Harmony Beach
Ontario
Find: Small feldspars, granites, unakites, hematite, red jasper
GPS: 46.845636, -84.374192
Nearest city: Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Recommended Vehicle: Any
Season: Accessible year round, Winter is likely to have significant snow, ice, and frigid temperatures.
Summary:
This was the first stop I made when exploring the Canadian shores of Lake Superior. Truthfully, I think you’d be hard pressed to find anything sizeable here. The rocks are all very small and weathered. However, I have it listed because it’s a great place to stop and enjoy a flat gravel bar that extends far into the lake itself. It seemed to have a comparable mix of rock types to what you’d find in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I’d estimate that I made it almost 200 feet from the shore without the water rising above my knee.
Video
Check out the video to best see what can be found when exploring this spot.
This is the 1st spot that was visited in the video.
3 Helpful Tools
Chest Waders
Chest waders are great to stay dry if you want to get in the lake.
Agate Scoop
An agate scoop is helpful to pick things up faster and farther away from you.
Classifier
A classifier is fun to sit with if you’re a fan of small agates and stones. One with a larger, 1-inch mesh would be what I’d pick.
The inviting walk out to the beach.
The sandbars extend far out into the water and you can see the elevation surrounding the shores, which is a big change if you're coming from the relatively flat shores in Michigan.
Examples of small fragments of rock in the water.
Looking back towards the beach from the gravel bar. This was probably between 100-200 ft out. The water was at my shins only.
A precursor to what you'll find further up the shores to the North.
If you're coming from the States, you'll likely pass through the photogenic city of Sault Ste. Marie. It's about an hour South of Harmony Beach.