Meaford is a separate municipality from the Town of The Blue Mountains, which includes Thornbury. This guide covers Meaford’s Memorial Park beach and campground, its parking rules, and the public health water results for beaches in Meaford and The Blue Mountains.
Facts box
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Census, Meaford (2021) | Meaford: 11,485 people (2021 Census), up 4.5% from 10,991 in 2016; 5,828 private dwellings, 5,035 occupied by usual residents[1] |
| Census, The Blue Mountains (2021) | The Blue Mountains: 9,390 people (2021 Census), up 33.7% from 7,025 in 2016; 7,396 private dwellings, 4,348 occupied by usual residents[2] |
| Drive to Thornbury | Toronto: about 170 km, 2 h 36 min; Ottawa: about 603 km, 7 h 23 min; London: about 222 km, 3 h 46 min; Kitchener: about 145 km, 2 h 30 min. OSRM estimates; allow for traffic and stops[3] |
| Municipality of Meaford | office at 21 Trowbridge Street West, Meaford.[4] |
Quick answer
Meaford’s Memorial Park is the main public beach on the Meaford side, with 468 metres of Georgian Bay shoreline, washrooms and a designated off-leash dog area at the beach.[5] In The Blue Mountains, Grey Bruce Public Health tests Little River Park and Northwinds beaches.[6]
Memorial Park, Meaford
- Shoreline: 468 metres of Georgian Bay shoreline. The beach is open to visitors.[7]
- Dogs: pets must be leashed except in designated off-leash areas at the beach. Off-leash rules are in a PDF linked from the Municipality’s page.[8]
- Parking: residents register their vehicle each season for free parking. Non-residents pay from May 1 to October 31, 10 am to 6 pm, seven days a week: $10 per day or $100 for a season pass, paid through the HONK app or QR codes in the park.[9]
- Washrooms: public washrooms are listed as an amenity.[10]
- Contact: 519-538-2530.[11]
- Campground: more than 140 campsites, 18 waterfront and 125 forest, open from mid-May until Thanksgiving weekend. Long weekends need a three-night minimum stay.[11]
- Mini golf: an 18-hole course open to campers and the public.[11]
- Neighbours: private homes sit on both sides of the park, so the Municipality asks visitors not to trespass.[8]
- Campground event: the Civic Holiday weekend Kin Camp event makes campsites 40 to 143 unavailable to the public.[12]
Water quality
Grey Bruce Public Health tests municipally owned public beaches about monthly from June to September. Its August 2026 samples at Memorial Park, Meaford (August 11), Little River Park, Blue Mountains (August 10) and Northwinds, Blue Mountains (August 10) passed and were not posted.[13] A posting means recent samples exceeded the guideline of 200 E. coli per 100 mL, and Public Health advises avoiding swimming 24 to 48 hours after heavy rain.[14] Results lag by a day or two, so judge the water in front of you: cloudy water, algae, scum, dead fish or large numbers of waterfowl are warning signs.[15]
Thornbury
We did not retrieve an official Town of The Blue Mountains page for Thornbury’s harbour and main street, so this guide does not describe them. For Blue Mountain resort and Scenic Caves, see Blue Mountain in summer. For Collingwood, see Things to do in Collingwood.
Where to eat
We did not find an official restaurant directory for Thornbury or Meaford to cite, so we list no businesses. Check each business’s own site for hours.
FAQ
Is there a beach in Meaford?
Yes. Memorial Park has 468 metres of Georgian Bay shoreline, public washrooms and a designated off-leash dog area at the beach. Checked November 3 2026.
How much is parking at Meaford Memorial Park?
Non-residents pay $10 per day or $100 for a season pass from May 1 to October 31, 10 am to 6 pm. Residents register for free parking. Checked November 3 2026.
Is Meaford beach water tested?
Grey Bruce Public Health tests municipal beaches about monthly from June to September. The August 11 2026 sample at Memorial Park passed. Checked November 3 2026.
Cottages in this area
Browse cottages near Thornbury and Collingwood or the whole Southern Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe region.
Township Rules Check
Thinking of renting out a cottage here? Run the Township Rules Check. The Town of The Blue Mountains (which includes Thornbury) licenses short-term accommodations under By-law 2021-70, and a valid licence number must appear on all advertisements.[16] Municipal accommodation tax there is 4% on stays under 30 days, since January 6 2025.[17] Rules for the Municipality of Meaford are being confirmed, so we state none here.
Claims table
Checked 2026-11-03 by the SEO & Content Writer agent. Draft; needs the independent second-agent fact-check before publishing.
| # | claim | source URL | checked | |—|—|—|—| | 1 | Census, Meaford (2021) : Meaford: 11,485 people (2021 Census), up 4.5% from 10,991 in 2016; 5,828 private dwellings, 5,035 occupied by usual residents | https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000201 | 2026-11-03 | | 2 | Census, The Blue Mountains (2021) : The Blue Mountains: 9,390 people (2021 Census), up 33.7% from 7,025 in 2016; 7,396 private dwellings, 4,348 occupied by usual residents | https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000201 | 2026-11-03 | | 3 | Drive to Thornbury : Toronto: about 170 km, 2 h 36 min; Ottawa: about 603 km, 7 h 23 min; London: about 222 km, 3 h 46 min; Kitchener: about 145 km, 2 h 30 min. OSRM estimates; allow for traffic and stops | https://router.project-osrm.org | 2026-11-03 | | 4 | Municipality of Meaford : office at 21 Trowbridge Street West, Meaford. | https://www.meaford.ca/memorial-park/ | 2026-11-03 | | 5 | Meaford’s Memorial Park is the main public beach on the Meaford side, with 468 metres of Georgian Bay shoreline, washrooms and a designated off-leash dog area at the beach. | https://www.meaford.ca/memorial-park/ | 2026-11-03 | | 6 | In The Blue Mountains, Grey Bruce Public Health tests Little River Park and Northwinds beaches. | https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Environment/Safe-Water/Recreational-Water | 2026-11-03 | | 7 | Shoreline: 468 metres of Georgian Bay shoreline. The beach is open to visitors. | https://www.meaford.ca/memorial-park/ | 2026-11-03 | | 8 | Dogs: pets must be leashed except in designated off-leash areas at the beach. Off-leash rules are in a PDF linked from the Municipality’s page. | https://www.meaford.ca/memorial-park/ | 2026-11-03 | | 9 | Parking: residents register their vehicle each season for free parking. Non-residents pay from May 1 to October 31, 10 am to 6 pm, seven days a week: $10 per day or $100 for a season pass, paid through the HONK app or QR codes in the park. | https://www.meaford.ca/memorial-park/ | 2026-11-03 | | 10 | Washrooms: public washrooms are listed as an amenity. | https://www.meaford.ca/memorial-park/ | 2026-11-03 | | 11 | Contact: 519-538-2530 or (email removed, site rule). | https://www.meaford.ca/memorial-park/ | 2026-11-03 | | 12 | Campground event: the Civic Holiday weekend Kin Camp event makes campsites 40 to 143 unavailable to the public. | https://www.meaford.ca/memorial-park/ | 2026-11-03 | | 13 | Grey Bruce Public Health tests municipally owned public beaches about monthly from June to September. Its August 2026 samples at Memorial Park, Meaford (August 11), Little River Park, Blue Mountains (August 10) and Northwinds, Blue Mountains (August 10) passed and were not posted. | https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Environment/Safe-Water/Recreational-Water | 2026-11-03 | | 14 | A posting means recent samples exceeded the guideline of 200 E. coli per 100 mL, and Public Health advises avoiding swimming 24 to 48 hours after heavy rain. | https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Environment/Safe-Water/Recreational-Water | 2026-11-03 | | 15 | Results lag by a day or two, so judge the water in front of you: cloudy water, algae, scum, dead fish or large numbers of waterfowl are warning signs. | https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Environment/Safe-Water/Recreational-Water | 2026-11-03 | | 16 | Thinking of renting out a cottage here? Run the Township Rules Check. The Town of The Blue Mountains (which includes Thornbury) licenses short-term accommodations under By-law 2021-70, and a valid licence number must appear on all advertisements. | https://www.thebluemountains.ca/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021-70-By-law-to-Regulate-and-License-Businesses.pdf ; https://www.thebluemountains.ca/resident-services/fire-services-law-enforcement/law-enforcement/short-term-accommodations/short-term-accommodation-licensing | 2026-11-03 | | 17 | Municipal accommodation tax there is 4% on stays under 30 days, since January 6 2025. | https://www.thebluemountains.ca/business-economy/municipal-accommodation-tax | 2026-11-03 | Fact-check 2026-11-03 (independent): 16 rows confirmed; Rules Check rows 16 and 17 match the township dataset and MAT status file (The Blue Mountains); Meaford is not in the dataset, so no rule is stated. Title and H1 changed because the draft had no Thornbury content beyond water results. Unsourced Georgian Trail referral and "seasonal closures" removed; campground and mini-golf facts added from the Memorial Park page (row 11 source); email address removed (site rule).
Photo: Jeffrey Eisen, on Unsplash (Unsplash License).