Providence Bay Beach
Providence Bay, ON, Canada
Providence Bay Beach is a 2 km curve of soft golden sand on the south shore of Manitoulin Island, Ontario, one of the longest sand beaches in the province. Its Anishinaabemowin name, Bebikodawangog, means where the sands curve around the bay. An accessible boardwalk crosses the dunes and the Mindemoya River, and there are volleyball nets, picnic spots, and a playground.
A long, soft, uncrowded sand beach often called the best in Ontario, though it takes a ferry or a long drive to reach.
How we score beachesWalk the boardwalk over the dunes at sunset, then wade out into the shallow Lake Huron water.
Parking in the village by the beach.
The boardwalk is wheelchair accessible and runs along much of the beach.
The shallow bay warms up in July and August. The beach rarely feels crowded even in peak season.
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.