Beaches near Ottawa are great places to cool off

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Looking for Ottawa beaches or beaches near Ottawa? If you’re looking to soak up some summer sunshine on a stretch of sand in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario or the Outaouais, here are just some of the many places where you can suntan, swim or build a sandcastle within a few hours’ drive of Parliament Hill.

A few notes on beach etiquette

Here are some things you can do to keep beaches near Ottawa tidy and pleasant for everyone.

• Bring bags and take your garbage and recyclables home with you. Parks departments do their best to keep up, but this is one easy way to help them out in these days of overstretched resources.
• Visit on weekdays rather than weekends, if feasible.
• Leave music players and other noisy items at home.
• Respect posted opening and closing hours.
• Respect private property, such as residential yards and driveways.
• If a beach is crowded, come back another day.

And two notes on beach safety

Be aware that some of these beaches may not have lifeguards.

Also, please check the linked websites below before heading out, to make sure the beach is open and the water quality is good.

OK, now that you know the precautions to take, here’s where you can hit the beaches in and around Ottawa.

Ottawa beaches

Basic details on the four City-run beaches below are available on the City of Ottawa website. For more detailed information—including details on washrooms, canteens, rentals and so on—please see this post on the Ottawa Tourism website.

• Mooney’s Bay Beach, 2960 Riverside Drive
• Petrie Island, 727 Trim Road
• Westboro Beach, 745 Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway (currently closed for redevelopment work; check this NCC site for updates)
• Britannia Beach, 2805 Carling Avenue

There’s also a small beach on the pond in Rockcliffe Park, open from 7am to 2pm in season (click on “Public swimming at the pond” for details).

I’ll concede that the NCC River House (501 Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway) isn’t exactly a “beach.” However, the enclosed outdoor swimming area on the Ottawa River has been phenomenally popular since it opened in 2023. Capacity is limited to just 125 people at a time, so arrive early in the day to avoid disappointment. A chairlift has been installed to provide universal access to the water.

On Ottawa’s outskirts, there are beaches at the Baxter Conservation Area in Kars (7498 Carter Road) and at Fitzroy Provincial Park in Fitzroy Harbour (5201 Canon Smith Drive). The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority has installed mats at Baxter to make the beach accessible to visitors using wheelchairs, strollers, walkers and other mobility-assistive devices. In Constance Bay, there are three beaches: Auger’s Beach, Wicken’s Beach and The Point.

Beaches near Ottawa in the Outaouais

Gatineau Park beaches

The National Capital Commission manages beaches in Gatineau Park. In 2024, lifeguards will be on duty daily from June 14 until September 2, from 10am to 6pm. Note that Smith Beach at Philippe Lake is closed for the season in 2024. For more information, see the NCC website.

• Blanchet Beach (Meech Lake)
• Breton Beach (Philippe Lake)
• La Pêche Beach (La Pêche Lake)
• O’Brien Beach (Meech Lake)
• Parent Beach (Philippe Lake)

Gatineau beaches

• Leamy Lake Beach, Leamy Lake Parkway, Hull sector (off boul. Fournier; lifeguards on duty daily from June 14 until September 2, from 10am to 7pm; see the NCC website for more info)
• Parc des Cèdres, rue Raoul-Roy, Aylmer sector (see the City of Gatineau website)
• Parc du Lac-Beauchamp, 741, boul. Maloney est, Gatineau sector (see the City of Gatineau website)
• Parc Moussette, 361, boul. Lucerne, Hull sector (see the City of Gatineau website)

Other Outaouais beaches

• Centre-touristique du Lac-Simon, 1216, rue Principale, Duhamel
• Lac-Simon Municipal Beach, 760, ch. du Tour-du-Lac, Lac-Simon (2023 information, in French only)
• Leslie Beach, 460, ch. Belmont, Otter Lake
• Norway Bay Beach, 1, rue Parc, Bristol
• Val-des-Monts Municipal Beach, 1214, rte. Principale, Val-des-Monts

Beaches near Ottawa in Eastern Ontario

Alexandria

• Island Park Beach, Derby Street West (check water quality here)

Almonte

• Almonte Beach, 195 Water Street, Almonte Fairgrounds (check water quality here)

Arnprior

• Robert Simpson Park, 400 John Street North (check water quality here)

Athens

• Sandy Bay County Park (on Charleston Lake), 540 County Park Road (check water quality here)

Braeside

• Braeside Beach, 775 Usborne Street (check water quality here)

Brockville

For information on these beaches, see the Brockville Tourism website.

• Centeen Park, 70 Water Street East
• Cunningham Park
• St. Lawrence Park, 525 King Street West (check water quality here)

Burnstown Beach

• Burnstown Beach, 1537 Calabogie Road

Burritts Rapids

• Henry Street Park Beach

Carleton Place

For details on these parks, go to the Carleton Place website. Check water quality reports here.

• Centennial Park, 169 Joseph Street
• Riverside Park, 175 John Street

Chute-à-Blondeau

• Voyageur Provincial Park, 1313 Front Road

Cloyne

• Bon Echo Provincial Park, 16151 Highway 41

Elgin

• Sand Lake Park, 345 Delong Road (check water quality here)

Gananoque

• Joel Stone Park, 135 Water Street (check water quality here)

Ingleside

• Farran Park Beach and Picnic Area, 14704 County Road 2 (check water quality here)
• Woodlands Beach and Picnic Area, 15174 Long Sault Parkway (check water quality here)

Iroquois

• Iroquois Beach, 42 Adair Drive (check water quality here)

Kemptville

• Rideau River Provincial Park, 2680 Donnelly Drive

Killaloe

• Bonnechere Provincial Park, 4024 Round Lake Road

Kingston

• Grass Creek Park, Highway 2, east of Kingston
• Lemoine Point Conservation Area

Lanark Highlands

More information on these beaches is available on the Lanark Highlands website. Check water quality here.

• Centennial Park/Dalhousie Lake Beach, Lavant Mill Road, McDonald’s Corners
• Clyde River Waterfront Park, Hillier Street, Lanark Village
• Robb’s Lake Beach, Concession 7 Darling, near Tatlock
• Robertson Lake Beach, 4101 South Lavant Road (County Road 16), near Lavant Station

Lancaster

• Glengarry Beach and Picnic Area, 20800 South Service Road (check water quality here)

Lansdowne

• Charleston Lake Provincial Park, 148 Woodvale Road

Long Sault

• Lakeview Waterfront Park/Moulinette Beach, between Long Sault and Cornwall (check water quality here)
• Mille Roches Beach and Picnic Area, 15890 Long Sault Parkway (check water quality here)

L’Orignal

• L’Orignal Beach, 772 Front Road West (check water quality here)

Lyn

• Lyn Valley Conservation Area (check water quality here)

Lyndhurst

• Kendrick’s Park, 245 Short Point Road

Maberly

• Silver Lake Provincial Park , Civic #22726 Highway 7

Mallorytown

• Brown’s Bay Beach and Picnic Area, 1259 1000 Islands Parkway (check water quality here)

Morrisburg

• Crysler Beach and Picnic Area, 13480 County Road 2 (check water quality here)
• Morrisburg Beach, 85 Canada Way (check water quality here)

Pakenham

• Pakenham Beach, 106 Margaret Street (check water quality here)

Perth

• Murphys Point Provincial Park, 2243 Elmgrove Road

Pembroke

• Riverside Park Beach, 961 Pembroke Street West (check water quality here)

Petawawa

• Black Bear Beach, Garrison Petawawa, 157 Lievin Road
• Petawawa Point Park (check water quality here)

Picton

• Sandbanks Provincial Park, 3004 County Road 12

Portland

• Portland Community Beach, 24 Water Street (check water quality here)

Prescott

• Kelly’s Beach (check water quality here)

Rideau Ferry

• Rideau Ferry Yacht Club Conservation Area (the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority installed new mats here in 2021 to improve access for those using mobility-assistive devices) (check water quality here)

Sharbot Lake

• Sharbot Lake Provincial Park, Civic #25467 Highway 7

Smiths Falls

• Murphy Park, 1 Park Avenue
• Smiths Falls Beach, 2-22 Confederation Drive

Stonecliffe

• Driftwood Provincial Park, 39520 Highway 17 (check water quality here)

Summerstown

• Charlottenburg Park, 19788 County Road 2 (check water quality here)

Sydenham

• Frontenac Provincial Park, 6700 Salmon Lake Road
• Gould Lake Conservation Area

Toledo

• Bellamy Park, 450 Lake Eloida Road

Westport

• Foley Mountain Conservation Area (check water quality here)
• Westport Lions Beach, 63 Mountain Road (check water quality here)

Whitney

• Algonquin Park, East Beach (there are other beaches in the park; this is just one of the closest ones to Ottawa; see the main Algonquin site for info)

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.