Sandbanks Provincial Park - Lake Ontario Beach

Prince Edward, Ontario

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Welcome to two of the largest freshwater baymouth sandbars in the world. The Park offers overnight camping, as well as long stretches of sandy beaches. This sensitive dune ecosystem is very rare and truly spectacular. In the middle of summer, the campground and the beach are nearly always packed with people so be sure to book your sites early.

No lifeguards, water safety is your responsibility. Life Jacket Lending Program available.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 13th, 2021. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 15th, 2021 at 9:55 AM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Current Weather

22°C

A mix of sun and clouds

View this beach on Great Lakes Guide

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Ontario Parks samples beaches weekly from June to the end of August (weather permitting). However, some Parks do not begin sampling until mid-June due to factors such as water temperature. Ontario Parks beaches are monitored according to the province's Beach Management Protocol. The Protocol says that authorities must check water quality at least weekly from June 1 to Labour Day at beaches where there are formal swimming programs or lifeguards.

Beaches are typically tested early in the week, on Monday or Tuesday. Samples are processed at provincial labs, processing times vary from park to park, depending on location. Beach postings may occur anytime during the bathing season. As part of the routine monitoring program of public beaches, beach postings may be required where exceedance of recreational water quality levels and other environmental data supports the need for posting. Beaches are posted when the geometric mean of the samples collected exceeds 200 E. coli / 100 ml or if a single sample exceeds 400 E. coli / 100 ml. If the recreational water quality at a swim site meets this standard it is given a GREEN current status in Swim Guide. If the recreational water quality at a swim site exceeds this standard it is given a RED current status in Swim Guide. When water quality exceeds the recreational water quality standards, Ontario Parks posts alerts on their website. Beaches are also physically posted with a sign. Ontario Parks re-samples water that has exceeded the standard as soon as possible. Swim Drink Fish enters water quality test results into Swim Guide according to the actual date the sample was taken. Each Ontario Park typically samples its beaches on the same day every week (or month). Ontario Parks has provided us with the sample collection schedule (Mon-Sun) for Ontario Parks' beaches they monitor. The water quality data for Ontario Parks is entered according to their sample collection schedule. The Ministry of the Environment F-5-5 Procedure says that a clean beach is open at least 95% of the swimming season, even if it is near a sewage pipe or combined sewer outfall. This rule applies to every place that is public, accessible, and feels like a good place to swim. When all else fails, the Ontario Environmental Protection Act strongly states that no one can interfere with the use that you can make of a public waterway - like swimming!

Water Quality Graph