St Ambroise Provincial Park — Attraction in Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie

I live here. It’s great if you don’t live here and you are visiting (as it’s full of small town drama like every small town) the space, air, and nature is immaculate! The wildlife is very respected so please, watch out for the true residents of this place, the animals. Also outsiders leave trash all over so PICK UP YOUR JUNK! We don’t go to your home and throw trash! Have respect! We aren’t a Rez! Stop treating us like one. The lake and store is owned by outsiders as well, very very happy they moved here!!! Sadly they are now selling the store again because it’s expensive and there’s no revenue out here. That’s why the store was closed for years. Finally the youth centre is fixed but church is still out for years now, tho someone checked it 3 days ago. Fingers crossed they renovate it! We neeeeed the church. As for the town hall, it’s completely condemned and the north wall is about to fall. They are waiting for a Good Samaritan (I was told because I was asking about it). The beach is the same, stay in the buoy line though, unless you are ok with sludge the first 10 feet out. After that it’s sand and rocks. There is a huge drop off after the 3 or 4 sand bar! Be aware! It also has fish and creatures so don’t freak out if you feel a sturgeon swim through your legs 😂. The sunset is beautiful and the water is green and fresh. When it’s bug season, I apologize for the black clouds swarming you. It’s just fish flies and are harmless unless you swam then they think you are fish and bite you. There’s a bear that sometimes walks the lake. There is a coyote too that roams the lake, it followed me on shore while I swam.. super creepy but respect them. Yes, you don’t need a filter for the scenery! It’s absolutely gorgeous. The lake has a tiny food shop and outside bar with music. I worked there and the store for years before the new owners. Dogs are not allowed on the beach due to poop and must be on a leash at all times. Many dog attacks at the beach. There’s government issued signs. DO NOT GO OUT WHEN WINDY! For real, there was 6 rescues in one month one year my husband was working the grounds for the government when they owned the beach. So did his dad. For YEARS until they leased it out. Lost his job! The beach is privately leased.

Be respectful please. We do live here even if you don’t. Also no one is allowed to drive through residential areas that don’t live there. So really stop speeding down my road! Kids play here! I lost many pets too. Don’t film our homes. Especially on public internet posts. Respect our privacy. Again big reminder DONT SPEED IN OUR TOWN! that’s a HUGE problem with outsiders. THANK YOU...

This is a really lovely, quiet beach. It has clean washrooms (out houses, no plumbing) that had toilet paper and hand sanitizer when we visited today. Picnic facilities but no other amenities. Make sure you pack whatever water and snacks you need. St Ambroise General Store is about 10 min drive away, though check for hours.

There's ample parking right at the beach, so if you have lots of stuff, kids, or limited mobility, you can find a spot without having to walk any distance.

There is no park office, so you will not be able to buy a provincial park pass when you get here. Buy online and print in advance, or if you're headed from Winnipeg, the Canadian Tire on Portage near the perimeter still sells them at the customer service desk. If you're coming from the west, the Canadian Tire in Portage la Prairie does not sell park passes.

The beach itself is fairly small. The sand is coarse, with lots of pebbles and shells. Not the best for going barefoot, but still a very pleasant beach for walking, lounging, etc. There's a marked off swimming area, and the water is cool, shallow, and murky. If you go swimming you may end up with lots of dirt under your swimsuit.

We went on a windy day, and there were a few flies but no mosquitoes. You may want to pack in bug spray to be on the safe side.

A previous reviewer mentioned the beach smelling like dead fish, and I'm very happy to report that today it did not. I think they just got unlucky, and thankfully that is not a permanent feature of the beach.

Cell phone data was almost non-existent. Just enough to receive messages on Google Hangouts, but not enough to send message or look up directions on Google maps. So make sure you download maps and directions for your drive home in advance.

If you're coming from Winnipeg, 430 is all pavement. The highway 6 to 411 route has a significant portion of driving on gravel, so while it's slightly shorter, factor that...

This beach has a lot of potentials but probably will not be going back for a while. What I love about this place is the shallow waters and quiet place to relax. A bit rocky walking from the shore but it gets better as you go further in the water as you walk in the refined sand. Water is murky as well but that’s not the sad part. Unfortunately, it has the most horrible and disgusting washroom that we have been to by far. Flies everywhere. I wish I can a take a video of people trying to use the portable washroom and see their reaction 🤦🏻‍♂️ Would be nice to get some establishments in the area too rather than driving out to get refreshments. Hopefully someone will recognize the potentials of this place and make some...