Candle Lake Provincial Park at Minowukaw Beach

Managed by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper

Minowukaw Beach is rated one of the top inland beaches in Canada. It features very fine sand that is white and almost sparkles in the sun. Some sections of the beach even have sand with a pink hue. Reeds and other woody debris wash up along sections of the shoreline. The shoreline across from and surrounding the beach is very natural and features dense forest giving the lake a natural feel. Candle Lake Provincial Park is split into two sections – highway 120 leads to the eastern half and highway 265 leads to the western side. These highways are connected by Main Street (which is unpaved). Minowuakaw Beach is located in the eastern part of the park. There is a paved parking lot near the swimming area, and another designated parking lot near the boat launch. A wooden walkway bridges the parking lot and beach area.

The depth of the water drops off after a few meters but the bottom remains sandy. The boat launch and swimming area are about half a kilometer apart with a long stretch of beach between them. The beach is over a kilometer in total length. The beach is long and somewhat exposed, so waves from boats and wind can be fairly large. There is a designated swimming area marked by buoys, and all swimming is unsupervised. No pets or ATV’s allowed in the beach area.

The beach is backed by a dense forest with a few walking trails running throughout it. There is a playground near the boat launch, and a basketball court near the beach parking lot. There are outhouses near the boat launch and the beach parking lots. There is a campground nearby for those wishing to stay overnight. Minowukaw Beach is a natural sand dune environment, so the provincial government urges beach-goers to remain on the paths and beach area rather than walking on the local plant life. Angling restrictions apply to Candle Lake so check the provincial regulations before fishing!

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MONITORING FREQUENCY

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Beaches are monitored at varying frequencies for E. Coli and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) from the end of June to the end of August. There are weekly reports on the beaches’ recreational water quality results posted on the Healthy Beach Program website from July to early September.

Water quality is monitored in accordance with the Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality under Saskatchewan’s Healthy Beach Program.

The levels of E. coli are measured using the most probable number methodology. High levels of E. coli can indicate faecal contamination, which poses human health risks for gastrointestinal illnesses, as well as ear, nose, and throat infections. In accordance with the guidelines, a beach is marked green when a single sample result is less than 400 E. coli organisms in 100 milliliters of water or the geometric mean of five samples is less than or equal to 200 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water. A beach is marked red when a single sample results has greater than 400 E. coli per 100 ml of water.

The Government of Saskatchewan advises to avoid swimming and in-water activities during water quality advisories. There will be warning signs at the beaches with poor water quality results until the risk to public health is resolved.

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