Grand Beach Provincial Park

Last updated
Grand Beach Provincial Park
Grand Beach Provincial Park in August 2020.jpg
Grand Beach and Provincial Park on the shores of Lake Winnipeg in August 2020
Canada Manitoba location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Manitoba
LocationManitoba, Canada
Nearest townPowerview-Pine Falls, Manitoba
Coordinates 50°34′5″N96°33′42″W / 50.56806°N 96.56167°W / 50.56806; -96.56167 [1]
Area24.9 km2 (9.6 sq mi)
Established1961
Governing bodyGovernment of Manitoba
Grand Beach Provincial Park
Grand Beach Provincial Park

Grand Beach Provincial Park is a provincial park in Manitoba, Canada, noted for its large white sand dunes and ancient beaches from the end of the last ice age. It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, and the largest lake completely within the borders of southern Canada.

Contents

The park, which is 24.9 square kilometres (9.6 sq mi) in size, [2] is approximately an hour and twenty minutes drive from Winnipeg and is located in the westernmost part of the Rural Municipality of Alexander and the northernmost part of the Rural Municipality of St. Clements. The Government of Manitoba designated the area a provincial park in 1961. [2]

The park is considered a Class II protected area under the IUCN protected area management categories. [3] It is a sanctuary for the piping plover, an endangered species of bird that nests on the beach. Bald eagles, bears, sea gulls, terns, and pelicans are among the wide variety of species that inhabit the area.

Grand Beach

Grand Beach is one of a series of beaches on the east shore of Lake Winnipeg. Its fine white sand has made it an attractive summer destination since the early years of the twentieth century when the Canadian Northern Railway established an excursion line to the area. [4] The resort developed by the railway included many amenities including a dance hall, piers and a carousel. Most of the visitors were Winnipeg residents travelling by train and returning to the city the same day. [5] The increase in car ownership and concurrent road improvement after the end of World War II resulted in a declining number of customers for the excursion trains. The railway did not rebuild the dance hall when it burnt down in 1950 and in 1963, the tracks were removed. [6] [7] Today, beachgoers still flock to Grand Beach, arriving by car along Manitoba Highway 59. [8]

Activities

The park attracts thousands of visitors a year and is a very popular tourist destination. [9] Available activities include excellent bird watching, cycling and hiking trails, boating, fishing, kiteboarding, and berry picking (saskatoons, chokecherries, and blueberries). In the winter, the park offers snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. There are numerous tourist attractions, which include food and merchandise vendors, recreation facilities, bike, hiking, and ski trails, a fishing dock, a boardwalk, and camping facilities. Forty-eight seasonal camp sites, all of which have electricity, are located in the park. There are 306 casual campsites, of which about half offer electricity.

A park pass is required for vehicle entry to the park. Passes are available from regional businesses or at the park gate. There are also a few "free park entry weekends" per year, including Family Fishing Weekend, Canada Parks Day, and the September Long Weekend.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Winnipeg</span> Large glacial lake in Manitoba, Canada

Lake Winnipeg is a very large, relatively shallow 24,514-square-kilometre (9,465 sq mi) lake in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Its southern end is about 55 kilometres (34 mi) north of the city of Winnipeg. Lake Winnipeg is Canada's sixth-largest freshwater lake and the third-largest freshwater lake contained entirely within Canada, but it is relatively shallow excluding a narrow 36 m (118 ft) deep channel between the northern and southern basins. It is the eleventh-largest freshwater lake on Earth. The lake's east side has pristine boreal forests and rivers that were in 2018 inscribed as Pimachiowin Aki, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lake is 416 km (258 mi) from north to south, with remote sandy beaches, large limestone cliffs, and many bat caves in some areas. Manitoba Hydro uses the lake as one of the largest reservoirs in the world. There are many islands, most of them undeveloped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Canada</span> Overview of tourism in Canada

Canada has a large domestic and foreign tourism industry. The second largest country in the world, Canada's incredible geographical variety is a significant tourist attractor. Much of the country's tourism is centred in the following regions: Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Vancouver/Whistler, Niagara Falls, Vancouver Island, Canadian Rockies, British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, Churchill, Manitoba and the National Capital Region of Ottawa-Gatineau. The large cities are known for their culture, diversity, as well as the many national parks and historic sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Manitoba</span> Region of Manitoba, Canada

Northern Manitoba is a geographic and cultural region of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Originally encompassing a small square around the Red River Colony, the province was extended north to the 60th parallel in 1912. The region's specific boundaries vary, as "northern" communities are considered to share certain social and geographic characteristics, regardless of latitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turtle Mountain Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Manitoba, Canada

Turtle Mountain Provincial Park is a provincial park located in the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Within it are the Adam Lake and Max Lake campgrounds. The park is known for its bike trails, fishing, back country cabins and canoe routes. The park is very popular with families and outdoor enthusiasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Manitoba, Canada

Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park is a provincial park in Manitoba, Canada, which includes Hecla Island, Grindstone, Black Island and a number of other small islands in Lake Winnipeg, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. The park lies adjacent to the northeast side of the Municipality of Bifrost – Riverton in Manitoba.

Provincial Trunk Highway 6 is a provincial primary highway located in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It runs from the Perimeter Highway of Winnipeg to the Thompson south city limits. It is also the main highway connecting Winnipeg to northern Manitoba. The speed limit is 100 km/h. The route is also used to deliver nickel from the Thompson mine to the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg. The section of highway between its southern terminus near Winnipeg and the second junction with PTH 68 near Eriksdale is part of the Northern Woods and Water Route. The portion of the highway between Ponton and Thompson was known as Highway 391 prior to 1986.

Birds Hill Provincial Park is a provincial park in Manitoba, Canada located in the Boreal Plains ecozone. The park protects areas representative of Aspen/Oak parkland, as well as provides opportunities for recreation. It is located 24 kilometers north of Winnipeg on Highway 59, and covers approximately 8,300 acres or 35.1 km2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnipeg Beach</span> Town in Manitoba, Canada

Winnipeg Beach is a town in the Interlake Region, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The town was founded in 1900 by Sir William Whyte and is located at the junction of Highway 9 and Highway 229 on the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg, about 56 kilometres (35 mi) north of Winnipeg. It is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Gimli, the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, and Dunnottar as well as Lake Winnipeg. Nearby towns are Ponemah, Whytewold, and Matlock, Gimli, and Sandy Hook,, as well as Teulon, and Selkirk. Its permanent population is 1,439

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiteshell Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Manitoba, Canada

Whiteshell Provincial Park is a provincial park in southeast Manitoba, approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of the city of Winnipeg. The park is considered to be a Class II protected area under the IUCN protected area management categories. It is 275,210 hectares in size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Beach (Manitoba)</span> Beach on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada

Grand Beach is a freshwater beach located within the Rural Municipality of St. Clements on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. It is located on the northern edge of the town of Grand Marais, Manitoba. Grand Beach is on the historic La Vérendrye Trail .

Atikaki Provincial Park is a wilderness park in Manitoba, Canada, located east of Lake Winnipeg along the Ontario boundary in the Canadian Shield. The area of Atikaki Provincial Park is 3,981 square kilometres (1,537 sq mi). Atikaki Provincial Park is north of Nopiming Provincial Park and borders the Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rural Municipality of Victoria Beach</span> Rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada

Victoria Beach is a rural municipality (RM) in the Eastman Region of Manitoba, Canada, located on the southeastern shores of Lake Winnipeg, approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Winnipeg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaudry Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Manitoba, Canada

Beaudry Provincial Park is an approximately 953.4-hectare (2,356-acre) park located along the Assiniboine River west of the town of Headingley, Manitoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gimli, Manitoba</span> Community in Manitoba, Canada

Gimli is an unincorporated community in the Rural Municipality of Gimli on the west side of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The community's first European settlers were Icelanders who were part of the New Iceland settlement in Manitoba. The community maintains a strong connection to Iceland and Icelandic culture today, including the annual Icelandic Festival. It was incorporated as a village on March 6, 1908, and held town status between December 31, 1946, and January 1, 2003, when it amalgamated with the RM of Gimli. Census Canada now recognizes the community as a population centre for census purposes. The 2021 Canadian census recorded a population of 2,345 in the population centre of Gimli.

Grand Marais is a community in Manitoba, Canada within the Rural Municipality of St. Clements. It is located immediately south of Grand Beach Provincial Park on Lake Winnipeg at the base of Grand Marais Point.

Birch Island Provincial Park is a remote provincial park located on Lake Winnipegosis in Manitoba, Canada. The park is bordered on its western boundary by the Swan-Pelican Provincial Forest and on its eastern side by Chitek Lake Anishinaabe Provincial Park.

Elk Island Provincial Park is a provincial park in Manitoba, Canada. The park is 10.7 square kilometres (4.1 sq mi) in size, and is considered to be a Class III protected area under the IUCN protected area management categories.

Hnausa Beach Provincial Park is a provincial park in Manitoba, Canada, on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg north of Gimli, Manitoba. The beach within the park is named after the nearby community of Hnausa. Hnausa is an Old Icelandic word for a piece of turf. This part of Manitoba is known as New Iceland due to the significant Icelandic settlement of the area that began in 1875.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Beach Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Manitoba, Canada

Patricia Beach Provincial Park is a provincial park on the south-east shore of Balsam Bay on Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The park is located within the Rural Municipality of St. Clements and can be accessed by road from Manitoba Provincial Road 319. In the summer, people relax by the lake on the fine sand beach. During the winter, people using snowmobiles or quads to go ice fishing on Balsam Bay get on to the lake from the south parking lot.

References

  1. ↑ "Grand Beach Provincial Park". Geographical Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 A System Plan for Manitoba's Provincial Park (PDF). Government of Manitoba. March 1997. p. 35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Grand Beach Provincial Park". Protected Planet. United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Selwood, John; Tonts, Matthew. "A home away from home at Grand Beach, Manitoba" (PDF). Prairie Perspectives. 6 (October 2003): 139. Retrieved 23 September 2017. ...during the height of the first official operating season, excursion trains were already taking up to 4,000 people a day up to the beach.
  5. ↑ Lemoine, Susan; Barnfather, Tim (1978). Grand Beach: The Grand Old Days (PDF). Winnipeg, Manitoba: Parks Branch, Manitoba Department of Tourism, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. p. 4. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  6. ↑ Selwood, John; Tonts, Matthew. "A home away from home at Grand Beach, Manitoba" (PDF). Prairie Perspectives. 6 (October 2003): 139. Retrieved 23 September 2017. However, changing fashions in recreation and regional improvements to the transportation system eventually undermined the popularity of Grand Beach. After the Second World War, growing automobile ownership led people to abandon the railway as their preferred transport mode.
  7. ↑ Lemoine, Susan; Barnfather, Tim (1978). Grand Beach: The Grand Old Days (PDF). Winnipeg, Manitoba: Parks Branch, Manitoba Department of Tourism, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. p. 21. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "Grand Beach Provincial Park". Travel Manitoba. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  9. ↑ Hilderman Thomas Frank Cram, Landscape Architects (2007). Grand Marais Development Plan - Phase 1 (PDF). Destination Grand Marais Committee. p. 1. Retrieved 23 September 2017. ...the Provincial Park continues to attract an estimated 500,000 visitors annually...
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.