The long awaited arrival of Summer is here! Now it’s time to enjoy the beautiful weather and to appreciate some of the great areas Kingston has to offer this season.
Kingston Beaches
Kingston’s proximity to the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario allows the city to feature many beach areas for swimming, relaxing, and playing. Here are a few of the options close to town:
Grass Creek Park
Grass Creek Park is a 95 acre rural park in Kingston East. This park is a 20 minute drive from downtown along Highway 2 East. (approximately 16km). The park has many amenities: A large sandy beach with a cordoned off swimming area, parking lots (at the front of park and near the beach), picnic tables, picnic shelter, play equipment, rolling meadows, off leash area and washrooms.
Arrowhead Beach Park
The Arrowhead Beach Park is a public beach accessed through the CFB Kingston Married Quarters. The beach is a great ‘swimming hole’ in front of several acres of well-kept grass and mature pines. There is a small playground above the beach.
Richardson’s Beach
Sometimes known as MacDonald’s Beach, this is a rocky beach near the heart of Kingston. In 2008, a group of professors, students, residents, and Lake Ontario Waterkeeper held a mass swim here to rally support for a revitalized public swimming area in downtown Kingston.
If you are up for a day trip, Sandbanks Provincial Park just outside of Picton has one of the most popular beach areas in this area of Ontario.
This park features the world’s largest baymouth barrier dune formation and has three expansive sandy beaches that some say are among the best in Canada; Outlet Beach is perfect for families, with shallow waters and a gentle drop off.
Whether you have time for a full day trip to the Sandbanks, or just a couple hours to relax, you can find great locations to relax and enjoy the lakes and rivers here in Kingston.