Wreck Island lies away from the mainland along Georgian Bay. Is is owned in entirety by the Massasauga Provincial Park. A new island to explore. Plans were made to anchor in a small harbor near a park dock, accessing the island by taking the dinghy to the day-use-only dock. As Last Dance approached the dock, the depths remained 70 feet or more, too deep to anchor easily. The charts showed the depth at the dock to be 3 feet, much too shallow for Last Dance's 4.5 foot draft. There is a ledge in front of the boat, just how shallow is it? A change in water color, signaling a change in depth can be seen in front of the boat.
Inching along slowly, Last Dance made it to the dock and found 10 feet of water. Part of the extra depth is from additional water in the Great Lakes this year. On this date, the water depth was about 2.9 feet above chart datum, the depth readings on the nautical charts. Not sure where the other additional depth came from, but it was welcomed. The 30 foot dock was a bit small for a 40 foot boat, but it worked well for a short visit.
The park had an information kiosk with maps of the Massasauga Provincial Park properties and suggested anchorages. A well marked trail circled the western end of the island. Where rocky, the trail blazes were stones with two polished sides and a number engraved. The stones were securely attached to the rocks.
The most interesting part of the hike was over the solid rock beach. The formations and types of rocks varied all along the shore. This rock appeared to bleed when water puddled into depressions on top.
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| David Enstrom Photo |
While not a particularly long nor challenging trail, it was one of the most enjoyable as it ambled along the shores on both sides of the island and through the wooded section in the middle.
The wildlife visitor to Last Dance at the Wreck Island dock was a large snapping turtle.
