Planning a day at the beach?
NOTICE: Parking restrictions are in place for many area beaches. Please see our blog post: All About Beach Parking: Wasaga Beach, Collingwood & The Blue Mountains
Whether you just want to soak up the sun and relax or get active on the water, Southern Georgian Bay has a beach for you!
Guide to Beaches – includes all beaches in the area: Wasaga Beach, Collingwood, Craigleith, Thornbury, The Blue Mountains and Meaford.
Wasaga Beach
Wasaga Beach is famous for being the longest freshwater beach with 14 kms of white sand and warm, shallow water. Because of its size, Wasaga beach is divided into six smaller beaches each with it’s own vibe. Beaches 1, 2 & 5 are certified Blue Flag – a world-renowned eco-certification for clean and accessible beaches that meet high safety standards. New Wasaga Beach is cut off from Beach Areas 1-6 by the Nottawasaga river and further north Allenwood Beach.
Visiting the worlds longest fresh water beach should be a fun, enjoyable experience. Finding a parking spot while not knowing the area can be difficult. The municipality offers several parking lots for visitors and residents to use throughout the day. Please visit the link below to find your parking lot: Parking lot Link
Municipal parking passes are available to both residents of Wasaga Beach and non-residents. The passes can be purchased from the Town of Wasaga Beach 30 Lewis Drive.
- Resident Parking Pass (2 per property) $25.00 per property
- Replacement of Lost Resident Parking Pass (first) $12.50
- Electronic Non-Resident Parking Pass for Municipal Lots $54.95 per season
Provincial, seasonal day parking passes are also available. Please see the link below for more information Ontario Parks Seasonal Permits
- Beach Area 1 is the 1 busiest section with boat launch, swimming, bike paths, events, boardwalk, fishing platforms, shops, restaurants and bars overlooking Georgian Bay.
- Beach Area 2 – swimming, boardwalk, picnic areas, bike paths, playground, parking, playground. Nancy Island Historic Museum is on Mosley Street and 3rd Street N at Beach Area 2.
- Beach Area 3 – swimming, picnic areas, bike paths, parking, temporary dog friendly beach area and office for Wasaga Beach Provincial Park.
- Beach Area 4 – swimming, picnic areas, playground, bike paths, parking. This is a quieter area.
- Beach Area 5 – swimming, picnic areas, bike paths, parking, playground, washrooms.
- Beach Area 6 – swimming, picnic areas, parking, washrooms.
- New Wasaga Beach – swimming, parking washrooms.
- Allenwood Beach – swimming, parking washrooms.
Resources:
Sunset Point, Collingwood
Sunset Point Park is a large shoreline park on Georgian Bay with a rock beach and large greenspace. The adjacent Enviro-park is an eco themed playground popular with young familes. Activities include volleyball courts, waterfront trails, snack bar and washroom facilities. Sunset Point Park is located just off the Pretty River Parkway at Collingwood’s east end.
Amenities: Parking, snack bar, pet friendly, picnic area, playground, shade, swimming, washrooms.
Address: St Lawrence St, Collingwood, ON
Princeton Shores Park, COLLINGWOOD
Princeton Shores Park is a neighbourhood park with public tennis courts and a small private area to go swimming (not a sandy beach).
Amenities: Swimming, tennis courts, parking
Address: 116 Princeton Shores Blvd, Collingwood
Harbourlands & Millenium Park, Collingwood
Harbourlands & Millenium Park are part of a vast waterfront area including the Collingwood terminals. Although there is not a beach it is popular place to jump off the pier into Georgian Bay.
Amenities: Boat launch, parking, pet friendly, picnic area, boat rental, washrooms.
Address: 45 Heritage Dr. Collingwood
Northwinds Beach, Craigleith
Northwinds is a sandy beach located on Highway 26, across from the Heritage Depot in Craigleith. It is popular for kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing and stand up paddle boarding. Free Spirit Tours offer paddling excursions to the Mary Ward shipwreck located 4 km offshore. Blue Surf offers paddle lessons and rentals.
Amenities: Boat launch, Parking, snack bar, pet friendly, picnic area, playground, boat rentals, shade, swimming, washrooms. Walk to store and coffee shop.
Address: 209425-209601 Highway 26, The Blue Mountains
Craigleith Provincial Park
Craigleith Provincial Park offers day passes as well as over night camping. The shoreline is flat shale rock and ancient fossils for tracing. This is the only Provincial Park in the region offering camping, with a total of 157 sites.
Amenities: Camping, parking, pet friendly, picnic area, playground, swimming, washrooms, showers.
Address: 209403 ON-26, The Blue Mountains
Delphi Point, The Blue Mountains (Camperdown)
Located along Highway 26 directly across the road from the Georgian Peaks Ski Club this park provides a large flat shale waterfront. It’s a popular location for picnics with a covered pavilion Greenspace and trails run through the park and there is a portable toilet onsite.
Amenities: Parking, pet friendly, picnic area, swimming, washroom.
Address: 209233 Highway 26, Clarksburg
Blue Mountain Private Beach Club
New for the 2020 Summer Season, Beach access will be exclusive to Blue Mountain Lodging Guests with a Play-All-Day Pass or Play-As-You-Go Base Camp Ticket. Everyone in the vehicle must be in possession of one of these items as well as their Blue Mountain Resort room key. There is a maximum of 8 guests per vehicle. Blue Mountain Homeowner’s must also present their Homeowner card and either a Play All Day Pass or Play As You Go Base Camp ticket to gain access to the Beach.
With lots of green space, beautiful sandy beach, snack bar and licensed patio, there’s fun for the whole family. A free shuttle runs from Blue Mountain Village. Boat rentals, canoes, kayaks and SUP are available for rental. Visit the Blue Mountain website for more information.
Amenities: Parking, shuttle service, sand beach, swimming, rentals, washrooms, snack bar, licensed patio.
Address: 209117 Highway 26, Clarksburg
Council Beach, The Blue Mountains (Camperdown)
Council Beach is a smaller park with a sandy pebble beach waterfront and views of the ski hills and Georgian Bay. There are swing sets onsite as well as picnic tables and a portable toilet.
Amenities: Parking, pet friendly, playground, swimming, washroom.
Address: 105 Lakewood Drive, The Blue Mountains
Peasmarsh Park, The Blue Mountains (Camperdown)
This park is connected to the Peasemarsh Conservation Area. The waterfront is sand pebble beach with beautiful views of Georgian Bay. Trails run through the Conservation Area and the area is popular for fishing both in the Indian Brook and Georgian Bay.
Amenities: Parking, sand pebble beach, picnic area, swimming, washroom.
Address: 208525 Highway 26, The Blue Mountains
Bayview Park, Thornbury
Bayview Park is a large space with picnic areas and large covered pavilion making it suitable for events and larger groups. The park is family friendly with a pebble beach, playground, tennis courts, shuffleboard court, and volleyball court.
Amenities: Parking, pebble beach, pet friendly, picnic area, covered pavilion, trails, playground, tennis, shuffleboard, volleyball, swimming, washroom.
Address: 106 Bay St. E. Thornbury
Little River Beach Park, Thornbury
This small park overlooks the harbour and marina. It’s a favourite for families and locals with a sandy beach, playground and pier. It’s a popular spot to jump off Thornbury Pier into Georgian Bay (or watch!).
Amenities: Parking, sand pebble beach, picnic area, swimming, pier access, boat rentals, marina, washrooms.
Address: 4 Harbour St. Thornbury
Lora Bay Beach, Thornbury
This small, quiet park is located just past the roundabout at Lora Bay Golf Club. The sandy beach area is within a cove for protected swimming and paddling.
Amenities: Parking, pet friendly, sand beach, picnic area, swimming, washroom.
Address: 373 Sunset Boulevard, The Blue Mountains
Christie Beach, Meaford
Located off Highway 26 between Meaford and Thornbury at the end of Christie Beach Road. This popular beach features a sand entry into shallow water that is great for families with young children.
Amenities: Parking, sand beach, pet friendly, picnic area, playground, swimming, washroom.
Address: Christie Beach Road
Memorial Park Meaford
Memorial Park offers beachside camping 2000 ft. of sandy beach on Georgian Bay. Day use visitors get free access and parking. The picnic pavilion offers seating for larger groups and there is a snack bar. For overnight stays there are 135 sites serviced with hydro and water, of which 104 sites have sewer, hydro and water.
Amenities: Parking, camping, snack bar, covered pavilion, sand beach, picnic areas, playground, swimming, washrooms.
Address: 179 Grant Ave., Meaford