Grand Beach Provincial Park, Manitoba

Dunes 12 metres high and kilometres of inviting, fine sand receive waves of the great prairie sea. This is Grand Beach, located on Lake Winnipeg, the sixth largest lake in Canada. The Blue Flag candidate portion of Grand Beach is the one kilometer-long "West Beach", which stretches from the beach's west point to the channel, where the lake flows in and out of a natural lagoon. 

 

Days in the park are filled with leisurely swims, strolls along the boardwalk, beach volleyball, and sand castle creations.  Food and shopping is offered at the west end of the boardwalk, with change rooms and modern washrooms available along the beach. Calm waters are ideal for waterskiing and boating, while brightly coloured sails of windsurfers drift by on warm breezes.  Visitors take advantage of fishing and tennis opportunities in summer, or cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in winter.  Camping opportunities, with either electrical or basic service, are offered at 348 transient campsites and 51 seasonal campsites.

 

Grand Beach is one of few habitats of the Piping Plover, an endangered shorebird.  Interpretive tours teach about the birds and why it is important to protect them.  The lagoon offers a world of adventure for children and adults alike, and is home to hundreds of birds who make up a kaleidoscope of colour and song.  Don't miss the chance to explore the trailed landscape beyond the beach.  Grand Beach is part of both the Trans Canada Trail and historic La Vérendrye Trail.  Originally carved during the ice age, the landscape offers gentle inclines, berry-filled forests and raw rocky ridges. 

 

The beach, considered one of the best in North America, beckons the sun worshipper in all of us. Travels to Grand Beach have been a tradition since the days of the carousel, dance hall and train rides in the 1920s. Nature's strong summer potion of sun, sand and water continues to draw thousands of people.