Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: June 2021
Selkirk Provincial Park is located along the northern shore of Lake Erie and is surrounded by wetlands and forests. It offers just over 100 campsites across four campgrounds, a large picnic area, a pebble beach along the lake and a single hiking trail through the hardwood forest and marsh.
It’s been hot and humid here in Toronto over the past few days. So for Sunday funday we decided to hit the water and visit a few provincial parks along Lake Erie. Earlier in the day we stopped at Rock Point and James N. Allan Provincial Parks. Selkirk was our final stop on our day-trip. We pulled into the park later in the afternoon and were surprised to find that it wasn’t busy, especially since both Rock Point and James N. Allan were packed.
We first went to hike along Wheeler’s Walk Trail (1.5km, rated easy). According to the map there was no marked parking at the trailhead. Instead we parked at the “parking lot” to the left of Campground 2, which really was just an open field of grass, and walked about a couple hundred metres along the road to reach the trailhead.
The trail consists of two connected loops, the East Loop and West Loop. We followed the numbered posts from #1 to #12 through the forest. It soon became abundantly clear why there weren’t many visitors at this park or any other hikers along the trail. It’s probably because the mosquitoes ate them all.
Once we reached the bridge that crosses Spring Creek and connects the two loops, we had a momentary relief from our stalkers. We took a break here to catch our breath and enjoy the views of this marshy area. As an added bonus we could see the fish spawning in the shallow water.
From the bridge we followed the West Loop back into the forest and through the mosquitoes’ lair. We quickened our pace all the while wondering that if we fell, would the mosquitoes eat us alive before our bodies reached the ground?
The trail loops back to the bridge. From here it’s a short stretch along the remainder of the East Loop to get back to the trailhead and out of the forest. We were in the clear.
We then drove down to the day-use area. There’s not much of a beach area and the shoreline looked rocky, but it sure was nice being by the water. This looked like a lovely spot for a picnic as there were plenty of picnic tables and shaded areas overlooking the lake.
And with that it was time to drive back to Toronto.
L
My progress on the Ontario Parks Challenge can be found here
Too bad about the mosquitos. The lake looks inviting on a hot summer day.
Mosquitoes are the bane of my existence. I swear they are adapting to insect repellent!! Besides the mosquito apocalypse, this was a nice and quiet park. It’s always great being by the water on a hot summer day.
This looks like a nice little park. I can’t get over the erosion along Lake Erie in some areas!
We were surprised that this park wasn’t very busy, especially given the weather. I haven’t been to Lake Erie in years and was surprised at how the shoreline along the northern part of the lake has changed. I wouldn’t want to own a cottage along the shoreline here with all the erosion. Plus Lake Erie seems to have a high amount of algae blooms in recent years.
The place reminded me of the state park my family and I used to visit in Texas that has crocodiles in it. Wonderful Nature.
Oh gosh, I’m glad Lake Erie doesn’t have crocodiles in it! Now I’m curious to visit this state park in Texas though.
So relaxing 😎
Being by the water is definitely a great way to relax. The waves are so mesmerizing. I could watch them all day. Hope you had a great weekend.
Resting my foot most of the weekend, but drove the 2 hours to my timeshare on the beach. After it, I walked along the water’s edge for an hour, and then drove home, stopping off to eat en route.
It must have been nice to spend some time at the beach, even for a short while.
It certainly was. Thank you.😀
Glad to hear! 🙂
Ah, mosquito territory! Can ruin an otherwise perfect day. Mosquitoes don’t like me much, I must taste horrible…..Michaela seems to taste a lot better as the little devils always target her!
I can feel Michaela’s pain as the mosquitoes tend to swarm around me as well. Despite applying a fresh layer of insect repellent they somehow managed to find the few places I missed. Either way, it was still well worth the risk to visit the wetlands in this park.
“It soon became abundantly clear why there weren’t many visitors at this park or any other hikers along the trail. It’s probably because the mosquitoes ate them all.”
😂😂😂 The mosquitoes are so relentless this summer. But so worth it for the lovely time spent in nature and that crest! The things we do for park crests! How many are you at now?
They are the worst. The sound of them buzzing around my ears still haunts my dreams. But yes, it was still well worth the risk to hike through the wetlands. And hey, at least the deer flies weren’t out yet. To date we are at 36 park crests. It could have been more if we could buy them year-round.
36 is great! It’s amazing. Great job! 👍
Thanks!! I’m hoping to scoop up a bunch more when we go on our Northern Ontario road trip in September.
The beach area looks very inviting. Hope you didn’t get bitten too much. I’m like a magnet for insects but as I’ve been a bit more urban based of late I’ve being escaping them.
It was definitely a great day to spend by the water, minus getting harassed by the mosquitos. They are drawn to me as well. I even applied a fresh layer of insect repellent, but of course they still manage to find the one or two spots where I didn’t spray. At least I had bug spray. I shudder to think what would have happened otherwise!
We had a few encounters with that little buggers and since then the first thing we pack when going on a hiking journey, is mosquito repellent!
At least the green shaded area next to the water looks lovely!
I always carry insect repellent (and sunscreen) in my car and backpack. Just in case. I typically don’t like to spray it on my face, which means they usually still buzz around my ears. They are relentless! But it was all worth it to visit the wetlands.
I love the long wooden bridge. Sorry about the mosquitoes – we are lucky in England not to have them, but we get swarmed by midges instead that seem to go up the nose, in the ears, and I eat far more of them than I’d want in the summer time haha!
The wooden bridge was definitely the highlight of the trail and offered the best views of the creek and wetlands. Plus, it provided momentary relief from the mosquitoes. I don’t know what’s worse, mosquitoes or midges. Both are super annoying. At least insect repellent is somewhat effective on mosquitoes. I just hate it when stuff swarms around my ears and face in general.
The mosquitoes sound nasty! Glad you were able to escape the heat though
They are the worst. Although, I’d rather take mosquitoes over deer flies. At least insect repellent is mostly effective on mosquitoes. Nothing really seems to work against deer flies. And their bites can hurt!
Ooff!! Deer flies sound nasty!
Yah, they suck. Pretty much all the various types of flies are annoying: deer flies, horse flies and black flies.
Looks great. Any knowledge on the name? I always associate Selkirk with Alexander, aka the real Robinson Crusoe!
It was a great way to spend a hot summer’s day, even with the mosquitoes. Selkirk Provincial Park is located near the community of Selkirk, Ontario. I did some digging around and apparently the town was named Selkirk in honour of Thomas Douglas, Lord Selkirk, who once owned land in the area.
I think if you had fallen, the mosquitoes would have helicoptered you away. Terrible to live in a winter country and not be able to enjoy our short summer. But, hey, you have another badge. Thanks for sharing. Allan
Oh, most definitely. Those mosquitoes are relentless. I was wishing I had one of those bug hats and bug jackets that you’ve been sporting recently. Either way, the hike was still worth it to check out those views on the wooden boardwalk. The things I do to collect my park badges. No regrets. Thanks for reading. Linda
I hope you were able to eat your picnic in peace – that water looks like it might be a prime breeding area. I love your sense of humour about them, though. 🙂
Ha, thanks! Thankfully we were only hunted by the mosquitoes in their territory in the forest. They weren’t so bad on the boardwalk or along the lake.
It looks like a nice little park, perhaps designed more for camping than hiking. But you still managed to add it to the list.
For sure. It’s a relatively small park and there is only one hiking trail, which is quite short. The campground is tiny, but many of the sites look private. This would certainly be a good place to camp to escape the crowds. I imagine the bug situation would be brutal though.
Beautiful, but I will take a pass on the mosquitoes.
I wish I could have taken a pass on those mosquitoes too! Fear was a good motivator to hike fast. Thankfully it’s a relatively short and easy trail, so we weren’t in the forest for too long.
That’s good. It is amazing how those picky little things can get to us! I envy your treks through the woods but I love seeing your amazing photos. 💞
Oh I know. Sometimes you don’t even realize you’ve been bit until it’s too late. Thanks for your kind words. It’s been fun exploring more of the parks in my home province!
I wish we could get out and do more!
At least mosquito attacks motivate one to keep moving.
So true. Fear really is a good motivator. Thankfully the trail is short and relatively flat. We even sprinted through the forest on the last stretch.
Love the view of the lake through the trees photo. It certainly does look like a great picnic spot.
Thanks. The picnic area by the lake was really lovely as it was shaded, provided nice views of the water, and there was a slight breeze which kept the mosquitoes in check. After practically running through the forest to complete our hike and escape from the bugs, this was a nice spot to get some rest and relaxation!