly.
5. Killbear Provincial Park
Many beaches on Georgian Bay can be found at Killbear Provincial Park, which is close to Parry Sound. These beaches are crescents of sand tucked between rocky headlands, unlike many others in the region. When the water is calm, people enjoy swimming off of the cliffs and the beaches.
You probably won’t find yourself lingering because the water is cool and can be chilly here. If you stay along the shore, the water will be the hottest. One of the most well-known provincial parks in Ontario, Killbear features seven campsites tucked away among towering woods, all of which are just a short stroll from the ocean.
6. Agawa Bay
The beach at Agawa Bay in Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of the nicest. The northern shoreline of Lake Superior offers magnificent long expanses of amber-colored sand with shallow, crystal-clear waves. If your family is looking for a camping beach trip, this is a particularly stunning location.
As you sit in your beach chair and look out at the seemingly limitless expanse of blue ocean reaching to islands and the horizon beyond, you might be forgiven for believing you are in the Caribbean. When you enter the refreshingly chilly water, though, you’ll be soon brought back to reality.
7. Toronto Islands’ Beaches
Toronto’s skyscrapers are only a 15-minute boat journey from the beaches of the Toronto Islands, but when you sit on the sand and look out over the sea, it feels like a million miles away. Hanlan’s Point, Centre Island Beach, Gibraltar Point, and Ward’s Island Beach are the four main beaches on the Toronto Islands. Throughout the summer, lifeguards are present on every beach.
Centre Island Beach is the one that is the most accessible. Simply exit the ferry, travel to the opposite side of the island, and follow the signage to arrive here. Along the route, you’ll cross a stunning garden of beautiful plants.
8. Grand Bend
Its beach stretches 25 miles along Lake Huron’s shoreline, and the shallow water even becomes warm, which is unusual for the Great Lakes. Location is important depending on the beach activity you want to do. Set up shop on Main Beach if you want to be in the thick of everything. Go to South Beach for a more sedate beach experience, where you’ll find families and tourists reading books.
Grand Bend was one of the first beach towns in Ontario and had a long history of doing so. You’ll discover everything you’d expect to see in a normal summer town, including T-shirt stores, ice-cream parlors, hot food vendors, and people having fun in the sun.
9. Pancake Bay Provincial Park
On the Lake Superior shoreline, about an hour to the west of Sault Ste. Marie is a beach with crystal-clear water that is bordered by a mixed forest. Here, the water is gin-clear and shallow for a considerable distance out. Picnic tables and restrooms are dotted around the top of the beach in this day-use area.
One of the few areas in Lake Superior where you can really stay in the water for a lengthy period of time is Pancake Bay, where the water warms up to a respectable level after first being bone-freezingly cold there. This is a great location for stand-up paddle boarding if the winds are mild or offshore.
10. Port Dover
The only palm-tree-lined beach in Ontario is found in Port Dover. This is the spot to go if you want to capture a feeling of a tropical setting with tall palms swaying in the breeze. This little stretch of beach is surrounded by a lively town with plenty of eateries and shops. You can typically anticipate little waves and clean water at the beach because it is on Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes that is the hottest.
Since it opened as a seaside resort more than a century ago, Port Dover has primarily catered to senior people and young families. Even on the busiest summer weekends, the beach is rarely crowded.
