From sand dunes to rocky cliffsides

Lake Ontario is a lake of contradictions – of a sort.

Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes (still 13th largest in the world) yet is home to the largest support population with over 25% of Canada’s population (or about 9 million residents) within it’s catchment zone.

Given the geography and glacial formation of the Great Lakes, being last in the line of great lakes before it connects to the St. Lawrence Seaway and flows to the Atlantic, its flow begins with a thunderous roar (starting with Niagara Falls and the Niagara River) as it flows in from Lake Erie and corrals down into the serene, picturesque Thousand Islands collection of islands as it exits.

Rolling along with the waters flow is a dramatic change in its climate and land use. What begins in the Niagara Peninsula with lush grapevines and a major fruit-growing sector temperature-moderated with the effect of the Niagara Escarpment. Continuing around the lake is an extremely heavily urbanized area - including the Golden Horseshoe from Hamilton through to Greater Toronto. Lake Ontario’s flow ends in the lakes north-east with once again an agricultural land use but a colder-winter, rockier, Canadian Shield topography.

Similarly, the differences in the beachy shoreline reflect the rolling change in land use. Beaches in the southwest mirror the agricultural growing region of rich soils and flat terrain. Middling of Lake Ontario reflect smaller shorelines and often rocky cliffsides. The north-eastern corner, in the flow of the winds and currents has beaches rich in sand dunes and large sandy plateaus before the flow filters into the Thousand Islands.

Quite the diversity!

Counties surrounding Lake Ontario’s extensive shoreline

Surrounding “our lake of shining waters” – rooted from the indigenous Huron name ”oniatarí'io”, now Lake Ontario – sit 6 major tourist regions engaging the millions of residents and visitors. Travel with the flow of water southwest to north-east and explore getaway opportunities within the counties surrounding Lake Ontario:

• Niagara Canada Region (includes Niagara Falls and Wine Country)        
• Hamilton, Halton @ Brant (into the Heart of Ontario)
• Greater Toronto Area (through SeeTorontoNow)
• York, Durham and Headwaters Region
• The Kawartha’s (includes Northumberland tourist region)
• South Eastern Ontario Region (includes Bay of Quinte, Prince Edward County, and St. Lawrence/ 1000 Islands tourist areas and the Trent Severn Waterway)

Top Lake Ontario beaches (from southwest to north-east)

No matter where you travel from Niagara to the Thousand Islands, a beach is hardly 20 miles away – hundreds dot Lake Ontario’s shoreline. These are our picks of the best beaches in each tourist region.

We’ve added a few extra information dimensions to help you understand the beaches listed:

• Blue Flag designation (Blue Flag ) – best in class
• Geo-location – google map pinpoint to where the beach is located
• Beach segment (Urban, Provincial Park or Conservation Area beach)
• Type and size of beach

Niagara Region Beaches

Sunset Beach, St. Catherines, Ontario, urban beach, sandy, about 350m (1100ft) long

Lakeside Park Beach, Port Dalhousie, St. Catherines, Ontario, urban beach, sandy, about 250m (800ft) long

Fifty Point Beach, Grimsby, Ontario, Fifty Point Conservation Area, sandy, about 400m (1300ft) long

Hamilton, Halton and Brant Beaches

Hamilton beach, Hamilton, Ontario, urban beach, 4 miles of sandy beachfront from Confederation Beach to the Skyway Drawbridge.

Greater Toronto Area beaches

Toronto Island Beaches

Hanlon’s Point Beach, (Blue Flag  2022), Toronto’s Centre Island, urban beach, sandy about 1.5km (1 mile) long with Ontario’s only legal Clothing Optional section.

Gibraltar Point Beach, (Blue Flag  2022),  Toronto’s Centre Island, urban beach, sandy about 300m (900ft) long

Centre Island Beach, (Blue Flag  2022),  Toronto’s Centre Island, urban beach, sandy about 500m (1600ft) long

Wards Island Beach, (Blue Flag  2022),  Toronto’s Centre Island, urban beach, sandy about 350m (1100ft) long

Greater Toronto Mainland Beaches

Marie Curtis Park Beaches – Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, urban beach, sandy sections both east and west of the Etobicoke Creek, sandy totalling about 600m (1900ft) long

Sunnyside Beaches, Toronto, Ontario, urban beaches, sandy in multiple smaller sections along the Sunnyside Boardwalk, about 500m (1600ft) long over the spans.

Cherry Beach, (Blue Flag  2022),  Toronto, Ontario, urban beach, sandy about 500m (1600ft) long

Woodbine Beach, (Blue Flag  2022),  Toronto, Ontario, urban beach, sandy about 900m (2800ft) long

Kew-Balmy Beach, (Blue Flag  2022),  Toronto, Ontario, urban beach, sandy about 1400m (4500ft) long

Bluffers Park Beach, (Blue Flag  2022),  Toronto, Ontario, urban beach, sandy about 700m (2200ft) long

Rouge Beach, Toronto, Ontario, urban beach, sandy about 1000m (3200ft) long over various spans along the Waterfront Trail.

York, Durham and Headwaters Region

Frenchman’s Bay Beach, Pickering, Ontario, urban beach, sandy bayfront strip Rotary Frenchman’s Bay West Park Beach – about 600m long (1900 ft), East Side Beach about 700m long (2200ft)

Darlington Provincial Park Beach, Bowmanville, Ontario, Provincial Park beach, sandy about 500m (1600ft) long

Kawarthas Region

Victoria (Coburg) Beach, (Blue Flag  2021),  Coburg, Ontario, urban beach, sandy wide strip about 500m (1600ft) long

Presqu’ile Provincial Park, Brighton, Ontario, Provincial Park beach, sandy wide stretch about 2km long (over 5000ft)

Southeastern Ontario Region

North Beach Provincial Park, Consecon, Ontario Provincial Park beach, sandy about 1200m (3900ft) long          

Wellington Beach, Prince Edward, Ontario, urban beach, sandy about 500m (1600ft) long

Sandbanks Lakeshore Beach, Prince Edward, Ontario, Provincial Park beach, sandy beach and dunes over 7km (4+ miles) long

Sandbanks Outlet Beach, Prince Edward, Ontario, Provincial Park beach, sandy beach and dunes over 3km (almost 2 miles) long

23 Lake Ontario Beach besties

These 23 beaches represent what we feel are the best opportunities to marry your sun-lovin, beach-walking, freshwater-swimming getaways while you dig into the flavor of an area through the local cultures and experiences county by county.

For more detail and beach resources to explore:

• The Swim Guide Beachfinder
• Designated Blue Flag Beaches
• Great Lakes Guide ~ Lake Ontario
• Ontario Travel (tourism site)

Excited to explore more Ontario beaches:

• Ontario’s Beachin Great Lakes
• Top Lake Erie Beaches
• Top Lake Huron & Georgian Bay Beaches
• Lake Superior Beaches
• Who is Ontario, Canada So Special?

Which beaches of the 23 have you had a chance to explore? And which was your favorite and why? We’d love to hear which you’ve enjoyed and we would love to consider 1 or 2 additional recommendations to bring our Lake Ontario beach besties to 25! Drop a comment below or weigh in on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram channels – whichever you prefer.