The name comes from a long-gone gas station, but today this sliver of shoreline serves a different kind of refueling. You reach it via the Island Line Trail, where cyclists and joggers stream past in steady rhythm, pausing occasionally to dip toes or spread blankets on the narrow strand. The beach runs barely a hundred yards, hemmed by willow trees on one side and the lake's flat expanse on the other, yet it feels remarkably unhurried for something so close to downtown.
“The only Burlington beach where the bike path delivers you directly to the waterline, no detours required.”
Credit: FlickrLong Beach, CA - THUMS - White Island
Lake Champlain laps at your ankles in gentle folds, warmer than you'd expect by July, cool enough to feel earned. Families stake claim to driftwood logs for makeshift seating. Paddleboarders glide past, their boards casting shadows on the sandy bottom visible through five feet of water. When the afternoon sun angles just right, the lake surface turns to hammered pewter, and you can trace the shoreline all the way to the Champlain Bridge.
This is urban swimming stripped to its essentials: no lifeguards, no concession stand, no entry fee. Just lake, sand, and the particular satisfaction of a beach reached by bike, on foot, or via a quick turn off North Avenue. You arrive with a towel in your backpack and leave with lake water drying salt-stiff in your hair, the city's church steeples visible through the trees as you pedal back.
