Rice Lake Beaches: Where to Swim, and What to Expect

Rice Lake has a handful of small public beaches—Harwood, Gores Landing, and Bewdley on the south and west shores—but it isn’t a public-beach lake the way Cobourg or Wasaga are. It’s a cottage-and-resort lake: most of the swimming happens off private docks and maintained resort waterfronts. Here’s where you can actually get in the water, what each spot is like, and what to expect when you arrive.

The Public Beaches on Rice Lake

Harwood Waterfront & Dock (south shore)

The closest thing Rice Lake has to a proper public beach. Harwood sits on the south shore, and the waterfront has a small sand beach, a picnic shelter, and an accessible dock. It’s the most family-practical of the public options—you can park, swim, eat, and watch boats come and go without hunting for facilities. It’s modest in scale; think village waterfront, not a beach day-trip destination.

Gores Landing (south shore)

A long-standing local swimming spot on the south shore, and one of the prettiest corners of the lake. Worth knowing before you go: Gores Landing is not a monitored beach—there’s no lifeguard and no posted water-quality testing, so swimming is at your own discretion and kids need close supervision.

Bewdley (west end)

Bewdley sits at the western tip of Rice Lake, about 20 minutes from Port Hope, with a lakefront park area and marina that locals have used for generations. It’s the busiest of the three villages and the easiest to combine with a meal or an ice cream.

Why Most Rice Lake Swimming Isn’t at a Public Beach

Rice Lake is roughly 32 km long and ringed almost entirely by cottages, resorts, and private shoreline. The public access points are small because the demand was never for day-trippers—it was for people staying on the lake. That shapes the whole experience: the best swimming here is usually wherever you’re staying, not somewhere you drive to.

It also explains the thing newcomers notice first. Rice Lake is shallow—about three metres on average—which makes it warm and genuinely swimmable from mid-June into September, but also weedy along undeveloped shoreline. Maintained swim areas are cleared and sandy; wild shoreline is not. Where you swim matters more here than on a deep Shield lake.

The Resort Beach Option

At Mildred’s Lakefront Resort Cottage, the beach is part of the stay. The Bellmere Winds waterfront has a sandy, gradual entry that works for young kids, a multi-slip dock for deeper-water swimming, and it’s maintained daily through the season. There’s also a heated saltwater pool and a splash pad a short walk from the cottage door—which is the practical answer to a cool morning or a windy afternoon.

Complimentary kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards come with the cottage, so the shoreline beyond the swim area is reachable without renting anything.

Practical Notes for Any Rice Lake Beach

• Water shoes help. Sand near shore, but natural lake bottoms have the occasional shell or pebble.
• Mornings are calmest. The lake tends to be glass before mid-morning; afternoon brings wind and boat wake.
• Watch for boat traffic. Rice Lake is a busy boating lake in July and August—stay inside marked swim areas with kids.
• Late summer clarity dips. Warm, shallow, nutrient-rich lakes cloud up in August. Normal here, and the maintained beaches stay busy regardless.
• No lifeguards. None of Rice Lake’s public access points are lifeguarded—plan accordingly.

FAQ — Rice Lake Beaches

Does Rice Lake have a public beach?

Yes, a few small ones. Harwood Waterfront has a small sand beach with a picnic shelter and an accessible dock; Gores Landing is a popular unmonitored swimming spot; and Bewdley at the west end has a lakefront park area. They’re village-scale beaches—most swimming on Rice Lake happens at cottages and resorts with their own maintained waterfronts.

Which Rice Lake beach is best for young kids?

Of the public options, Harwood—it has the most facilities (sand, picnic shelter, accessible dock). But for families, a resort waterfront usually wins: the beach at Bellmere Winds has a sandy gradual entry, is maintained daily, and sits beside a splash pad and heated pool. None of the public spots are lifeguarded.

Are Rice Lake beaches sandy?

The maintained ones are—Harwood’s waterfront and the resort beaches have sand and a gradual entry. Undeveloped shoreline is a different story: Rice Lake is shallow and weedy in natural stretches, which is exactly what makes it such a productive fishery.

Is there a beach at Bellmere Winds?

Yes. Bellmere Winds Golf Resort has a maintained sand beach on Rice Lake with a shared multi-slip dock, plus a heated saltwater pool and splash pad on the grounds. Guests at Mildred’s Lakefront Resort Cottage have access to all of it, along with complimentary kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards.

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Short version: Rice Lake’s public beaches are small and pleasant—Harwood is the pick if you’re driving to one—but the lake rewards staying on it. A maintained beach, a dock, and a pool within a two-minute walk beats a parking lot and a picnic table.

Planning a swim trip? Start with can you swim in Rice Lake for water temperatures month by month, or see September on Rice Lake—the warm-water, empty-beach sweet spot.

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