Our snazzy new Swim Guide lets you locate beaches near you, figure out which ones are safe for swimming (the green ones!), and plan your next trip to the beach. It’s free, and it’s fun, and it’s available now online, iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and Android devices.

Bayfront: Bayfront Park is one of Lake Ontario’s youngest waterfront spaces. The park itself was opened in 1993. It was a $9-million transformation of once industrial land into greenspace. The beach looks out over Hamilton Harbour. This giant bay was once an incredibly lush ecosystem but heavy use and fill by industry over the last century has left it one of the most environmentally challenged parts of Lake Ontario. As local government and residents work to restore the bay, places like Bayfront Park appear. Oh, and you *may* want to know that there have been (very) occasional sightings of a crpytid – so keep your eyes peeled for Lake Ontario’s own lake monster.

Beach Park: This beach is part of a strip of sand separating Hamilton Harbour from Lake Ontario. This natural strip is known as a barrier beach, or a “Daonasedao” by the area’s original inhabitants (“where the sand forms a bar”). In the early 20th- Century, this popular destination featured live jazz, a carousel, pony rides, and even a roller coaster. Beach Park in Hamilton is the southern sister to Beachway Park in Burlington. It stretches south from the canal entrance to Hamilton Harbour.

Christie Lake Conservation Area: Christie Lake offers a 360-metre sandy beach. The swimming area accommodates 6,000 bathers at a time and serves more than 100,000 bathers over the course of the swimming season. Prior to 2011, as much as 6-tonnes of chlorine were put into the lake each summer in an effort to keep bacteria levels down. The quality of the water without chlorine is very good, and the Conservation Authority believes chlorination is no longer necessary. The Conservation Area is located on the spectacular Niagara Escarpment and also offers 10-kilometres of trails. This man-made reservoir was created in the early 1970′s to control flooding. The Christie Reservoir is part of the Spencer Creek watershed, which starts on the Niagara Escarpment and flows into Lake Ontario at Cootes Paradise, Hamilton.

Confederation Park: Confederation Park offers a mix of waterfront trails, natural sandy beach on Lake Ontario, and family-oriented theme park. The park marks the southernmost tip of the sandy dune barrier that separates Hamilton Harbour from Lake Ontario. This is also the former natural mouth of the nearby Red Hill Creek.

Pier 4: Pier 4, like Bayfront Park, is one of Lake Ontario’s youngest waterfront areas. The park itself was opened in 1993. It was a $9-million transformation of once industrial land into greenspace. The family-friendly beach sits beside one of Hamilton Harbour’s popular recreational boating facilities. This giant bay was once an incredibly lush ecosystem but heavy use and fill by industry over the last century has left it one of the most environmentally challenged parts of Lake Ontario. As local government and residents work to restore the bay, places like Bayfront Park appear. Oh, and you *may* want to know that there have been (very) occasional sightings of a crpytid – so keep your eyes peeled for Lake Ontario’s own lake monster!

Valens Conservation: Valens Conservation area offers a natural sandy beach, 10-kilometres of trails, as well as fishing. This man-made reservoir was created around 1970 to control flooding. It is part of the Spencer Creek watershed, which starts on the Niagara Escarpment and flows into Lake Ontario at Cootes Paradise, Hamilton.

Van Wagner’s Beach: Van Wagner’s is a popular swimming area, located on the same beach strip as Confederation Park and Beach Boulevard beaches. Van Wagner’s and Confederation Park were created in the 1960s, replacing private cottages and homes. The local women’s civic club was credited with proposing the creation of public parks and generating support in the community.