Surf, Sand and Sun – Beaches in the Greater Toronto Area

There's really nothing quite like spending a hot summer's day at the beach! Beaches are a great place to enjoy a swim, catch some rays and spend a serene day away from the busy city.  Kids can enjoy splashing in the waves, collecting sea shells and building sandcastles. When enjoying a day at the beach, don’t swim or dive in unknown waters. Always check for rocks and an undertow and swim with a buddy. City lifeguards are a great resource for information about beach safety and water quality.

The City of Toronto offers 11 City beaches that are open for swimming.

Toronto Island Beaches:
Hanlan’s Point Beach - Centre Island Beach - Ward’s Island Beach - Gibraltar Point Beach.
Enter another world as you take the ferry across the lake! Created by drifting sand bars, the Islands' beaches are supervised, with wading pools a walk away.
Toronto Island Info: www.toronto.ca/parks/island.

Cherry Beach - 33 Villiers, Toronto ON M5A1A9
Located just west of the downtown Toronto core.
Activities include: swimming, parasailing, hiking.

Bluffers Park, Toronto East
Bluffers Park has a day use park including a sandy beach, picnic areas, walks, lookouts, a double launching ramp and visitors dockage.
Website: www.toronto.ca

Woodbine Beaches
Large sandy beach including playground for young children. Lifeguarded. Woodbine Beach is located at the bottom of Woodbine Avenue in the beach neighborhood of Toronto.

Marie Curtis Park East Beach 
Located at the foot of 42nd St. south of Lakeshore Blvd West

Sunnyside Beach 
Located off Lakeshore Blvd south of Parkside Drive

Kew - Balmy Beach 
Located at the foot of Woodbine Ave

Bluffer's Beach Park 
Located at the foot of Brimley Rd off Kingston Rd

Rouge Beach 
Located at the foot of Port Union Rd, east of Lawrence Ave E

To check water quality for Toronto Beaches, call the City’s Beach Water Quality Hotline at 416-392-7161, or visit www.toronto.ca/beach.

Other great beaches to check out in and around the Greater Toronto Area:

Awenda Provincial Park, Penetanguishene, Ontario
705-549-2231
Nipissing Bluff drops 60 metres into Georgian Bay. Across the water is Giant's Tomb, an island where the spirit Kitchikewana rests. Below the bluff, sand, cobble and boulder beaches in sheltered Methodist Point Bay offer the best swimming. Like the kettle lake inland, they are signs of a glaciated past. From the shoreline fen to forest bog, on spirit walks and owl prowls, explore a unique convergence of wildlife and geography.
Website: www.ontarioparks.com

Beachway Park and Pavilion, Burlington
The Beachway Park Pavilion and multi-use trails provide a 2 km. route from Spencer Smith Park to the canal. The pavilion provides change rooms, outdoor showers, seasonal concession facilities featuring the Snack Shack and year round washrooms. Amenities at the beach include the pavilion, parking, a pay phone, a playground, and lots of sun, sand and water.
Website: http://cms.burlington.ca
 
Bruce Peninsula National Park, Tobermory
Good but unsupervised swimming is available in several locations. Cyprus Lake has a shallow beach. A 30-minute walk from the Head-of-Trails parking lot gets you to Indian Head Cove and the Grotto. This intricately carved rocky shoreline is very popular with swimmers who like cold, deep water. There are acres of shallow sandy shoreline at Singing Sands Beach at Dorcas Bay on Lake Huron.
Website: www.pc.gc.ca

Cedar Beach Park, Musselman’s Lake, Stouffville
Offering shaded picnic areas, a swimming area with sandy beach and camping facilities, it is ideal for group and family events picnics and reunions. Recently renovated two-tiered private beach Includes Swimming, 2 water trampolines, fishing, canoe and paddleboat rentals, Large picnic areas with shelters, New certified playgrounds for all ages, 41 tent sites with power and water hook-ups, 519 sites with 30 and 50 amp power, water and sewer hookups for trailers and motor homes, seasonal and transient camping, 2 swimming pools and 1 hot tub, Sports fields, basketball, beach volleyball, badminton, tennis, shuffleboard and horseshoes, Licenced restaurant and camp store.
Website:  www.cedarbeach.com

Christie Lake Conservation Area
905-628-3060
Swimmers and sunbathers will enjoy Christie Lake's 360-metre sandy beach, and a chlorinated swimming area that is screened from the rest of the lake. Tubes and flutter boards are available to rent at the Beach House.  Please note that their natural swimming areas are not supervised and do not have lifeguards on duty.
Website: www.conservationhamilton.ca

Cobourg Beach, Cobourg
Cobourg, is called the Gem of Lake Ontario for it's appealing location along the lakeshore and abundant opportunities for feel-good fun and play. The beach is stunning! It’s the perfect playground for the family, or relaxing solo with a good paperback and a popsicle.
Website: www.cobourgtourism.ca

Kelso Conservation Area, Milton
The large, sandy beach on the 20-hectare (50-acre) lake is great for kids and parents alike, with change rooms, lockers, beach concessions and other outdoor activities within steps.
Website: www.hrca.on.ca

Kincardine Beaches - Station Beach, Iverhon Beach, Point Clark Beach
Features 3 beaches: Inverhuron, Station Beach and Main Beach in Point Clark. Whether it be the sand dunes in Inverhuron, the diving board on the pier at Station Beach in Kincardine, or a view of the Point Clark Lighthouse from the sand, beaches in the Kincardine area cannot be beaten.
Website: www.sunsets.com

Sandbanks Provincial Park
613-393-3319
The wide, clean, sandy beaches and shallow, safe waters of Outlet and Sandbanks beaches on Lake Ontario are ideal for family swimming. Swimming starts sooner at Dunes Beach on West Lake as the inland water warms up faster than Lake Ontario. But beware of the steep drop-off after the shallows.
Website: www.ontarioparks.com

Sauble Beach, Lake Huron
Voted "number 1 beach in Ontario" by Toronto Star readers and "one of Canada's top 10 beaches" by readers of Macleans magazine. Sauble beach is located less than 3 hours north of Toronto on the beautiful shores of Lake Huron. Sauble has the beach, shopping, entertainment, camping, accommodations and sunsets for a perfect weekend with the kids. Recreational activities include Biking - Boating & Boat Launches - Fishing - Hiking -  Adventure Rentals & Tours - Golfing - Canoeing & Kayaking – Vollyeball.
Website: www.saublebeach.com

Sibbald Point Provincial Park, Sutton
26465 York Road 18, R.R.#2, Sutton West
905-722-8061
This park has sandy beaches, shady picnic areas, forested hiking trails and activities for children. The blue waters of Lake Simcoe and the sandy beaches of the park are ideal for family swimming and sunbathing. Comfort stations and change facilities are close to the beach.
Website: www.ontarioparks.com

Wasaga Beach
Wasaga Beach is hailed as one of the premier tourist destinations in Ontario with 14 kilometres of white sand beach, swim in warm, clean waters and enjoy the panoramic mountain views across the bay. Other amenities include: recreation trails for hiking and cycling.
Website: www.wasagabeach.com

Did we miss a great beach? This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it about it and we'll post it!