Aspen Grove Beach

Managed by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper

Aspen Grove Beach is located on Blackstrap Lake, which is a large and narrow lake that is extremely popular for recreational use. There is a $7 fee to enter the park, or $50 annually for access to all Saskatchewan Provincial Parks. The beach is about 100 meters long and is comprised of coarse golden sand. The lake bottom is also sandy and it drops off about 5-10 meters out. The water has a fair bit of suspended sediment from all of the boating and wave action, making it appear murky. There is a designated swimming area marked by buoys, however all swimming is unsupervised. No pets are allowed on the beach area.

Access to the beach is through the park campgrounds, and it can be reached from the Aspen or Hazelnut parking lots. The parking lots are paved and offer ample space. A short walk leads you from the lot to the beach. Blackstrap Lake is extremely popular both recreationally and residentially. Even on an overcast day the beach is buzzing with recreational users and boaters are a common occurrence on the water. There is a boat launch accessible through the campground, however many visitors appear to use any area they could access due to the boat launch demand.

The view from the beach is mainly residential, as the opposing shoreline is packed with cottages and homes. It is bordered on either side by a dense forest of shrubs and trees giving it a little privacy from the campground and other park features. The beach backs onto a large grassy park with trees and shrubs. The park contains a day use gazebo and several picnic tables with BBQs. More BBQs are found in sites throughout the neighbouring forest. There are also a few benches on the beach for seating and a playground in the park that is visible from the beach. The park is backed by more forest, giving it a buffer from the parking lot sights and sounds. Near the parking lot there are several trash facilities as well as bathrooms and change houses for swimmers.

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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 at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on July 19th, 2022. North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on July 22nd, 2022 at 5:08 PM.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health monitors freshwater beaches across the province of Saskatchewan. Water samples at this beach are processed by the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory.

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.

Water Quality Graph