Great Canadian Beach Thread

Chadillaccc · #1 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 5:30 PM**

In response to the discussion tangent that has occured in the new CMHR poll thread in the Canada section, someone suggested that we create a beach thread. So here it is!

Wasaga Beach, Ontario - Lake Huron - 22 kilometers of white sand

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasaga_Beach

Ma Me O Beach, Alberta - Pigeon Lake - 100 km Southwest of Edmonton

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/39576246

http://www.mameobeachrecreation.com/...how_entry/2366

http://flurfel.com/2010/08/24/ma-me-o-beach/

Sauble Beach, Ontario - Lake Huron - 20 kilometers of white sand

http://sellingsauble.com/

http://www.ethanmeleg.com/bruce.htm

Grand Beach, Manitoba - Lake Winnipeg - 3 km of fine grain white sand - an hour from Winnipeg

http://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/wonder_grand_beach.html

http://www.gov.mb.ca/watchablewildlife/gallery.html

Antigonish · #2 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 5:32 PM**

White Rock in Vancouver was my stomping grounds for a while. Beautiful.

Melmerby Beach in Nova Scotia is amazing too!

Cyro · #3 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:02 PM**

Hmmmm.. I love beaches..

Source

Grand Beach, Manitoba

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bre...214291961.html

winnipegfreepress.com

Gimli Beach, Manitoba

http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/08...l-in-manitoba/

I have to stop here, thiers to many to list, this is only Lake Winnipeg(see map).

The_Architect · #4 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:03 PM**

A surprise to some people, but Toronto actually has pretty decent beaches right downtown, on the Toronto Islands:

Centre Island:

http://www.blogto.com/sports_play/20..._island_beach/

Ward's Island:

http://www.blogto.com/sports_play/20..._island_beach/

Hanlan's Point (Clothing Optional):

http://www.blogto.com/sports_play/20...s_point_beach/

Acajack · #5 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:04 PM**

Someone should post pictures of Sandbanks in eastern Ontario...

Chadillaccc · #6 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:05 PM**

haha I've been to Hanlan's! Ohhhh jeez. If only there were some young hotties there. Booo!

Acajack · #7 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:06 PM**

Sorry, I can't post photos, but Lac Simon in the Outaouais is pretty nice as this reporter says. It's about halfway between Ottawa (NE) and Montreal (NW).

Water is warm and clear, and there are small mountains in the distance.

http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=...1-001c952eb42a

http://www.tourismeoutaouais.com/_up...-lac-simon.jpg

Cyro · #8 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:31 PM**

I'm not trying to offend posters, but is there something about a beach, where you actually go swimming in, being located on the banks or near to a major metropolitan city or an extremely high area of density that screams, bring your kids here for a nice day at the beach?

It's kinda like, let's go to the beach(add sand), and swim in a river going through the heart of a large downtown area? I'll pass(personally), others may enjoy the experience.

Chadillaccc · #9 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrodill

I'm not trying to offend posters, but their is something about a beach, where you actually go swimming in, being located on the banks or near to a major metropolitan city or an extremely high area of density that screams, bring your kids here for a nice day at the beach?

It's kinda like, let's go to the beach(add sand), and swim in a river going through the heart of a large downtown area? I'll pass(personally), others may enjoy the experience.

Did you mean "is there something" because otherwise this post itself didn't make sense given your stated opinion about the superiority of secluded beaches in the other thread.

What do rivers have to do with this though?

esquire · #10 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrodill

I'm not trying to offend posters, but their is something about a beach, where you actually go swimming in, being located on the banks or near to a major metropolitan city or an extremely high area of density that screams, bring your kids here for a nice day at the beach?

It's kinda like, let's go to the beach(add sand), and swim in a river going through the heart of a large downtown area? I'll pass(personally), others may enjoy the experience.

Nothing wrong at all with a nice urban beach, as long as you go to the right one.

When I visited Chicago for the first time a few years ago, I was blown away by the spectacular beaches on Lake Michigan. Big, clean, sandy beaches and clear, cool waters made for as pleasant a beach experience as any I've ever had in Manitoba. The amazing urban backdrop made it a memorable experience. And because the beaches are so huge, there are a number that cater to different niches so you can choose the beach that works best for you. There is a family beach where kids can run around, there is a gay beach with a DJ spinning music, there is a sports beach with volleyball courts, etc. It's quite impressive.

Source: GetawayHostel.com

I don't think many people consider Chicago as a beach destination, but next time I visit that city in the summer I will make a point of spending a day at the beach again.

Acajack · #11 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrodill

I'm not trying to offend posters, but their is something about a beach, where you actually go swimming in, being located on the banks or near to a major metropolitan city or an extremely high area of density that screams, bring your kids here for a nice day at the beach?

It's kinda like, let's go to the beach(add sand), and swim in a river going through the heart of a large downtown area? I'll pass(personally), others may enjoy the experience.

I see your point in theory but most of the beaches in Toronto, for example, aren't really like that (in the sense that you feel hemmed in by the city and roads, etc. when you are there.

Also, most of the most famous beaches in the world are actually in urban settings: Miami, Waikiki, Cannes, Venice (LA), Bondi, St-Tropez, Ipanema, Copacabana, etc.

Chadillaccc · #12 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 6:47 PM**

That's really awesome! I had no idea about that in Chicago. I thought Toronto's urban beaches, the ones seperated from the water on the lake front, were cool, but these are even better.

The great thing about Lake Michigan is that it is so deep and massive, and forms one of the two heads of the Great Lakes System (the other being Lake Superior), so even though it has major metropolitan areas on its shores, there is always large amounts of fresh water being added to the lake. While Lake Ontario, being the last lake in the system, gets all of the water (including their pollutants) from Lake Erie and all 3 of the other lakes, so it is quite murky and uninviting (at least at the beaches I've been too)

caltrane74 · #13 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 7:25 PM**

Grand Bend is an amazing beach, but way too many small kids.

If you want a clean beach and dirty chicks nothing beats Wasaga!

esquire · #14 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 7:39 PM**

I know a lot of Winnipeggers love to talk about Grand Beach, but personally I find Birds Hill Beach to be very enjoyable too. It's about a 15 minute drive north of the city at Birds Hill Provincial Park... the "lake" is small but the beach is nice and it's a great place to spend a hot summer day.

Source: Winnipeg Sun

Cyro · #15 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 7:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Did you mean "is there something" because otherwise this post itself didn't make sense given your stated opinion about the superiority of secluded beaches in the other thread.

What do rivers have to do with this though?

Yes, is, I'll correct it now,and that wasn't me talking about secluded beaches,but another poster, I never mentioned anything reg: Secluded in the Human Rights Poll thread. can you please correct your post? It wouldn't make sense directed at me at this point.

It's an analogy reg: spreading sand near a body of water and calling it a beach that is in close proximity or located near possible contamination or over flow from sewage or industrial waste located near or in a large metropolitan area or lake located in the same proximity.

freeweed · #16 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 7:57 PM**

Chicago's beach scene is a very pleasant surprise. It's an urban beach, which has its own attraction to some and detraction for others, but it's pretty cool. And almost no one would think it's there.

Cyro · #17 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 7:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I see your point in theory but most of the beaches in Toronto, for example, aren't really like that (in the sense that you feel hemmed in by the city and roads, etc. when you are there.

Also, most of the most famous beaches in the world are actually in urban settings: Miami, Waikiki, Cannes, Venice (LA), Bondi, St-Tropez, Ipanema, Copacabana, etc.

Very true, some of the largest most famous beaches are in the cities you mentioned.
I think most of the beaches you mentioned as well are located or are in close proximity to oceans/seas with salt water.

It's great to here Toronto has beaches where you feel like your out of the city and not hemmed in by a large urban center. I'd like to visit sometime.

esquire · #18 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 8:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrodill

It's an analogy reg: spreading sand near a body of water and calling it a beach that is in close proximity or located near possible contamination or over flow from sewage or industrial waste located near or in a large metropolitan area or lake located in the same proximity.

Secluded beaches aren't necessarily immune from that kind of thing. Cattle farm runoff and Winnipeg sewage overflows can end up in the Red River which empties out into Lake Winnipeg where people swim. Granted the amounts are probably trivial in the grand scheme of things, but sort of people who would dry-heave at the thought of swimming in the Red River are essentially doing that when they take a dip at Gimli, Grand Beach and Victoria Beach.

Cyro · #19 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 8:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Secluded beaches aren't necessarily immune from that kind of thing. Cattle farm runoff and Winnipeg sewage overflows can end up in the Red River which empties out into Lake Winnipeg where people swim. Granted the amounts are probably trivial in the grand scheme of things, but sort of people who would dry-heave at the thought of swimming in the Red River are essentially doing that when they take a dip at Gimli, Grand Beach and Victoria Beach.

I agree Esquire, Run off from farming is a huge problem for inland lakes and bodies of water such as the Red with have such a huge catch basin for nutrients and run-off from the south and west.

But I have to mention, I didn't bring up secluded beaches in any thread?

freeweed · #20 Posted **Sep 25, 2013, 8:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Secluded beaches aren't necessarily immune from that kind of thing. Cattle farm runoff and Winnipeg sewage overflows can end up in the Red River which empties out into Lake Winnipeg where people swim. Granted the amounts are probably trivial in the grand scheme of things, but sort of people who would dry-heave at the thought of swimming in the Red River are essentially doing that when they take a dip at Gimli, Grand Beach and Victoria Beach.

Winnipeg is seeing algal blooms in recent years, but hopefully the work being done to mitigate them pays off. Beyond that, it's pretty rare for the beaches there to have pollution issues. Yeah, the Red dumps into the south end, but it's pretty damned diluted by the time it reaches any of the major beaches.

Does anyone track "beach closure notices" or the like (not sure what the exact term I'm looking for is)? I'd be curious to see how often the beaches in this country are closed due to pollution etc.