Point Gratiot: The Sunset Spot

Located in Dunkirk, New York, Point Gratiot is an absolute local gem. Lining the eastern shores of Lake Erie, the beach provides a perfect view of the western-setting sunset every night. It’s also a pretty beach in general.

Everyone needs a sunset spot; a place you can go to for spectacular views of the day’s finale. Ideally, this spot should have a wide-open space, or should be higher up from its surroundings.

In Albion, my sunset spots include a tower on top of a cemetery hill where you can see for miles around, even across Lake Ontario into Canada (on a clear day). The tower doubles as a sunrise spot. Another place I go to is a section of the Erie Canalway trial from Gaines Basin to Eagle Harbor that contains a large bend, surrounded by miles of flat farming land.

Personally, I prefer places where you can walk around while watching the sun set as opposed to staying in one place. But to each their own.

A cool thing about having a sunset spot you regularly go to is that you can notice the sun setting in different spots during the year, progressively moving horizontally in one direction and then the other.

Point Gratiot attracts all kinds of people, from those who park their cars and watch the sunset, to photographers who get really close to the water, waiting for the perfect moment (see https://www.instagram.com/stokesknowsphotos/), to college students utilizing the beach as an aesthetically pleasing background to their poses for Instagram posts. (I don’t know how they do it: wear shorts and walk around in tank tops and shorts on ice caps, while my fingers are freezing taking ten pictures). Some people bring picnics, utilizing the grill and picnic benches, others bike down the bicycle path.

Because the main attractions — water and sunsets — are not seasonal, Point Gratiot makes an interesting visit any time of year. Late summer, on a calm day, the water is nice enough to swim in. Mid-winter, the beach is coated in ice caps and looks like a magical, pastel ice land.

North of Point Gratiot is a factory, and north of the factory is the Dunkirk Pier, which also make good sunset spots, though they do contain an eyesore. The ice forms differently there, and it’s interesting to travel to different parts of Erie’s shoreline and see how the ice formations vary.

Be aware that, because New York has predominantly western winds and because Point Gratiot is facing the west without any windbreakers, Point Gratiot can be quite windy. (As can most other wide-open areas).

During high winds, the park is blocked off to prevent people from hurting themselves. (I would know. I wanted to see the crazy surface waves on a day where I could feel my car shake when I drove and could see stop signs flail around like they were made of paper. But, at last, the gates were closed, and I wasn’t crazy enough to enter).