Cherry Beach

Cherry beach is heaven for dogs! Lots of dogs running free, swimming, playing together. It is also a nice place to socialize for both human and dog.

Updating my review after I came back a few more times, in the fall and winter months.
It’s bigger than a lot of other fenced dog runs in the city, which I like. Previously I complained about the trees and brush everywhere, but upon consideration, I think the foliage is a good thing. There are less dog fights overall when there’s places to duck and hide. The big open play-​pens lead to more fights when the dogs feel like they can’t get away.
The dog owner community is actually really good, pretty knowledgeable about dogs behaviour and training. My first impression (in my earlier review) was probably not accurate, because I came on a busy summer day. I’ve met a lot of friendly owners, willing to chat while the dogs romp.

As you will notice, the people giving this beach 5 stars, all have dogs. As a dog park, this park is great but for people, it’s actually pretty bad. The beach is probably the worst in Toronto and it’s not like Toronto is known for beautiful beaches. If you don’t have a dog, I’d say skip this beach and head over to the Beaches or the Toronto Islands.

Ain’t bad but too rocky. Water is cleaner and bit more quite than woodbine.
I highly recommend to get aqua shoes to avoid cuts. Rocks under the water can be very sharp.
Also avoid sit on those rocks. You will never be able to remove those water moss stain from your bathing suit unless it’s time for you to go on bathing suit shopping.

The off-​leash area is a nice size for any dog to enjoy. I come here all year round, yes even during the Jan and Feb. For the most part, people are friendly and most of the dog walkers that use this park keep a close eye on their dogs and pick up after the dogs. My dog is not a swimmer and he’s not interested in toys, he’s more of a game of chase kinda guy.
The east side of the beach is okay but it’s a bit isolated and a bit sketchy. On the weekends it’s busy but Mon — Fri not so much.
During Spring/​Summer/​Fall there’s a chip truck and the washrooms are open.
The negatives, broken glass so be mindfull of that. Not a place to walk barefoot. A few times I’ve found discared needles along the water and other debris, best to keep an eye out while walking with your dog by the water’s edge. There have also been dead fish washed up on the sand and the occassional dead raccoon.
There are some obnoxious and clueless dog owners, but the area is big enough that they can be avoided.

I live adjacent to the Coronation dog park. I thought that was a pretty amazing dog park until I visited this place. It’s amazing Toronto has resources like this for the city’s dogs.
I go in the early afternoon when it’s not too busy. It’s just a beautiful place to take a break in the middle of the day. Easy to park at, friendly people, and it’s so big that it’s like being able to take a walk with your dog off leash, not so much like a playpen as many dog parks are in the city.

Such a great way to spend a day with the dogs…
We enjoy it in the summer but LOVE it in the fall, winter, spring… why? 1 word: mud. You see there is no mud on the beach (thanks to the sand). So even though the dogs get wet and sandy they are relatively easy to clean before loading them up for the drive home.
Cherry Beach is a huge dog park that never feels crowded, there is water for the dogs (obviously) and there are lots of garbage cans to dispose of the pooh pies.
There are enough long runs to either play fetch in the lake or on land and there is lot of shade if it happens to be a hot and sunny day.

This review is based on the off leash dog side.
This park isn’t bad. But it’s not amazing.
It’s pretty much all fenced in, but there is a gap between the human beach, and the dog beach, so if you’ve got a runner, that’s an area you’ll want to stay away from.
The dog beach stretches right around, which is nice. You can usually find a quiet area to play with your pup in the water if that’s more your thing … Lots of balls, lots of toys floating around. Don’t bring anything you don’t want stolen by another pup.
Not a great place for toy possessive dogs. Or humans who can’t understand that balls/​toys will go missing, can and probably will get stolen by other overly excited dogs. In other words, don’t bring your dogs ‘very favourite toy’.
I do find this dog park has a collection of lesser-​educated dog owners; you will find a larger number in intact males, and young families bringing bags of picnic food and laying on the ground. These idiots are basically just asking for trouble.
This isn’t an appropriate place to have a picnic on the sand with your small children, as you WILL get an occasional group of playing dogs running over your perfectly placed blanket. And you will get a mouth full of sand. Not to mention, it can be very dangerous for small children who loose their stepping in the sand and get knocked over by overambitious dogs.

Yesterday evening was my first experience at Cherry Beach. How I’ve stayed away, as a dog-​owner and a downtown swimming evangelist, for so long is beyond me. You just hop on your bike and head due south on Parliament. I’m in Cabbagetown, so this is hella convenient pour moi.
If you are transferring from the TTC there is a Cherry St bus that leaves from Union Station. They’re really making it easy for us, folks.
It’s a beautiful sprawling beach, much bigger than I had imagined with lifeguards and washrooms.
PEPPER POINTS: For the dog park. I know I mentioned it, but a leash-​less dog park by a beach? The best!
PEPPER’S PISSED: Not much by way of snack-​grabbing, pack a picnic.

This is the worst beach in Toronto.
If you’re there to just soak up the rays then okie you’re good to go.
SWIMMING — STAY AWAY!
It’s the dirtiest part of the lake it seems and you kill your feet just trying to get into the water. Stones and seaweed everywhere — not good at all.
May I add that Leslie Spit is across the way — so you can imagine all the bird crap floating around with the seagull nests and swan habitats.
I’ll take the extra trip to Centre Island and enjoy that beach area.

Umh yeah so I don’t have a dog that’s probably why I’m not such a fan of this place. Oh and thanks to Myrem for posting about the Sunday night parties cause I didn’t know about that either.
All I know is that this is one of the crappiest beaches I have ever been to. It’s really unfortunate that this is the most convenient beach for me to access. Who thought it would be a good idea to plant cotton trees all around the beach? In the spring, when they are in full bloom, allergies are out of control. There are piles of snow/​cotton everywhere. Also, the birds at this beach are dangerous and unafraid. They will take the food right out of your hands or mouth and aren’t afraid to gang up on you.
And the sand isn’t too nice either, it’s mostly just rocks. I do enjoy the food stand next to the beach. The people working there tend to be pretty nice (just don’t order the fish and chips!!!).

I drove 4 hours up North to a beach that looked just as identical as Cherry Beach – right in my own city. With the free parking, the food stand and the clean bathrooms I was very impressed.
We brought our own BBQ in case the pits were being used (they were) and enjoyed a delicious meal on grassy parklands. Afterward, we took a short 5 minute walk to the off-​leash dog beach area where our 2 dogs had a ton of safe, good time frolicking with about 30 other dogs. Owners were friendly, not minding muddy dogs jumping and being, well, dogs.
I was impressed with the off-​leash dog area as it was huge, and still as nice as the regular beach area.
Access to iced water, ice cream and yummy fries was a pleasant surprise. Most people were very friendly, social and there to enjoy the sun and surf.
Great beach!

This beach is great — we bring our dogs here, they get to run around, and meet other dogs. Even though the girls are little, one of them loves to swim.
A great place to visit, particularly in the warmer months. Highly recommended!

I am writing specifically about the leash-​free dog area since that’s the part I frequent. As far as dog parks go, this is a good one! Unlike many city ones, this place offers lots of space for you and your canine pal to enjoy. The combination of mature trees and lots of waterfront looking out to the Islands and the Leslie Spit is pretty winning. Also, if your dog likes water like my dog, Eli, they can jump right in.
The only reasons that it’s not a five outta five is firstly because I see a lot of poop left lying around. Seriously, people… stoop and scoop! Secondly, I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but the sand is kinda dirty. My dog always leaves the park covered in a sooty residue like charcoal. I take him to lots of other beaches and don’t have this problem, so it must be something in the Cherry Beach sand, well at least in the dog area. Finally, much like T&T, it is hard to get to without a car.
BUT, if you have a car, you watch where you step in the park, and you bring a towel to throw on the seat before your dog hops in the car, Cherry Beach dog park rules.

Cherry Beach is a small but cozy beach.
My boyfriend and I went to Cherry Beach last week for my namesake. It sounded stupid, but Cherry Beach turned out to be a nice experience. Summer was almost over and we thought we would hit the beach for the last time before Toronto’s long and cold winter months arrive.
The beach is reachable by TTC Bus 72B from Union station, though I believe it only operates during the summer. We arrived at around 5pm and it was still sunny on that day. There is a washroom if you need to change right by where you get off the bus. The sand is decent but not what I consider «fine». There are more pebbles as it gets near the water.
The beach has a quiet, isolated vibe. It is a good place to take an afternoon nap and get tanned at the same time. The coast line is decently long, meaning you can distant yourself from the crowd easily. On the other hand, if you like more crowded beaches you can always set yourself up in the middle of the beach. There are also trees along the beach so you could easily find a spot under the shade if it gets too hot!
As other Unilocal reviews point out, Cherry Beach is known as a dog beach. Though the day we went, there weren’t that many dogs. But I would say it is a nice place to bring your dogs along too. Don’t worry if you are not a dog-​lover, the beach is still clean and tidy.

So, what shocks me is that NOBODY has mentioned the beach party that happens here every Sunday evening from 4pm-​11pm in the summer.
The dj’s from Guvernment & other dub, trance events come here every Sunday (weather permitted) to spin some bad ass tracks and spread some love. The cover is $ 5.oo –giving you a wristband and you can bring in booze as long as it’s not in glass bottles. We normally bring a cooler of about 40 beers. They won’t check your cooler but opt for cans if you are unsure.
They will give you plastic cups at the entrance, if you ask for it. If you are nice, they wont charge you for it. Otherwise its a $ 1.00. FYI — this is a bit of a love fest so if you are into the bouji scene, this is not for you.
If you want to come and hear some good tracks, appreciate some wild spinning and chill by the beach, make friends with randoms that are probably ON something, then this place is DEF for you.
Directions to the partayyyy: Once you come up to the entrance of the beach, take a left into the parking lot and keep driving/​walking all the way to the end of the parking lot. You will hear the bass pumping and loud music by the time 6pm rolls around. Walk onto the path to the left of the parking and continue onwards. If you get lost, chase the music. You wont be able to miss it, once your past a few trees.
I love that they have such a hidden location. When the sun sets, there’s colourful lights against the trees and lots of cool glow sticks that are given out for free.
**Disclaimer…this is a happy pill sort of party. By no means does that imply that everyone has to partake. Grow some balls and say no to drugs, enjoy the vibes & chill.
If you are afraid of coming alone or are unsure etc, then you are more than welcome to find me. Otherwise, let loose, have some beers, appreciate the music & love.
This weekend will be the last weekend and it resumes every summer.
FYI: there are no bathrooms, don’t be surprised if you see a bunch of people running behind big bushes/​trees. It’s back to basics from the moment you put on those wristbands.
xoxo
M.

My dogs love to swim here in the leash free area designated for dogs. If you don’t want to be near dogs, stay as far east as you can. For those with dogs, stay west.
On weekends in the summer, this place is crazy busy, but my dogs don’t mind waiting until after 7pm to go for a swim.
As others have mentioned, do not park on the grass, you can get a ticket. Better to wait for a spot or don’t go during peak hours on the weekend.
A great park and all the regulars are really good about picking up after their dogs… especially compared to other leash free parks. There will always be those who don’t do the right thing but at least here, the majority are responsible dog owners/​walkers.

I visit Cherry beach every Saturdays with my 2 dogs, I like to go early 9 am-​ish more parking space available.
The city recently had some fencing put up. Kinda cuts my beach stroll short but still nice.
Swimming Area to play fetch, awesome strolling around to get dry after, most dogs seem to be well behaved under controlled.

Finally had a chance to come here, and it is so fantastic!!!
This is a paradise for dogs of all kinds! Luckily, I was able to come on a weekday, so it wasn’t too busy, and ample parking was available.
There were a few dog walkers, but all had their charges well under control.
The area is clean and well kept, and I didn’t notice any errant poops waiting to be stepped on by passersby. We really enjoyed walking through the woods as well as the beach. Smaller dogs like mine enjoyed the shallower rocky area near the end of the park, as opposed to the sandy beach at the entrance.
Love how there is a chip truck operating even at 10 am! Brilliant!

This is a piece of dog heaven. It’s not the hugest area, but more than enough for a couple dogs to run, and besides you didn’t drive all the way there for them just to stay on land. The sandy, more shallow beach is to the left and a rocky area (not really beach) with deeper swimming for the big dogs at the end of the trail.
Like any good dog park, it gets busy on a nice weekend. (During the high summer you can smell the honeysuckle) If you are fortunate enough to be self-​employed its great to go there during the weekday. You can walk amongst the professional dog walkers and their many charges.
There’s a handy billboard with spare plastic bags by the parking lot should you find yourself without.
And now that there’s a T&T up the street you can get two things done on your trip.