15 Best Beaches in Ontario

In the more populated areas of Ontario, summers are long, hot, and humid, prompting many residents to escape the cities and head to the beach. Ontario’s beaches are as diverse as the province itself. Some of them could be compared to destinations in the Caribbean, with its white sand and crystal clear water that shine in shades of light blue and turquoise under the sun. Other beaches are more remote, backed by pine forests or tucked away in coves along rocky shorelines. You can find wide stretches of sand packed with people on sunny days, as well as some beaches that you could have all to yourself, even on the busiest summer weekends.

While some beaches are free, many are in provincial parks where a daily fee is charged to enter. Some beaches are in cities, and while you may not have to pay to access them, you may have to pay to park your car. Either way, spending a summer day on an Ontario beach is a great way to beat the heat. For ideas on where to go, check out our directory of the best beaches in Ontario.

1. Sauble Beach

Sauble Beach

With 10 kilometers of sand stretching the width of the Huron Raft, Sauble Beach is one of Ontario’s top beach destinations. In some of the Sauble Beach areas, you are allowed to drive your car around the sand. No need to lug all your gear across the sand in the blazing sun, just pay your admission, park, and set up your day camp!

The beach is aptly set up for summer visitors, with cabal restaurants behind the beach serving typical beach fare including ice cream and other snacks. Sauble Beach is a popular spot for volleyball, and water activities include fluid skiing, kite surfing, and stand-up paddle boarding.

Please note that dogs are not allowed on the beach.

Accommodation: Where to Stay in Sauble Beach

2.Wasaga Beach

Sunset at Wasaga Beach
Sunset at Wasaga Beach

Located just 90 minutes from Toronto, Wasaga Beach is the longest freshwater beach in the world. The beach stretches in a great curvature across the Nottawasaga Bay for 14 kilometers and attracts more than two million visitors each season. The warm, shallow water makes this an ideal beach for families.

The space where it is established can depend on what interests you. The beach is divided into sections 1 through 6. Sections 1 and 2 are in town and are backed by a transatlantic promenade. This is where you will find most of the clan and all the restaurants, shops and services.

Sections 3 to 6 are calmer and more natural, ideal for those looking to sunbathe with a good deed. If you have your dog with you, head over to section 3 where they can romp in the waves.

Every summer the beach comes alive with fun events ranging from volleyball tournaments to fireworks.

Accommodation: Where to Stay in Wasaga Beach

3. Woodbine Beach, The Beaches, Toronto

Woodbine Beach at the Beaches, Toronto
Woodbine Beach at the Beaches, Toronto

Woodbine Beach, in a GTA action arena known as The Beaches, is Toronto’s most popular beach and is usually full on hot and sunny weekends. This wide expanse of beach is still the epicenter of beach volleyball in Toronto. Every night and weekend, you’ll find the beach abuzz with sweaty bodies darting and dipping and just trying to stand out.

The beach itself is a three kilometer long curved stretch of sand that is wide at the west end and narrows further east. The floats are on duty from June through Labor Day. The adjoining toilets and changing rooms with showers in the rescued atmosphere are provided free of charge.

On the other side of the beach there is a wide wooden boardwalk, with benches, which is one of the most popular places to walk around the city.

A short distance from the beach is the lively intramural of Beaches, with a good selection of dining and entertainment options.

Accommodation: Where to Stay in Toronto: Best Areas and Hotels

4. Sandbanks Provincial Park

Sandbanks Provincial Park
Sandbanks Provincial Park

Sandbanks Provincial Park is home to one of the most unique beaches in Ontario. Located on the shores of the Ontario Raft, this beach is known for the large sand dunes that descend into the water. Children can go down the dunes and splash in the water.

The park has three beaches: Beach Outlet It is perfect for families with young children, as the water is shallow and warm. Dunes Beach It is the space where the sand dunes descend to the water. Sandbanks it is a long beach that is rarely crowded with clans. Please note that at Dunes Beach the water can get deep quickly.

Sandbanks Provincial Park is located in the prince edward county, near Belleville. Above the beautiful beach and sand dunes, the park offers wonderful camping at two designated campgrounds: Cedars and Outlet River.

5. Killbear Provincial Park

Killbear Provincial Park
Killbear Provincial Park

summoned near Parry Sound, Killbear Provincial Park has several beaches on Georgian Bay. Unlike many other beaches in the area, these are crescents of sand sandwiched between rocky headlands. The people like to swim in the beaches, as well as in the rocks when the water is calm.

The water here is crystal clear and it can be cold, so you probably won’t stay entertained. The water is warmer if you stay closer to the shore.

Killbear is one of Ontario’s most popular provincial parks and has seven campgrounds located in tall trees, all within a five-minute walk of the water.

6.Agawa Bay

Agawa Bay
Agawa Bay | Graham M Fawcett / photo modified

The northern shoreline of Balsa Superior has incredible long stretches of amber sand with shallow, crystal clear waters, and Agawa Bay Beach in the Upper Pond Provincial Park is one of the best. This is a particularly beautiful space for families looking for some camping beach recreation.

You could be forgiven for thinking you’re in the Caribbean as you sit in your beach harness and gaze at the seemingly endless vision of egret water stretching out to the islands and the horizon beyond. However, you will quickly spring back into existence when you step into the cool, refreshing water.

One of the most pleasant experiences in the park is camping on the edge of the beach. The charming beachfront campsites are located on the sand under large pine trees. You can slip into your sleeping bag and be lulled to sleep by the gentle waves.

7. Toronto Islands Beaches

Toronto Center Island Beach
Toronto Center Island Beach

The beaches of the Toronto Islands are just 15 minutes by ferry from the skyscrapers of Toronto, but when you sit on the sand and look out over the water, you feel like you’re a million miles away. The Toronto Islands have three main beaches: Hanlan’s Point, Center Island Beach, and Ward’s Island Beach.

The most doable beach, and perhaps the most beautiful, is Center Island Beach. To ride here, get off the ferry and follow the signs around the other side of the island. You will pass through an impressive carmen of flowering plants on the way.

This wide, south-facing beach has light reddish sand and is a pleasant space to walk and lie in the sun. Set back from the beach is a small food stand selling snacks, adjoined with restrooms and changing rooms. The floats are on guard duty every day from June through Labor Day. Dogs are not allowed on the beach.

8.Grand Bend

Grand Bend
Grand Bend

The beach here stretches 25 miles along the shores of the Huron Raft. The shallow water gets warm, a rarity in the Great Lakes. Depending on the type of beach activity you want, location is of the essence. If you want to be at the center of the action, immerse yourself in Main Beach. If you prefer a quieter beach experience, head to South Beachwhere you will find families and visitors focused on their books.

Grand Bend has a long history of being one of Ontario’s original seaside towns. Here you will find a typical summer town with t-shirt shops, ice cream stands, hot food vendors and clan having fun in the sun.

Grand Bend still hosts an amazing fireworks display on July 1 st .

Lodging: Where to Stay in Grand Bend

9. Pancake Bay Provincial Park

Pancake Bay Provincial Park
Pancake Bay Provincial Park

Located approximately one hour from west of Sault Ste. Marie, on the banks of the Balsa Superior, this beach has clear water backed by a mixed forest. The water is crystal clear here and shallow for a long way. This is an afternoon-use playing field, and picnic tables and restrooms line the top of the beach.

The waters of the Upper Raft can be bitterly cold, but at Pancake Bay, the water warms to just the right level and it’s one of the few places where you can stay in the water for a fair amount of time. If the winds are light or at sea, this is an ideal space for paddle surfing.

If you want to camp near the beach, the Batchawana Bay Provincial Park it is located about 10 minutes.

10. Indian Head Cove and The Grotto, Bruce Peninsula NP

Indian Head Cove, Bruce Peninsula National Park
Indian Head Cove, Bruce Peninsula Home Park

One of the most photogenic beaches is located in the Bruce Peninsula Home Park, near the town of Tobermory. Accessed via a 30-minute easy walk through the forest, Indian Head Cove is a small beach surrounded by cliffs and rocky shelves jutting out of the water. Although people come here simply to lounge on the beach, the area is popular with people looking for a little more action.

In this field of action is The Grotto, a cave on the shore where you can get off. Nearby, you will still find a rock known as natural goal.

11.Port Dover

Port Dover
Port Dover | Jason Paris / photo modified

Port Dover is known for having the only beach in Ontario with palm trees. If you are looking to capture a tropical feel, where tall palm trees sway in the breeze, this is the space. This little stretch of sand is backed by a fun town full of restaurants and shops. The beach is on the Erie Raft, one of the warmest of the Great Lakes, and you can usually expect small waves and clear water.

Port Dover has been an Ontario beach destination for over a century, and the main clientele here are older people and young families. The beach is generally not crowded with the clan, even on the busiest summer weekends.

Accommodation: Where to Stay in Port Dover

12.Southampton

southampton beach
Southampton Beach | Robert Taylor / photo modified

For a quiet beach experience where you can walk for miles lost in your own thoughts, head to Southampton Beach. Here you will find peace and quiet as the waves gently lapping at the shore. Spread out a beach blanket next to the dune grass and dive into some good work.

The beach is sandy, but near the shoreline, you will find that the bottom is made up of a mixture of small rocks and pebbles. If you have water shoes, it’s best to bring them.

Returning from the beach, you’ll find the historic Pinafore Boardwalk, which runs from High Street to Beach Street. Benches are placed along the way to allow you to rest and enjoy clairvoyance.

Accommodation: Where to stay in Southampton

13. Crystal Beach, Fort Erie

crystal beach
crystal beach

Crystal Beach, located in Fort Erie, has been a beach destination for over a century. This is a beautiful space, with nice views and warm water. Some recent changes have been controversial. New fencing, a 10 year old per person admission fee, a tent and grilling ban have been put in place, along with drink bag inspections to keep the beach clean and under control.

The fees, when combined with the significant parking fee, can make a trip here quite expensive, however, compared to the daily entrance fees to the beaches in the Provincial Parks, they can be considered reasonable.

With the new rates, substantial improvements have been made to changing rooms and restrooms, a new playground has been built, and full-time beach patrols have been established.

14. Awenda Provincial Park

Dog playing on the beach
Dog playing on the beach

Awenda Provincial Park is located around the point of Wasaga Beach near the town of Midland on Georgian Bay. The park’s uncrowded beaches offer beautiful views across the water to Giant’s Tomb Island.

One of the main perks for beach-goers heading to Awenda Provincial Park is the beach that admits dogs. In designated areas, your four-legged companion can run around in the sand with the rest of the pack and splash around in the water.

The beaches are reached by following a path from the parking lot. The best beach is clarity Third Beach on Methodist Point Bay and is protected from the raging and waves.

15. Sugar Beach, Toronto

Sugar Beach in Toronto
Sugar Beach in Toronto

Located in downtown Toronto, facing the sea, Sugar Beach differs from other popular Ontario beaches for the simplest of reasons: you can’t swim here! Instead, beach chairs and umbrellas are spread out across a roughly triangular playing field lined with soft, golden sand. It’s designed more for mingling and relaxing in the sun than for jumping into the water.

Named after the sugar refinery located next door, Sugar Beach is a hive of activity in the summer. You can sit in a Muskoka harness and watch the people in earnest or attend to the water activities in Toronto Harbor.

In the summer, movies are shown at sea on a giant inflatable screen.

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