Mira Gut Beach

History

Mira Gut Beach is located along the former route of a mining railroad that ran from Glace Bay to Louisbourg. The scarce remains of the railroad can still be found along parts of the shore, the most visible being the Mira Gut one-lane bridge. Improvements to the original site include an expanded parking lot, a boardwalk, change houses, and a lifeguard hut, all initiated by the Mira Gut Development Institute. NSLS began supervision of Mira Gut in 1996 under an agreement with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Beach Safety

Mira Gut Beach is generally a safe beach at low tide. Visitors to the beach can walk for kilometres along the sandbar at low tide, making it ideal for families. However, there is a strong current to the right of the beach along the breakwater rocks, which runs along the beach due to the Mira River. This current can pose a danger to weak swimmers. Mira Gut is a very calm beach in terms of conditions. Most days there is relatively little surf, but because of its location, occasional high-surf days do occur. The supervised swimming area is marked by two red-and-yellow flags on the beach. Swimmers are encouraged to stay between the red and yellow flags to avoid the current. The lifeguards advise patrons to swim in the supervised area to avoid the hazards of the channel and rocks. Floatation devices are not permitted on days when the wind is blowing offshore.