Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Wheatley Provincial Park adventure.
Set among a snarl of creeks, this lakeside park is a paddler’s paradise.
Encompassing a coastal estuary, Wheatley is dominated by wetlands and small waterways, including Boosey Creek and Sugar Creek. Both are perfect for paddlers, who can navigate two separate 3.2-kilometre loops by canoe, paddleboard, or kayak (and the fishing is good, too). Hundreds of species of migratory birds make the park a way station, and nearby, a rugged beach traces the shores of Lake Erie, perfect for a swim or an evening walk. And, covered in Carolinian forest, you can take a hike among black gum, sassafras, hickory, and oak trees. Plus, there’s plenty of camping, including cool, creekside sites among the park’s four separate campgrounds.
The park and campgrounds open in April and close in October. Summer is the prime time to come, especially if you plan on paddling or swimming. While creek ice only melts in March, meaning it will still be frigid in April, the waterways warm through spring and are reasonably comfortable through July and August. Nights in April, May, September, and October can be chilly, although the changing colours of the deciduous, Carolinian forest are beautiful in fall, which is also (mostly) bug-free.