Great Canadian Beach Thread

[drew]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

At the Grotto? It must have been an exception. Also Black Fly season is only a few weeks long. You might have just been unlucky time wise. I've never encountered black flies in that area.

How deep is the water along the shore there?

It looks very enticing...

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

At the Grotto? It must have been an exception. Also Black Fly season is only a few weeks long. You might have just been unlucky time wise. I've never encountered black flies in that area.

Yes, and ok good to know. The black flies kinda ruined it for me.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by esquire

That water looks incredible... for someone weaned on Lake Winnipeg's murky waters that is like something out of the Caribbean.

The whole eastern coastline of the Tobermory Peninsula has water like that. Flat Limestone shelves very little plant life or sand. By the end of summer the water can be really warm as well. I'd much rather be there then 30km further east with the Jersey Shore like Crowd at Wasaga Beach.

Some random Wasaga shots, When I was 15-25 I loved it here, now you would have to pay me to go.

Wasaga Beach midway by Bruce Reeve, on Flickr

P5070284 by B Toronto, on Flickr

Wasaga Beach, Ontario by John Brownlow, on Flickr

DSC_6421_1247 by Korcsmaros Family Pictures, on Flickr

Wasaga Beach by Bruce Reeve, on Flickr

A weekend in Wasaga by Bruce Reeve, on Flickr

I feel like this could be Florida during Spring Break.
Wasaga Beach, Ontario, 2018 by John Brownlow, on Flickr

Wasaga Beach, Ontario, 2018 by John Brownlow, on Flickr

Wasaga Beach, Ontario, 2018 by John Brownlow, on Flickr

Wasaga Beach by Bruce Reeve, on Flickr

Wasaga Beach Pedestrian Mall stitched by Norman A Bolduc, on Flickr

Wasaga Beach, Ontario, 2018 by John Brownlow, on Flickr

Getting away from it all by Bruce Reeve, on Flickr

A week in Wasaga by Bruce Reeve, on Flickr

[esquire]

^ Interesting... I've never been there. I always kind of wished that places like Grand Beach, MB were a little more developed but after seeing those pictures I'm a little more appreciative of their somewhat natural state!

Do people have cottages there or is it mainly a day-trip destination?

[megadude]

The Grotto water is pretty cold. I've only been once, mid September and sunny and 25 out. Even after a 15 minute walk to get there I wasn't too tempted to jump in after dipping my toe in there. I've felt colder water in Sedona, AZ in the river there at elevation in mid October and just like The Grotto, I had to go in anyway just because you're already there and who knows when/if you'll be back. Though at The Grotto, when you're in for 30 seconds you become more accustomed to it but it's still not comfortable enough for me to stand up in, walk around, squat back down, etc.

[TorontoDrew]

I guess it depends on the summer heat, lake currents recent storms, it was warm when I went. Even last summer in late June I went to Killbear Park midway up Georgian Bay and the water was nice enough to swim in, 2 days later back at Q-Beach near me on Lake Ontario the water was like ice.

[megadude]

Speaking of beach bars, this one in Wasaga apparently closed last summer due to city council's disliking for it.


From their FB page


From their FB page


And I wonder how Wasaga's water levels are this year. I stopped by last Sept. and water was far up and close to the road, which is no longer a road, due to the water levels. It's now pedestrian only the last couple years IIRC. Even if it doesn't flood, the width of the beach has basically been halved.

Wasaga is like a lite version of Myrtle. It's tacky but fun. True beach culture... but only for a handful of months. And I would never go during peak times.


https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...the-shade.html


https://rock95.com/wasaga-beach-meet...-this-weekend/


https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/180495897535947865/


http://wasaga365.com/index.php/2019/...uly-14th-2019/


https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/high-water...each-1.4517485

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by drew

How deep is the water along the shore there?

It looks very enticing...

Think of it like steps, some parts only a foot or two deep until you take the next step down. On average close to shore it only goes down to about 15 -20 ft, and it's like that from Collingwood to Tobermory. there are also some caves there which is how it gets it's name.

Bruce-Peninsula_Grotto-17 by _futurelandscapes_, on Flickr

The Grotto's Shoreline -Bruce Peninsula National Park by b.m.a.n., on Flickr

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by megadude

Speaking of beach bars, this one in Wasaga apparently closed last summer due to city council's disliking for it.


From their FB page

I would have had a beer there. Well about a dozen to deal with where I am. It looks much better then the old staples of the strip.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by esquire

I always kind of wished that places like Grand Beach, MB were a little more developed but after seeing those pictures I'm a little more appreciative of their somewhat natural state!

When I was younger I used to like the developed stuff like that more and found the quiet areas boring but now I appreciate the quiet areas more, and I realize how spoiled I was. The people I know who live in places like NS or Vancouver Island basically expect to be able to easily go to some expansive unspoiled natural environment and have it more or less to themselves.

[le calmar]

If you want warm water go to Singing Sands, on the western shore of the Bruce Peninsula. Warmest water I’ve experienced outside of the tropics.

[megadude]

Oh man, I just posted some Wasaga pics but hadn't even seen the pics above. I think when I was scrolling fast down the page, those pics hadn't loaded yet so I didn't even notice.

Anyway, there are tonnes of tiny, small and modestly sized cottages in Wasaga but they are so close to each other. Motels and trailer parks too. But not far from the strip there are lots of proper houses or four season cottages on spacious lots, but you gotta walk a little distance or drive to get to the strip. Many are primary residences, like our neighbour three cottages over. She lives in Wasaga but cottages 35 minutes away in neighbouring Tiny Township.

It would be cool if Lake Winnipeg had something resembling Wasaga. You would think even if just for four months they could come up with something on the cheap but I'm not familiar with the economics of doing so.

[megadude]

Originally Posted by le calmar

If you want warm water go to Singing Sands, on the western shore of the Bruce Peninsula. Warmest water I’ve experienced outside of the tropics.

Never heard of that. I see it's only a couple minutes off of 6. I'll have to try there next time I'm up in the Bruce. Looks like a shallow and narrow bay. Ideal place to produce that warm water.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by megadude

It would be cool if Lake Winnipeg had something resembling Wasaga. You would think even if just for four months they could come up with something on the cheap but I'm not familiar with the economics of doing so.

The closest thing we ever had to Wasaga was Winnipeg Beach which was built as a vacation resort in the old days when people tended to vacation close to home. In its heyday there were packed trains carrying thousands of travellers a day... it was big business for the CPR.

Of course the beach is still there and so are some of the buildings, but all the action slowed to a crawl in the 60s and now it's just a sleepy cottage town.

Here it was in its glory days:

[J.OT13]

The Ottawa used to have two of those (three, really). The streetcars would terminate at Britannia Beach in the west end, where the Ottawa Electric Railway owned an amusement park. It was the same deal in Aylmer in Queen's Park and the Hull Electric Railway.

Britannia is still a City park, beach and marina, but nowhere near as exciting as what it was in the streetcar era. Nothing left at Queen's Park, but nearby Parc des Cèdres has a beach and marina.

There was a third amusement park on Kettle Island in the east end. No streetcar access though. The island is now a natural reserve, with the amusement park, cottages and everything else long gone.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by le calmar

If you want warm water go to Singing Sands, on the western shore of the Bruce Peninsula. Warmest water I’ve experienced outside of the tropics.

It's a beautiful beach, with a VERY gradual slope into Lake Huron. I took a drive up there a few years ago, very early in the spring, and walked out as far as I could on the sand... the wind picked up a bit and started pushing water onto shore, and within minutes I was left with few dry options to walk back.

And I too recall the waters on the Georgian Bay side being icy cold, even late in summer. But so, so clear.

Re: water levels, some the lakes have started trending down from the peak of the past few years. I know that's true for Lake Ontario, possibly Erie too.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The Ottawa used to have two of those (three, really). The streetcars would terminate at Britannia Beach in the west end, where the Ottawa Electric Railway owned an amusement park. It was the same deal in Aylmer in Queen's Park and the Hull Electric Railway.

Britannia is still a City park, beach and marina, but nowhere near as exciting as what it was in the streetcar era. Nothing left at Queen's Park, but nearby Parc des Cèdres has a beach and marina.

There was a third amusement park on Kettle Island in the east end. No streetcar access though. The island is now a natural reserve, with the amusement park, cottages and everything else long gone.

Interesting, I didn't know this specifically but I suppose in those days before mass car ownership it was probably common for every city of a certain size to have its 'Coney Island' no more than an hour or two away by some sort of public transportation.

Of course, there were other such destinations in and around Winnipeg... the competing CN destination was Grand Beach on the other side of Lake Winnipeg, and then there were the amusement park type places like River Park and Happyland in town and which were accessible by streetcar.

[megadude]

Interesting to see the old school pics of people enjoying themselves on the beach at Lake Winnipeg... with 18 layers of clothing on lol.

Wasaga pic from yesteryear. A parking free-for-all. Always enjoyable to be sunbathing mere inches away from your car's exhaust pipe.


https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/...=vrl&view=grid

I know in Sauble you can park on the beach right off the strip. Don't know if that's only an off-peak thing or if that happens throughout summer too. I've only been in September and lots of people just back their van/truck up and basically tailgate. No idea if this pic is right off the strip, basically just past the gateway to the beach village or if it's somewhere down the shore.


https://savesaublebeach.files.wordpr...91044172_n.jpg

[esquire]

Originally Posted by megadude

Wasaga pic from yesteryear. A parking free-for-all. Always enjoyable to be sunbathing mere inches away from your car's exhaust pipe.

Breathe in those leaded gas exhaust fumes!

[MolsonExport]

^ahh, the not so good ol' days.


amc