Wheatley Provincial Park

Wheatley Provincial Park is located about 60 km from Windsor on the shore of Lake Erie in Ontario.

Site Review:

Wheatley Provincial Park was established in 1971. There are 220 sites spread out between 4 camping areas:

• Boosey Creek Campground:
• Two Creeks Campground
• Middle Creek Campground
• Highlands Campground

The Boosey Creek Campground is radio-free and suited to smaller equipment like tents and pop-ups.

There are electric sites in all of the campgrounds, though according to the Ontario Parks reservation map the Boosey Creek Campground and the Two Creeks Campground each have only a single electric site with the rest being non-electric.

All of the campgrounds have some waterfront sites. We stayed on site 215 in the Highlands Campground. The campground areas are situated on a series of creeks and are located primarily in a forest setting, though there are some sites, particularly in the Highlands Campground, that are more open.

Wheatley Provincial Park is considered Ontario’s deep south campground and the forest is a broadleaf Carolinian Forest. This type of forest is only found in Canada on the north shore of Lake Erie. There are a collection of plants and trees that are not commonly found elsewhere, for example, the Sassafras tree (the roots of which were originally used to make rootbeer). The sites at Wheatley are generally wide but some can seem shallow when occupied by larger rigs. The campground roads are a series of hard-packed dirt loops. We had no problem managing them with our 30 ft. motorhome but longer equipment may find some of the turns tight.

Comfort Stations:

There are 3 comfort stations within the park that have flush toilets and free hot showers. Also located throughout the campgrounds are those plastic porta-potties that you sometimes see at festivals and fairs. I have never seen them at Ontario Provincial Parks before.

There is a sanitation dump station near the gatehouse that is easy to access for all equipment.

Activities:

Swimming:

I was initially confused as to where to swim at Wheatley.

The creeks that surround the camping areas are not suitable for swimming. They are pond-like and marshy. There is a directional sign near the gatehouse indicating a road to the swimming area. However, the road ends. And I mean ENDS! The road has collapsed at the shoreline.  It has eroded away. I think this extreme erosion has happened within the last couple of years. Many reviews mention picnic shelters,  playground equipment, washrooms, a 2 km beach, etc. As it is now, what was once the Day Use Area is currently closed to traffic with the washrooms, picnic shelters and playground equipment removed. The buildings are gone and the playground equipment is moved to beside the comfort station in the Two Creeks Campground. The area is not maintained and the beach that Wheatley was known for has eroded considerably.

So where is the beach?

Well, it is still in this area but it is not accessible by car. You have to use the footbridge and either walk or ride a bike across.

The entrance to the footbridge is located in the Two Creeks Campground near site #200.

The bridge crosses a creek and joins to a narrow strip of land that separates the creek and Lake Erie. This is the Day Use Area and the beach is on the Lake Erie side. between these 2 signs is the entrance to the beach area

The bank to access the beach is steep and loose. It may or may not have some boards placed there. It is clearly not maintained by the park. I did find that if you walked west toward the point, the access to Lake Erie was not as steep. Remember this is Lake Erie and the undertow can be dangerous. There are no lifeguards and the swimming areas are not buoyed off. You swim at your own risk.

Hiking:

There is a trail that meanders along the creeks through the campgrounds that you can hike.

Boating:

Motorized boats are not permitted on the creeks within the park.

Canoeing/Kayaking:

You can canoe/kayak on the creeks. We used our own kayaks to paddle around and found it to be interesting. There is a lot of birds, turtles, frogs, insects etc. to discover. The water is very calm.

You would need to bring your own equipment as the park does not rent any.

The water in the creeks is calm enough to SUP board but I probably wouldn’t because of the algae, tree debris and water insects, but to each their own.

There is no direct access to Lake Erie from the creeks. There is a sandbar near the western point of the strip of land where the Day Use area is. You could beach your canoe/kayak and then drag it across to access Lake Erie

Fishing:

You can try your luck casting a line from the footbridge or from the creek banks. If you go nearby to the town of Wheatley you can arrange for a fishing excursion that departs from the Wheatley Harbour to take you out and fish in Lake Erie.

Biking:

There are no dedicated bike paths within the park but you can bike the campground roads.

The area surrounding Wheatley Provincial Park is very flat which makes road biking pretty easy.

I rode my bike to the Hillman Marsh Conservation Area

primarily using the dirt concession roads without much difficulty.

I also discovered a nice beach (much nicer than the one at the park) which is part of the Hillman Conservation Area

Golf:

Right outside of the park entrance is the Talbot Trail Golf Club. 

Point Pelee National Park:

We used one of the days during our stay to do a day trip to Point Pelee National Park. It is located 25 km from Wheatley Provincial Park in Leamington. Point Pelee is the most southern point of mainland Canada. The park is designated as an International Monarch Butterfly Reserve as well as an Important Bird Area.

The Marsh Boardwalk area is an ideal location to spot migrating waterbirds. There is a 1 km boardwalkwith an observation tower

Places of Interest at Point Pelee National Park:

1. There are at least 8 beach areas with parking, picnic tables and washroom facilities. We parked at West Beach for the day and from there we explored the various areas by bicycle.2. The Centennial Hike and Bike Trail travels parallel to the main road all the way from the park entrance to the Visitor Centre. Click here for Downloadable Map. The path is crushed gravel about 1.5 m wide and is suitable for strollers and wheelchairs as well as bicycles. It is easy riding and has numerous points of entry/exit.3. The DeLaurier Homestead:

4. East Beach:5. The Cactus Field Footpath:6. The Cemetery:7. The Tip and the Tip Exhibit Area:

To Access the Tip:

The road beyond the Visitor Centre that takes you to the tip is closed to vehicular traffic but you can:

• Bike the road
• Hike the road (it is over 2 km each way)
• Take the free shuttle from the Visitor Centre (dogs are permitted to ride).

Stable Flies:

I enjoyed Point Pelee National Park. The only drawback was the massive number, and the insatiable persistence, of the Stable flies. I consider myself pretty comfortable with the outdoors and I understand bugs are part of it, but the Stable flies are next level. They were worst at the beaches and most especially at the tip- if you were thinking of walking to the tip from the Visitor Centre you are going to be swarmed by them. The inland areas and the Marsh Boardwalk seemed to be fine.

The flies swarm you literally by the dozens. Dozens and dozens it seems AND they bite. Insect repellent does not work because Stable Flies hunt by sight, they are visual hunters. Most bug repellents mask your scent, which is why they work for things like mosquitoes. Visual hunters don’t care what you smell like.