Batchawana Bay Provincial Park is a small, day-use only beach space, north of Sault Ste Marie. Here's everything you need to know about it!
Originally Published September 13, 2023, Updated 3/13/2026.
Continuing along the Trans Canada Highway - just a short distance past Sault Ste. Marie, in Ontario’s Algoma Country - I figured it would be the perfect spot to stop for lunch.
With a long sandy beach on the largest fresh water lake, we were basically guaranteed some fantastic views!
Batchawana Bay beach is known for having relatively warm waters compared to the rest of Lake Superior, so I thought a nice dip before hitting the road again would be in order.
You know, if we managed to beat the rain that was forecasted!
The park... wasn’t quite what we expected, from reading up on it. Nice, just a bit different. Also, weirdly familiar - I think I may have been there as a kid, on one of our cross-Ontario trips to visit my Great Aunt & Uncle!
Anyway, we figured we’d post about the experience, in case anyone else was wondering!
The park is RIGHT off the highway, so it’s really handy as a rest stop. So much so, that we’ve been there a BUNCH of times, since - and this post has been updated to be current as of fall 2025.
There have been some big improvements in the past few years - see the end of this post for older photos, to see the difference!
Fun fact: Batchawana Bay is considered to be the halfway point of the Trans-Canada Highway - which is the longest national highway in the world!
The Basics:
Park Name: Batchawana Bay Provincial Park
Address: 2729 Hwy 17N P.0. Box 61 Batchawana Bay, ON, ON P0S 1A0
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/batchawanabay
Price Ontario Provincial Parks uses a pricing matrix across all their parks. See 2026 Day Use Fees for more details.
Reservations: Ontario Parks Reservations
Park Classification: Recreational
Season: May 1, 2026 to October 18, 2026
Logistics
Some basic information to help you plan your stay at Batchawana Bay Provincial Park:
Registration and Check In
We had a seasonal pass for Ontario Parks, so we didn’t even have to worry about cost that first time.
Also, we tend to visit en-route between Provincial Parks (Chutes Provincial Park, and either Pancake Bay Provincial Park or Lake Superior Provincial Park.), so we generally have a valid camping permit, and Ontario Parks have reciprocity in that case.
ie: A valid camping permit at one park USUALLY functions as a daily vehicle permit for other parks, though some exceptions apply.
For those who don’t have a pass of either sort, you do need to pay day use fees in order to park there, and to use the park.
Unlike other provincial parks, this one didn’t have a gatehouse. There IS a Visitor Centre, but it’s only open very limited hours, in the summer.
Outside of that, the park made use of a self-serve bulletin board and envelope drop. I guess it mostly relies on the honour system, for those who don’t book a pass online?
Note: You can book a pass up to 5 days ahead of your stay, to guarantee a spot. While that was *absolutely* not a concern on a Monday after Labour Day, I bet it gets pretty busy on hot summer weekends!
The self serve thing (It wasn’t exactly a kiosk or booth) was located to the right, upon entering the park. There’s also one more to the left - taking the road that goes behind the Visitor Centre.
Big caveat here: There is little to no cellular reception at Batchawana Bay Provincial Park, so I HIGHLY recommend getting your day pass sorted before you arrive!
Parking
In the last year or so, Batchawana Bay Provincial Park has completely overhauled their main parking lot.
It’s still to the left as you enter the park, but now it’s in sections. The first main section involves a row of long, diagonal spots for RVs and trailers - this is the only long parking available in the park.
Then there’s kind of a weird little turn off to the right, as you pass that area - this takes you to the main car parking lot, as well as the accessible parking spots.
Big thing to note here: The new parking space shuttles you where they want you to go, and it’s all one-way. If you need to turn around and start over again, you have to exit the park onto the highway, turn left, then re-enter the park.
Anyway, aside from that main parking lot, there are a few other options.
If you go into the main lot, and continue down the road that runs parallel to the highway - to the left of the Visitor Centre - you’ll come to a couple large-ish loop parking lots.
That road isn’t marked well, and it feels kind of like you’re going somewhere you’re not supposed to be... but that’s the way to those parking lots, the picnic shelter, and the dog beach.
The final set of parking spots is available if you turn to the right when you enter the park. These are just random individual spots along the beach.
Washrooms
There are two options for washrooms.
WHEN it’s open, there are regular flush toilets available in the Visitor Centre. This is mostly during the summer, though it WAS open during our recent Monday visit in late September!
Beyond that, there are several vault toilets located throughout the main area of the park, in both directions from the entryway.
Bottom: Visitor Centre Washroom.
Maps and Signage
Some basic information to help you find your way around Batchawana Bay Provincial Park:
Park Map
They now have a park map sign! I don’t know when it went in, but I don’t recall EVER seeing one before this 2025.
Exciting - this made finding the picnic shelter actually doable! Up until this most recent 2025 visit, we knew there was supposed to be one, but never found it. We were really starting to doubt its existence, LOL.
Anyway, the map signs - one to the right as you enter the park, and the other up that road that leads to the picnic shelter (to the left of the Visitor Centre) - are it as far as maps go.
They’re basic - it’s a straightforward park - so they definitely get the job done.
I wish they’d make a PDF map available on the park website, as many other parks do.
Signage
Signage could definitely be better, especially regarding the whole area behind the Visitor Centre. Like I’d mentioned earlier, taking that road feels like you’re going somewhere you’re not supposed to.
They could definitely use a more obvious map - turning to the left when you enter the park is the most obvious direction, but the nearest map is to the right (away from the main attractions/parking).
The second one is up that weird road... but you kind of have to know to go down there, to find that map that SHOWS you you’re supposed to go down there!
Accessibility
Batchawana Bay Provincial Park has made some improvements to their accessibility in the couple years since we first posted this review.
There are now a few barrier-free picnic tables - and most are actually accessible to get to.
As a reminder, this was the situation before:
“There was one “barrier free” picnic table that we could see. It was on a cement platform, with one side being benchless - to accommodate wheelchairs.
... but you have to cross a section of beach sand, to get to that platform!”
All of the accessible picnic tables we noticed were right near the Visitor Centre... which is also where the handful of designated parking spots are located.
There are separator lines on either side of both parking spots - which empty out onto a slant up to the sidewalk - so you don't have to worry about people parking in a way that blocks your door (or access to the sidewalk).
The big thing is... the beach is not wheelchair accessible. We have never seen a Mobi-Mat at this park, there are no paved paths over the sand, etc.
Pets
Dogs are allowed at Batchawana Bay Provincial Park, and all of the standard rules apply: They must be leashed and picked up after, and the owners must properly dispose of the waste.
Dogs aren’t allowed to make excessive noise, or harass other visitors, animals, or plants. They’re also not allowed on the main beach area.
In late 2025, we learned they actually have a Dog Beach - something that is not noted on the website. This is located on the south end of the park, down that road that runs past the Visitor Centre, parallel to the highway.
Once down that road, if you pass the first marked entrance to the beach... you’ll eventually come to another entrance to the dog beach. This is where one of the two poop bag dispensers we saw at the park is located, if you forget to bring your own! (The other is at the other entrance to the dog beach area).
As a note, this was about ½ km from the Visitor Centre. If you don’t want to walk that far, there are a couple of parking lots down that road.
Visitor Centre
The Visitor Center is more of a gatehouse / park store, than a regular Visitor Centre. It has the only flush toilets in the park, plus the store... and that seemed to be about it.
Also, a heads up: it keeps weird opening dates, and doesn’t necessarily follow them.
During a couple visits, the large sign at the main entry said that the visitor center was open, though it was not.
One of those times, we noted that were there at noonish on a weekday, but it was after Labour Day... and figure maybe it’s a seasonal thing.
The park is only open from mid-May to October though, so it seems a bit weird to be closed before then.
A more recent visit WAS on a weekend... but it was the last weekend in September. Maybe they switch to weekends-only after Labour Day?
No idea - would be a nice idea to post that info somewhere, though!
2025 Update
Visitor Centre hours were posted on the building. We’d thought it was just for the summer, but it looks like the actual washroom part of building might be open longer hours than they had been when we first wrote this review.
In September 2025 it was open on a Wednesday morning for the washrooms, but at that point there was no park store open. They'd actually had it packed up for the year.
Park Store
There’s a small store inside the Visitor Centre, with cold drinks, ice cream treats, a little “tea and coffee pods” type coffee bar, snacks, sunscreen, and Ontario Parks branded souvenirs.
Day Use Area
There are picnic tables throughout the park.
Most are located on the beach, a few are located on a grassy area along the beach, and there are a few nestled in a kind of secluded garden/patio situation behind the visitor centre.
All look like fantastic places to grab a packed meal, we opted to take lunch right on the beach itself.
... and we could NOT find it on any of our first 5-6 visits to the park over the past couple of years.
We walked behind the visitor center, drove the full length of the park as we could tell (past the self serve sign to the right), looked for any signage, trail, or other indicator of this picnic shelter.
Nothing. I also couldn’t find any information or photos online (with what spotty internet I could access at the time), other than references to the fact that it exists.
We started to wonder if they meant the visitor center. That seems like a pretty silly place to advertise as a picnic shelter, but it’s kind of the only thing that made sense, too!
We were pretty convinced that it had to be a Brigadoon situation... but we finally found it, on our September 2025 visit.
I guess we’d always assumed it to be a maintenance road and not for park visitors, but now there are maps that show what’s down there!
You’ll go maybe 200 metres down that road, then it’s off to the right. There’s a sign there letting you know to turn - going straight from that point takes you to the dog beach.
Anyway, it’s a cute little shelter - beach view from one end, 5 picnic tables in it, and another picnic table down on the beach nearby.
Connectivity
On Rogers Wireless, the cell signal in Batchawana Bay Provincial Park is either non-existent, or spotty - at best.
On a couple of visits, we some degree of coverage in some places, lost it in others. Most trips, we don’t seem to have any at all, whenever we check.
So, whenever we visit, we do so under the assumption that there will be no signal, and plan ahead - this is why I recommend getting your daily parking permits booked before arrival!
Miscellaneous
This is a day use only park, no camping is allowed at any time.
Also, the park hours are 5 am - 9 pm, and no parking is allowed outside of that time. On our most recent visit, though, when we showed up at 8:00 in the morning the gates leading to the right side of the park were locked.
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Entertainment and Activity
While it’s a small park, there are still a few activities that Batchawana Bay Provincial Park can play host to:
Hiking
This is a bit of weird one, just due to the maps / signage / lack of info on the park’s website situation.
There’s a paved walking path that starts out on the beach side of the parking lot near where you enter the park, and goes to the Visitor Centre. It’s not a long walk, but an accessible way to get some fresh air for a short time.
There’s also a path through the woods, going from around the same area, to... who knows where?
The park extends beyond the area shown on the map (it just shows the driveable area), and the trail extended past where the map ended. It was too hot to investigate, so we’ll have to save that mapping/info for a future visit.
Anyway, there is no information about any trails at all, on the park’s website... even though this one exists on the map.
2025 Update
We finally got around to checking out the mystery trail (on the east side of the park)!
We walked the trail starting at the entrance to the park where it's a paved trail heading towards the visitor center as you pass the visitor center you have to go off to the right of it and cross a little bit of a grassy area towards the beach to access the trail. It's cute!
There's also some sandy spots and some deep-ish dips... but not too difficult.
As you get past the area that's on the map, there are more roots involved with the trail. The actual packed part of the trail gets more narrow and the grass gets taller on the sides in these areas.
It's not wheelchair accessible, but it's definitely an easy trail.
The trail ends at a little bit of a sandy parking lot on the side of the road, with access to the beach and a park boundary sign.
From the entrance to the parking lot all the way to the park boundary on the south side the trailer is 1.41 km.
Swimming
Batchawana Bay is said to be the warmest swimming spot on Lake Superior. The long, sandy beach is long and clean, and the water is SUPER clear.
The sand on the beach is the coarse kind, and the ground under the water is rocky in areas, but beautiful.
While it was very shallow for the first foot or so, it seemed to get a fair amount deeper, pretty quickly. By that, I mean a step or two out made the difference between being ankle deep, and being knee deep!
We were there on a cold day when it was threatening rain, though - I’d imagine it felt a lot warmer just a week earlier.
It had been less than a week since we had been hanging out in Kilcoursie Bay in Killbear Provincial Park, after all. It was 30 degrees Celcius THAT day, but it still felt wild to be swimming in Lake Huron it September!
Anyway, we knew we’d have to at least WADE into Lake Superior, just to say we did!
We generally pass through in the outer edges of the park’s main season, though - never get the chance to visit in the summer. I bet it’s amazing in July and August!
Birding, Wildlife, and Nature
While it seems like Batchawana Bay Provincial Park would be a GREAT place for birding - especially at the times of year we visit, when there are view visitors!)... we never seem to have much luck.
So far, all we’ve ever seen or heard has been: American Crow, American Pipit, American Robin, Black-Capped Chickadee, Canada Goose, Common Merganser, Herring Gull, Ring-Billed Gull, and White-Crowned Sparrow.
This last trip, there was also a woodpecker that quietly flew overhead, but we weren’t able to see enough to ID it - probably a Downy Woodpecker or Hairy Woodpecker.
At one point on a past trip, we were told that it’s common to see Sandhill Cranes in or near the park, but we’ve never been able to find any - trust me, we looked!
Row 2: Common Merganser, Mourning Cloak Butterfly
Row 3: Savannah Sparrow, White Admiral Butterfly
In the spring, it was a TON of White Admiral Butterflies right on the beach. In the fall, it was a handful of Mourning Cloak Butterflies.
We also enjoy checking out the variety of wildflowers (spring) and fungi (fall) when we visit.
Boating
While we don’t usually see anyone boating during our stay - we didn’t see many people at all, the times of year we tend to visit! - the Batchawana Bay website advertises it as a good place to go for a short paddle.
There is no boat launch in the park, so boats have to be able to be carried down to the water - a very short walk from the parking lot.
Otherwise, there’s a boat launch east of the park, at the mouth of the Batchawana River. This past visit, we saw several jet skis out on the water, too!
Signs in the park warn boaters of the dangers of Lake Superior - there’s a risk of sudden squalls, and such.
Also, the currents can be dangerous for paddlers:
Fishing
Much like with boating, we didn’t see anyone fishing. Again, probably a seasonal / weather / day of the week issue!
The official website for the park lists Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Rainbow trout, Salmon, and Walleye as the kinds of fish you may catch in the park, though.
(... and now I have “She Ain’t Pretty” stuck in my head. Thanks for the ear worm, Ontario Parks!)
Niantic Games
We never seem to have enough cell reception to even load Pokemon Go at Batchawana Bay Provincial Park.
According to the Ingress Intel site, though, there are 3 game stops in there, mostly at or near the Visitor Centre.
Nearby Attractions
Other points of interest in the area:
Chippewa Falls
Another scenic rest stop, Chippewa Falls is located on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway, about 6 minute before Batchawana, when coming from Sault Ste Marie.
It’s a nice view from the road, with a bit of a picnic area, fishing... and a short hiking trail that will take you right onto the falls!
We have a whole post about it - Chippewa Falls - with everything you need to know about visiting.
Voyageur Lodge
About 2 minutes north of the park is Voyageur's Lodge, a little motel, general store, gas station, and general tourist stop.
We’d heard SO much about their apple fritters, that we knew we’d *have* to stop in.
In one of the local camping Facebook groups we’re in, literally no post about camping in that area - or posts about must-get road trip foods - goes by, without at least a few mentions of these apple fritters!
They were $4 each, but HUGE.
Porter enjoyed one of the two he bought on the spot, really only having Tim Horton’s to compare it to. (“Much better than Tim Horton’s!”).
The next day, he re-heated the second one, and declared it AMAZING. Apparently reheating is the key to these doughnuts being mind-blowing. (His first was room temperature.)
Since that first time, we’ve been back EVERY time we’ve passed through the area. Each time, the fritters have been hot, fresh, and amazing right off the shelf.
Leftovers still get reheated first, though!
Anyway, these famous apple fritters are the base for two of our recipes on this blog - Apple Fritter Bread Pudding with Maple Cream Sauce and Apple Fritter French Toast.
We always buy extra, to use them for these recipes a few days later!
Final Thoughts
Based on our various stops at Batchawana Bay, we consider it to be a really nice rest stop.
It was a fantastic place to stop for lunch and chill out for a bit, and we’ll take a quick dip if the weather is right.
Due to the seasons we tend to camp in, it’s always quite empty at the time of our visits... I can see it being a popular destination on weekends and in warmer months, though!
A great place to get out and stretch your legs, overall!
More Northern Ontario Provincial Parks & Places to See
Want to read some more about the parks we've camped and at places we've seen in Northern Ontario? Here are some more posts!
Northern Ontario Campground Reviews:
Aaron Provincial Park
Agawa Bay Campground, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Blue Lake Provincial Park
Caliper Lake Provincial Park
Esker Lakes Provincial Park
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
Kettle Lakes Provincial Park
Lake Superior Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Neys Provincial Park
Ojibway Provincial Park
Pakwash Provincial Park
Pancake Bay Provincial Park
Pukaskwa National Park
Quetico Provincial Park
Rabbit Blanket Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Rainbow Falls Provincial Park
Rene Brunelle Provincial Park
Rushing River Provincial Park
Sandbar Lake Provincial Park
Sioux Narrows Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
White Lake Provincial Park
Northern Ontario Places to See:
Aguasabon Falls & Gorge
Amethyst Mine Panorama
Bridgeview Lookout Tower
Chippewa Falls
Kakabeka Falls
Little Falls Scenic Lookout, Atikokan
Mink Creek Falls
Old Woman Bay
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Potholes Provincial Park
Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge
Sand River Falls
Scenic High Falls
Schreiber Beach
Temagami Fire Tower
Terrace Bay Beach
Terrace Bay Lighthouse
Terry Fox National Historic Monument
Winnie the Pooh Memorial
Want to explore beyond Northern Ontario? Check out our full list of Campground Reviews, Ontario Waterfalls, and other Places to See.
We also have a ton of Camping Recipes to cook up, while on your adventures!
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Old Photos
Here are the photos from the original version of this post, for posterity. You can definitely see some nice improvements in the park over the past few years!:
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