Where to swim in La Petite-Nation

La Petite-Nation has hundreds of lakes. The catch is that most of the shoreline is private. You can drive past gorgeous water all day and never find a spot to drop a towel. This guide fixes that.

We start with the public beaches, then the campgrounds with their own beach, then rentals for when you want a stretch of sand to yourself. Splash pads are at the end, for the days the little ones want nothing to do with the lake.

The big one: Centre touristique du Lac-Simon

If you remember one address, make it this one. Sépaq has about 2 km of sand at the end of Lac Simon, in Duhamel. It's the longest beach in the region by a wide margin. Behind it there's a campground with more than 370 sites and a set of family loop trails. Pets are allowed on the site, but check the rules for the beach itself before you bring the dog.

Right next door, Location Sport Duhamel rents pedal boats, kayaks, paddleboards and even pontoons, life jackets included, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Handy for when the teenagers get bored on the sand.

The village beach: Lac-Simon

The Lac-Simon town beach is the one we pick for small kids. Three lifeguards every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., unless it's raining, and free parking. There's even a floating wheelchair and a beach access mat down to the water. You don't see that often.

Kayaks and paddleboards are self-serve from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Book on padkay.com or with the QR code on site. A sunrise paddle on Lac Simon is a small luxury that costs next to nothing.

After your swim, the Parc de l'Amitié mini-golf is close by, and the Casse-croûte du Lac-Simon does burgers and fries a few steps from the water.

Fun fact: every summer the Lac Simon Crossing links the two beaches, 11.5 km of swimming from the Sépaq beach to the village one. There are also 500 m to 4 km races and a family relay.

Air-Eau-Bois, on the Poisson Blanc

Over in Bowman, the Air-Eau-Bois outdoor centre has been running on the Poisson Blanc reservoir since 1972. A beach, canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding, open all year. Go for the day or the week.

Campgrounds with a beach

A lot of the region's nicest beaches are inside campgrounds. Some are for campers only, others take day visitors depending on house rules. Call before you show up with the cooler.

• Camping La Pinède, Lac-Simon: tall pines, fine sand, beach volleyball and disco nights. Mid-May to late September.
• Camping au Petit Lac-Simon, Saint-André-Avellin: 291 sites, a beach, a pool, a wading pool and a hot tub. Packed in July, which is kind of the point.
• Camping Royal Papineau, Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette: a sand beach on Lac de l'Argile, a pool and a marina.
• Camping Val-des-Bois: beach, splash pad and a giant trampoline. Families have been coming back for generations.
• Camping Lac-des-Plages: a private beach on the lake, a pool and a food truck.
• Camping au Lac Schryer, Montpellier: beach, fishing, pool and trampoline.
• Camping Montpellier: 107 acres with a river, a waterfall and small beaches.
• Camping Thom, Bowman: no frills, with a beach and boat launch on Route 307.
• Camp Ozanam, Saint-Émile-de-Suffolk: a charitable family camp with a beach and trails.

Your own beach: rentals

If you want to swim without towel neighbours, renting is the way. A few places in our directory with a real beach:

• Chalets Colibri in Duhamel, on a big, gently sloping Lac Gagnon beach. Good for little ones.
• Domaine du lac des Plages: twelve cottages lined up on a private sand beach, with a shallow swimming area for kids.
• Chez les Beaudette, on Lac des Plages, in a bay with a gently sloping sand beach. Kayaks, pedal boat and canoe included.
• Chalets aux Crocollines: six cottages and 150 feet of private beach on Lac Simon.

Splash pads for heat waves

The lake isn't always a hit with two-year-olds. Splash pads are.

• Parc Jean-Paul "Mike" Parisien in Papineauville: early June to early September. No food, sand or soap in the water, and swim diapers for toddlers. Papineauville also has a municipal pool.
• Camping Saint-André-Avellin: pool and splash pad right in the village, on the Petite Nation River.

Before you jump in

A few local habits:

• Lifeguards are rare. In our directory, the Lac-Simon town beach is the only one that advertises them. Watch the kids and put life jackets on the little ones.
• Wash your boat. If you're bringing a kayak or boat from another lake, wash it before launching. On Lac Simon it's mandatory, at the station at 105, chemin du Parc. That's how we keep invasive species out of our lakes.
• Respect private shoreline. That dock that looks abandoned belongs to someone.

Lac Simon has two very different public beaches: the long Sépaq one in Duhamel, and the village one with lifeguards. With small kids, start with the village beach.

Next step is getting out on the water. Here's our canoe and kayak guide, and our campground guide if one day isn't enough.

DuhamelLac-SimonLac-des-PlagesVal-des-BoisNotre-Dame-de-la-SalettePapineauvilleBowmanMontpellierSaint-Émile-de-SuffolkSaint-André-Avellin

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