I usually don’t mind winter, but lately I’ve been really missing the feeling of sand between my toes and the warm sunshine that hits my face when I’m lounging out to the sounds of the waves nearby.  So in order to reminisce I thought what better time, and well before the summer, but to list out great beaches along the North American Great Lakes.  They are often overlooked while people head south to the Caribbean and Central America, but they can be equally satisfying for a fraction of the price, and time!

You can find a great list here at the Great Lakes Guide website which lists them all out for you on both sides of the border by lake.  Making an easy go to reference point for you to use and plan your breaks.  Keep in mind that off all the lakes, Superior is probably the coolest so you want to make a trip well into late spring to early fall.  This makes sense since it is the northern most lake, but also because it is the deepest and largest by volume.  Erie and Ontario are similar and heat up fairly soon by mid spring (say end of April and early May).  Enough to make them pleasant to visit, and if you plan it right, while avoiding the mass crowd.

I would also advise to check out the beach consistency, some of the beaches along Superior or Huron might also be slightly more rocky but there are still plenty of powder soft sand beaches as well to choose from.  The point is to check how the beach is, not all beaches are created equal.  Don’t discount beaches near urban centres (i.e. Sugar Beach in Toronto).  They can be just as great and if you make it on a weird time on a weekday (if you take the day off) they are well worth the effort as well.

Of all the beaches I went to (mainly Ontario) I loved Sauble Beach the most on Lake Huron, while Wasaga was a slight disappointment, although there are plenty of other distractions there to still make it a worth tourist spot.  Good luck and I hope you find just the right beach for you!  After all, you have a good 16,900 km of coastline with these lakes, so you’re bound to get a nice spot.  Might even make you rethink the whole plane flight down south and save the extra cash.