Wasaga Beach Provincial Park is a provincial park located on Georgian Bay at Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada. The beach (with the exception of a short separate area of private beaches in the extreme west end) is owned and operated by Ontario Parks as a recreational provincial park, consisting of the town's trademark beach, as well as other non-beach areas. Beach Areas 1–6 can be accessed off Mosley Street, while Allenwood and New Wasaga Beaches are northeast of the mouth of the Nottawasaga River and are accessed via River Road East.[3]
The park is available for day use only. Its area totals 1,844 hectares (4,560 acres) of which 6.8 hectares (17 acres) are protected. The park is a habitat for birds, primarily for shorebirds including the endangered piping plover. In addition to the beach, there are over 50 kilometres (31 mi) of hiking trails. In winter, they are used for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The visitor centre provides access to the Nancy Island Historic Site with a theatre, a museum and a lighthouse.[1]
It had 1,693,731 visitors in 2022, making it the most-visited operating provincial park in Ontario.[2]
Proposed transfer of portions of beach to municipality
In the summer of 2025, Ontario premier Doug Ford proposed transferring jurisdiction of Beach areas 1 and 2 and New Wasaga Beach to the town. The idea was controversial with residents and others and on August 24, 60 people (including Chris Glover, an MPP from Toronto) held a rally at Beach 1, claiming such a move "could open the door for the Ford government to sell off other provincial park spaces across Ontario".[4]
In January 2026, the Ford government announced they will be proceeding with the transfer of the lands to the town.[5] There has been concern over the environmental impacts, as well as legal and governance issues and public access. The town has committed to keeping the beach public, not building on it, and protecting the environmentally sensitive area of the dunes.[6]
References
- 1 2 3
- ↑ "ABOUT THE PARK". Wasaga Beach Information. Friends of Nancy Island. 2015.
25 February 2017
- ↑ Adams, Ian (August 26, 2025). "'Thin edge of the wedge': NDP's Chris Glover, Wasaga residents, rally on beachfront against provincial park land transfer to municipality". Simcoe.com.
- ↑ "Province proceeds with Wasaga Beach land transfer | The Creemore Echo - 2026". Retrieved 2026-06-22.
- ↑ Adams, Ian (2026-01-29). "Ontario approves transferring beach areas to Wasaga Beach. Here is what we know". Simcoe.com. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
External links
Media related to Wasaga Beach Provincial Park at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
