I’ve been to Wainfleet on a few occasions and it’s a nice area. But the main issue is the fact that the best beaches here seem to be almost exclusively for residents or the resort/cottage rental guests. This beach in particular fits that category. We drove all the way from Burlington knowing parking could be an issue based on comments I read and the satellite view. Let’s be clear: there is absolutely ZERO parking at this beach and you cannot park on ANY nearby streets. So if you are from out of town, there is only one legal parking option. Parking at a nearby ice cream/mini putt lot for $20, Monday-Friday (not sure what the rate is on weekend or if it’s available). You park your car, pay the person at the ice cream shop and they give you a ticket to put on your dash. Then it’s about a 150-200 metre walk to the beach and you have to cross a big road to get there.
The other problem is the ‘public’ beach area itself is tiny. I estimate the width to be about 25 metres and the length to the lake (from entrance) approx 30-35 metres. On either side of this ‘public access’ area are two signs (see attached pic) that state you cannot go past as it’s for private use only. So we, and a few other ‘guests’, were relegated to stay within the sign boundaries. Luckily it wasn’t that crowded, so we found a place to set up our beach chairs & umbrella.
As noted by others the other negatives are the occasional smell of rotting fish (or sewage?!), a single port a pottie (was fairly clean- but no sanitizer or sink) and some annoying bees and flies which is common on Ontario beaches.
So overall I would only recommend this beach if you are a nearby resident (within walking distance of the beach) or you willing to pay the $20 to park, trek with all your beach stuff across a road (occasional fast moving vehicles), and take your chances you find a spot on the microscopic public beach. It’s such a shame because this has a great sandy beach, no rocks at all, with a gentle, easy slope into the clean, refreshing lake water. There are other ‘public’ beaches in the area, but they are mostly full of rocks on shore and in the water.