Upon leaving Buffalo, heading over the Peace Bridge at the foot of Porter (by bike or by car), you can be at one of the nicest beach destinations that you could ever possibly imagine within a few short minutes. By bike you can take the rails to trails path that leads along Lake Erie, where you will run into the first public beach after a short cycle (maybe eight minutes). By car you can drive along the roads that hug the lake, where you will ultimately come across hidden and relatively underused public beaches every quarter mile or so, with refreshingly clean water. These beaches are also dog friendly (be sure that Rover has his papers for the bridge crossing).
I am told that the public beaches were once right of ways for the farmers so that they could access the lake for their inland crops and herds. Since most of the beachfront property is privately owned, the old right of ways eventually converted to public beaches.
One of the greatest assets that we have in Buffalo is access to the beaches of Canada. It’s an easy breezy jaunt across the bridge, to an unexpected, friendly, serene place that will forever change the way you look at Lake Erie (and living in Buffalo).
The following video is a glimpse into what you will find if you venture across the bridge. The footage was taken by quadcopter pilot Tim Teach (Buffalo SkyCam – FB), and showcases both Thunder Bay and Bay Beach. While the beaches in the video are mostly private, it’s easy to come across public access points that offer the same sort of amenities that you see in the clips. The fireworks display seen at the end of the video was held at The Canoe Club in Bay Beach.