One of the best activities for the summer and the latter warm days is spending them on the beach. It doesn’t matter how old you might be; many people find a day out at the beach to be incredibly fun. Whether it’s taking a boat out onto the waters, going for a swim, building a sandcastle, or even just sunbathing, beaches have become one of the staples of summer holidays and vacations.
Yet, as it is with many outdoor activities, spending time at the beach swimming and building sandcastles can work up an appetite. That’s often one of the reasons that people want to bring a barbecue grill with them on outdoor, day-long trips. But, with how many popular beaches are known for clean sands and pristine water, many also don’t have special spots for people to barbecue at like other tourist or park spots have. This fact raises the question of whether it’s against the law to grill on a beach throughout Canada.
This article covers whether or not the law affects all of Canada and what beaches, if any, do allow you to bring your barbecue out with you for a beach barbecue picnic. And if you’re looking to stock up or replace any accessories or grill essentials, you can consider doing so from dicksonbbq.com.
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Is Barbecuing On Beaches Against The Law?
The answer to whether or not barbecuing on many of Canada’s beaches is allowed can vary greatly from place to place and province to province. In many cases, the answer is no since there are many reasons that barbecuing can actually be dangerous. However, there are also a few exceptions to that rule. If you aren’t sure of whether or not you can bring your grill, be sure to look up the beach’s rules about barbecuing first.
One of the primary reasons that beaches frequently ban or refuse the use of a barbecue is due to the smoke that’s created during grilling. Since the smoke floats up into the air, it blocks the view of the water and makes a lifeguard’s job significantly harder to do.
It’s also due to the fact that, typically, beachgoers with barbecues often don’t clean up as well as the beach needs once they’re done grilling. This can often be bits of charcoal, dried charred food bits or even bits of food grease. In more severe cases, beachgoers might even use the beach’s sand to put their charcoal grill’s flames out and dump the coals back out onto the sand before leaving.
Rules To Follow At The Beach
Properly Dispose Of Your Waste And Charcoal
When there are beaches that do allow barbecuing while on the sand, there are also a number of rules that need to be followed. Since making sure that the beach stay as clean as possible is important to the beach’s owners, cleaning up after you finish grilling is one of the main rules. This often means that you need to find a way to keep all your waste grease, food scraps and used charcoal near you, either on or in a bag so that it’s easier and cleaner to dispose of later.
Avoid Burying The Coals In The Sand
As one of the key rules that needs to be followed for every beachgoer’s safety, make sure that you properly dispose of the coal once you’re done grilling. While this is one way to keep the beach clean, it’s also to make sure that no one literally burns their bare feet on coals.
After being burned, the charcoal briquettes and lumps gain an ashy white coating. However, this doesn’t mean that the coals are actually cold, especially since they can gain the ashy layer not long after they stop glowing. Naturally, this means that the coals can still be hot even if you bury them under sand. And with how sand tends to shift and move, someone could accidentally step on the hot coals not long after.
Use A Low-Lying But Off The Ground Barbecue
Due to the smoke that can often rise from burning coal or propane, many beaches that allow the use of barbecues often have a requirement that they be closer to the ground. Since the smoke created only goes so high before fading away and dispersing, keeping the grills closer to the ground often means that the smoke disperses lower as well. This also means that any lifeguards on duty won’t have to deal with smoke interfering with their sight of the waters.
What Beaches You Can Barbecue At
If you do want to go to a beach during the summer, make sure you do a bit of research before you head out. While there are a number of public beaches that do allow barbecue grills on their sands, it’s important to ensure that the beach you plan on visiting is one of them. To help you, though, these are just some of the beaches in Canada that allow grills.
Wasaga Beach
Possibly one of the more popular beaches known for stunning sunsets and beautiful water, Wasaga Beach also allows visitors to bring their barbecues with them. The beach also has a few charcoal pits in the park that can also be used for grilling, though this doesn’t extend to fires inside the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. As long as you take your used charcoal with you and avoid burying them, you can enjoy barbecuing to your heart’s content.
Jericho Beach Park
While Wasaga Beach is in or near Toronto, Jericho Beach Park is situated out by Vancouver. While a little more well known to be the perfect place for a calmer place for camping and all sorts of sports – including beach volleyball – Jericho also provides their visitors with the perfect spot for barbecuing. Since the Beach Park acts as both the ideal spot for camping out and for a day at the beach, the ability to grill up some food after hours of sports is perfect.
Takeaway
Bringing out your barbecue to a beach combines two of the most loved summer staples into one perfect package. After you and your family are done with swimming, or are just taking a much needed break, a good barbecued burger can really make a day out even better. However, before you actually take your grill out to the beach, do a little research to make sure you’re allowed to grill first. Many beaches often have websites and if they don’t, you can always call or send an email to make sure.
