Grand Beach – West

West Grand Beach has been a favourite Manitoba holiday destination since 1916. It is Manitoba's “little piece of paradise on the prairies”, and Lake Winnipeg’s most popular beach with some weekends seeing tens of thousands of visitors. The beach boardwalk was built in the early 1930s - great for an afternoon stroll. The beach is located within Grand Beach Provincial Park, requiring a 3 day or seasonal park pass which can be purchased at the park entrance. As with many beaches on Lake Winnipeg, it has fine, white sand and a very gradual descent into deeper water. The beach extends for 3 km along the waterfront, framed by high sand dunes. A pedestrian bridge joins West and East Grand Beach, which is divided by a causeway and adjacent lagoon, home to many wildlife species and self-guided trails. The busy resort area also offers boating and water sports, including windsurfing. In addition to beach walks, hikers may explore nature trails in Grand Beach Provincial Park, where you may see the rare Pileated Woodpecker and, during the summer, the Piping Plover. Historically, Grand Beach was a popular destination by train in the 1920s, with a carousel, dance hall pavilion and live music. The dance hall was destroyed by fire in 1950, but the community has remained a summer hot spot. Water quality samples are collected from West Grand Beach twice a week.