We are spending our summer exploring Alberta and that includes day trips to some of the best family friendly beaches in Alberta. We are going back to some of our favourites and checking out some new ones. With so many in Alberta I’ve rounded up 13 of the best, family friendly beaches in Alberta. This is definitely one list that you will want to keep on hand and add to your list of places to go this summer!
Where to find family friendly beaches in Alberta
Shaw’s Point Resort, Lesser Slave Lake, AB
4 hours North of Edmonton + 1 hour from town of Slave Lake
One of my most favourite beaches that I have been to in Alberta! Large sandy beach with volley ball courts. Boat rentals and store with all amenties also on site.
$10/ vehicle
Shaw’s Point Resort Website
Long Lake, Long Lake Provincial Park
1.5 hours North of Edmonton
Another family favourite when I was growing up! Love the beach, and the water is pretty great too! Grocery store and concession available close to the beach.
Long Lake Website
Cold Lake
The beach is right in town and has a park and spray park right by the beach too.
3 hours North East of Edmonton
Cold Lake Website
Whitecourt River Slides, Rotary Park
River slides (bring your own tubes for the best experience – tubes not available to rent), splash park, playground, public washrooms, and concession.
2 hours North-West of Edmonton
Rotary Park Website
Wabamun Lake, Wabamun Provincial Park
1 hour West of Edmonton
A large beach with a tonne of green space. Park is newer and kept the kids busy for close to an hour. Go early (especially if you want a picnic table and fire pit) it gets busy fast!
Wabamun Website
Quarry Lake, Canmore
4 hours South West of Edmonton
Known as the locals outdoor swimming pool with picnic tables and sandy beach. A little on the cooler side but nothing is better then some nice cool water on a hot summers day.
Quarry Lake Website
Buffalo Lake, Ol’MacDonalds Resort
1.5 hours South of Edmonton
Shallow water that kept thirteen kids 5 years of age and younger occupied for a long time! Campsite restaurant with ice cream, farm animals, merry go round, and a nice sandy beach with ice cream stand onsite! Bring a pail to catch little minnows, the kids loved it!
$10/ vehicle
Ol’MacDonalds Resort Website
Gull Lake, Aspen Beach Provincial Park
1.5 hours South of Edmonton
Lots of sandy beach space, and space to picnic with the family.
Aspen Beach Website
Sylvan Lake
1.5 hours South of Edmonton
I grew up going to summer camp at Sylvan Lake so this place is chalk full of memories! A great family beach with a large park on one end, and a sandy beach. Lot’s of picnic tables throughout the length of the lake. Beach is right in town so any and all amenities are available. There is even places where you can borrow life jackets for free!
Sylvan Lake website
Discovery Canyon (Not open in summer 2016 due to maintenance)
1.5 hours South of Edmonton
Perfect for kids! Area includes a small beach, spray pool, concession, washrooms, and more.
Can rent tubes for $5 plus a $15 refundable deposit (or bring your own for free!)
Discovery Canyon Website
Lake Newell, Kinbrook Provincial Park
As a kid we went here every summer! It’s Alberta’s largest man made lake with with a large sandy beach, volleyball courts, and walking paths.
4.5 hours South of Edmonton
Travers Reservoir, The Little Bow Provincial Park
4.5 hours South of Edmonton
The perfect set up for young kids. Beach is a horse shoe shape and surrounded by picnic tables with fire pits, and tons of trees for shade.
Travers Reservoir website
Do you have suggestions for other family friendly beaches in Alberta that’s aren’t listed here? I would love to know about them so I can add it to my list of places to explore!
Miquelon lake camground is about an hour SE of Edmonton, has gorgeous beach, park, washrooms, a store on the access road.
The store closed down a couple summers ago. Not sure what the plan is this year. Otherwise yes. We love going there 🙂
Thanks for the great list of beaches!
Check out cold lake. We are 3.5 hours northeast of Edmonton. We have one beach In cold lake north that has a beautiful beach plus a great splash park, a marina with a boat launch is not far from the beach. Kayaking, water skiing, tubing etc. We also have at least 10 other beaches located around us plus several campgrounds.
Rocky Mountain House has some great local areas including Crimson Provincial Park Campground has a great beach with change houses, little store, playground, cook houses, volleyball nets, boat launch, walking trails and campground with playgrounds.
Cow Lake is a campground community run with a public beach, store, campground, showers, cook house, play ground on the beach and walking trails.
I grew up in this Area and it was wonderful to be 20 minutes away from either location.
We went to Crimson Lake last year and love it, especially all the trails and playgrounds for the grandkids. Hope to take the other grandkids there this year,
Slave Lake is 2.5 hours north and has beautiful Devonshire Beach.
Shaw’s Point isn’t in Slave Lake (the town), it’s over an hour away, but still on Lesser Slave Lake (the lake). As Pat said, check out Devonshire…only 2.5 hours away and a beautiful huge sandy beaches. The beach itself is in a provincial park, but there are lots of camp grounds both on the river (if you have a boat to bring, this is handy) and closer to the beach itself.
Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park island! 3 different beaches, all in one spot. Or McArthur Place beach right in Lac La Biche: playground, splash park, beach, an an swimming area with a slide platform.
Lake Newell is misspelled. You link is correct though 🙂
Spell check at it’s finest! Thanks!! It’s all fixed!
Prairie Oasis south of Hanna Alberta is beautiful. Warm water, wonderful beach really nice camp ground.
Cold Lake beach and MD campground beside it. Beautiful. Kids spray park on the beach with playground. Lots of water sports.
Just read on Discovery Cannon’s website that they’ll be closed for the 2016 season. They’ll reopen June 2017.