Gord Downie Pier

"I have really mixed feelings about this pier. It's the first time I've seen anything like this and it's the main reason why we went. The website says it's an urban deep swimming pier. And that intrigued me. First off, we had a lot of difficulty finding parking close to the pier. It was a Monday afternoon which was a bit surprising. But it's in the middle of the downtown area by a major hospital and other public services. There's no dedicated parking lot. Only street parking and waterfront lot. That's at least half a mile away. Having physical limitations I wasn't able to park and walk that far in the heat. Much of the street parking is illegal between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. during the week. Of course that was the time that we were there. We did eventually find parking on the street that didn't have that restriction. We still had to walk quite a way and it was difficult for me. When we arrived I was amazed by the setup. There's sand area, a rocky zero entry area, and quite a bit of pier for people to jump from and ladders for them to climb back up. There were buoys marking the swimming area. I don't know how deep the water is there but people were diving. There are life rings available if needed. But the pier is not guarded. It is swim at your own risk. There's a nice shaded area at the end of the pier with seats. The view is gorgeous. The pier is frequented a lot of young people in their teens and twenties. Many people had bad language so keep that in mind if It bothers your group. Now the reason I say I have mixed feelings about this is about the safety of it all. Having grown up on the Great Lakes, I know how dangerous the water can be. I know how the waves can overwhelm swimmers and how there can be current undertoes, etc. around structures. I would be very cautious swimming around the pier in any kind of weather situation. Even if it's just wind. There's no instructions of any kind about when to swim and when not to swim. Many Great lakes beaches have flags indicating weather and water conditions. But there's nothing like that here. No one was wearing a life jacket. Everyone was having a great time though. As long as you use caution it is probably fine."

Amber Connell

"Really nice memorial / park. One of the most well maintained as well, it’s wheelchair accessible and has public bathrooms as well (although closed in the cold weather). A bit lacking in some landscaping and gardening imo but it has nice sand and is a really peaceful place to visit"

#1 Wasabi Teriyaki Fan / Local Review Guy

"I was so happy when they Completed this back in 2017. Great place for recreational swimming. It has a mini sandy beach to sunbathe and chill. Also fun to jump off the pier."

Eric Rider