Batchawana Bay Provincial Park
Batchawana Bay, ON, Canada
Batchawana Bay Provincial Park is a day-use beach about 50 minutes north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, on a wide sandy stretch of Lake Superior. The water is shallow with a gentle drop-off, and the bay has a reputation as one of the warmest swimming spots on the lake. There's no camping, just picnic tables, washrooms, and sand.
Warm, shallow Superior water that Sault families love, though facilities are basic.
How we score beachesPair it with Pancake Bay a few minutes up the highway: swim here in the afternoon, then catch sunset from the bigger beach.
A day-use lot off Highway 17; Ontario Parks day-use permits are required and can be reserved ahead.
A short walk from the lot to the sand.
Open from mid May to October, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. The shallow bay is warmest in late July and August.
More Great Lakes beaches
Sleeping Bear Dunes Beach
Empire, MI · Great Lakes
Freshwater Lake Michigan surf below towering sand dunes, some over 400 feet tall, with water clear enough to rival a coastline and a hike back up the dune to burn it off.
New Buffalo City Beach
New Buffalo, MI · Great Lakes
New Buffalo City Beach is the first real Lake Michigan beach you hit crossing from Indiana, a wide stretch of sand at the end of Whittaker Street beside the harbor and the Galien River channel. Chicago weekenders fill it in summer. The town's shops and restaurants are a five minute walk back up the street.
Warren Dunes State Park
Sawyer, MI · Great Lakes
Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer has roughly three miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and some of the tallest dunes in southwest Michigan. Tower Hill rises about 260 feet above the lake, and climbing it and running back down is a rite of passage. On a hot July Saturday the beach feels like a small city.