Wheatley Provincial Park

As I mentioned in our recent review of Rondeau Provincial Park, we kicked off the 2024 camping season by staying close to home, in Southern Ontario.

Our first trip of the season took us out along the shores of Lake Erie - 2 campgrounds, plus a couple of trips into Point Pelee National Park.

It was a short trip, but packed with a lot of fun, and some very cool sites. We spent a lot of time birding, as along the north shore of Lake Erie is a great place for that, AND timing was perfect!

Anyway, today we’re talking about Wheatley PP, located in the municipality of Chatham.

Wheatley’s considered Ontario’s “deep south” park, and is located at the same latitude as Northern California.

Having lived in Minnesota for 12 years, and dragged my Minnesotan husband home with me... I’m not sure that the jokes about how we “moved south” will ever get old, LOL.

Anyway, this park was a bit of a weird one for us.

You know how sometimes, something will look great on paper and just NOT be?

This was one was possibly the first time we’ve encountered the opposite of that!

As a spoiler, we really enjoyed our time at Wheatley.

... but then when it came time to write the review and go over every category specifically... it sounds kinda bad on paper.

And, really, if you have mobility issues at all, you should definitely consider a different park.

Had I been having a bad go of my tendons during our trip, we would have had an entirely different experience.

Anyway, let’s just get to the details, and you can sort it out for yourself!

The Basics:

Campground Name: Wheatly Provincial Park
Address: 21116 Klondyke Road, P.O. Box 640 Wheatley, ON N0P 2P0
Website: Wheatley Provincial Park
Price Ontario Provincial Parks uses a pricing matrix across all their parks. See 2023 Camping Fees for more details.
Reservations: Ontario Parks Reservations

Logistics

Registration and Check In

Our first time at the park, pulling up was a little confusing.

We could see a drive through window AND a door. We went to the window to start - couldn’t see in, no one came by, so we pulled around and went in.

As it turns out, we could have used the window - the big glare prevented us from seeing there WAS someone there, she was just helping someone else.

Friendly service, as always.

Maps and Signage

Park Map

The Wheatley park map is a 1 page sheet, pretty clear, no complaints.

I will say it gets a bit confusing in the area near the radio free loop’s comfort station, but that’s more a matter of park layout, than the map itself.

One thing I will note is that there is no real information about the trails, either on the map or on the site.

There are a couple of trails marked on the map, that’s about it.

Weirdly, one of the trails we came across in person isn’t indicated on the map or the website, etc. A bit frustrating - I’ll get into this more in the hiking section.

Signage

The signage was pretty good - nothing really wrong with it.

It’s more that the layout of the roads can be confusing, and the signage is just OK.

A bit bigger / more contrast might be nice, but that’s about it - no real complaints!

Services

There’s a fill station as you go into registration, off to the right of the check in area.

If you don’t pull in there *first*, you have to do another loop around the whole area to get back to it.

It’s set up as 2 fill platforms in a row, 1 lane, no real way to bypass.

The dump station is down an offshoot street from that section, headed towards the beach access area.

There are two separate dump platforms, one seems new. Also, there’s a secondary fill station just beyond the dump platforms.

The recycling situation is a bit odd here. Rather than the big recycling dumpsters we’re used to at other parks, there’s a pile of the little blue bins that are used for home recycling.

Are you supposed to bring one to your site? Just fill them up at the garbage station? No idea.

Connectivity

Cell reception seemed pretty decent throughout our trip - we were even able to stream some Netflix on a rainy night!

There’s no park wifi, as far as we can tell.

Accessibility

This is definitely not the most accessible park we’ve ever been to.

First of all, there’s no accessibility information on the park website. Are the comfort stations accessible? Toilets? No idea - we don’t use them!

According to the map, there IS a barrier-free campsite, so I guess that’s something.

If you’re a wheelchair user, though, you’re not going to find much to do in this park.

Even the little overlook point over Sugar Creek lacks parking - you have to walk a fair distance to get to it.

The trails aren’t super accessible - you could do them in a boot, maybe with a cane.. But probably not with a knee scooter, crutches, or a wheelchair.

I would definitely be afraid to cross the foot bridge in a wheelchair, if it’s even considered accessible. (REALLY doubt it, though)

Hell, I don’t think I’d do it on one of my less-stable days, never mind if I was on a boot or whatever - VERY wonky.

Finally, the beach ... isn’t really accessible at all. Very few openings to get down to the actual beach, very steep, wet mud, etc.

Because the day use area is only accessible via a non-accessible trail and the foot bridge... you’re not even able to see it, if you use a wheelchair, or aren’t really ambulatory otherwise.

Kind of disappointing, after how wildly accessible Rondeau Provincial Park was, immediately before this stop!

Pets

While the park map has rules about not leaving your dog unattended, keeping them leashed at all times, and picking up after them... there’s no info on what you CAN do with them.

So, dogs are allowed, but there don’t seem to be any dog exercise areas, and no information about whether or not they’re allowed in the beach area.

Parking

There’s plenty of space for parking at most of the camp sites we saw, but parking areas can be pretty sparse in other areas.

The Day use area is only accessible by foot, and the two entry points (Beach Access near the trailer sanitation station, and the footbridge) have very little in the way of parking spaces.

The foot bridge might not actually have parking - there’s one area that seems like it MIGHT be a single parking spot, but it’s not marked as such.

Miscellaneous

Very little in the way of light pollution at Wheatley.

Also of note: You can see gorgeous sunsets over the creek on west side of the campground.

Campground Amenities & Info

Creature Comforts

There are comfort stations with showers and flush toilets in Boosey Creek, Highlands and Two Creeks Campgrounds.

No laundry, and no information about whether or not any of the comfort stations are accessible.

There are also flush toilets located in the day use areas - again, no information about the accessibility of the washroom facilities.

I guess that doesn’t matter, given that the day use area itself is not accessible.

Park Store

There’s a little park store in the front office building when you check in.

It has a small selection of souvenirs, snacks, etc - pretty basic.

There is no Visitor Centre or dedicated camp store outside of this one.

Day-Use Area

There’s a small day use area on a kind of peninsula, accessed from a parking area just beyond the dump station, or via the foot bridge from Two Creeks campground.

There’s just some picnic tables on a grassy ledge overlooking the lake - we didn’t even see any picnic shelters.

There apparently are fire pits and water taps, though - we didn’t notice them.

Between the hassle - and lack of accessibility for anyone with mobility issues - and the beach situation (more on that in a bit), this is an absolute dud of a day use area, IMHO.

Rentals

The park’s site mentions that the park is a part of the OFAH Tackleshare program.

So, you can borrow completely rigged fishing lines (for a refundable deposit), it just doesn’t give any more details - I’m assuming you’d go to the front gate for that.

There are also Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) available to borrow ($25 refundable deposit).

Campground Details

While the day use areas are not great, the actual camp sites at Wheatley can be amazing.

There are two main sections of individual camping - basically a regular campground, and a radio-free zone.

On the west side of the park, you’ll find the 3 regular camping areas: Highlands Campground, Two Creeks Campground, and Middle Creek Campground.

Kind of in the middle of the park - on the other side of Sugar Creek - you’ll find Boosey Creek Campground. (Boosey Campground is the radio-free camping area).

In addition to the regular camp sites, there are two larger group camping sites on the east side of the park.

Our Campsite

A lot of the camping in Wheatley takes place in waterfront sites, which is nice.

We picked the sole electrical site in the Two Creeks Campground. It’s the southern park, and an area made of primarily non-electrical campsites.

We didn’t think it was waterfront, based on the reservation info.

We’d wanted a balance between having electricity, and being near the day use area, and this looked like the best bet.

As it turns out, we ended up with a LOVELY spot.

It wasn’t a very private site, but we had a clear view of the water from the camper and the site, as well as a private path from our camp ground right down to the creek!

I will say that getting into our site was a bit confusing - it had a V shape thing going on, with 2 entrances to the site, and we weren’t sure if the second was ours, or the next site over.

Also, our site was back to back with another site, and both parties were a bit confused as to where each site started and ended.

Ultimately, we all decided that the power post between the sites was probably a good marker to go on.

Wheatly Campsites

There are SO MANY CUTE CAMPSITES at Wheatly!

There are a number of creekside campsites, and the ones along the west side of the park (all 3 campgrounds) back out onto an area of creek that was full of Great Egrets during our stay.

There’s a wide variety of sizes across the camp sites, and some have some pretty wild slopes.

Most sites aren’t super private, with the exception of some of the sites in the Boosey Creek campground. Those seem more “wilderness”-y.

There don’t appear to be any backcountry campsites at Wheatley.

Entertainment and Activity

Hiking

There are apparently 2 hiking trails in the park (per the site), but there are no real details on the site or on the map.

Per the MAP, there is one small trail marked from the group camping area down to the beach, another hiking trail shown from the sanitation station area, down along the day use peninsula, and another loop near the end of that trail.

NOT shown on the map is a trail running along at least the west side of Sugar Creek.

We saw it when we were checking out the canoe dock, but have no idea how far or where it goes.

Anyway, as far as the peninsula hiking goes...

Once we walked down across the foot bridge to the beach area, we took the remnants of the road that used to be there, to the right.

Honestly, it was a nice enough trail.. Just not super interesting. Maybe we’re spoiled.

Then again, maybe there’s a reason hiking isn’t detailed on the Wheatley Provincial Park site - it’s not really a hiking destination. Good to get a casual walk in, nothing to write home about.

Of note, though: At the part where the paved road ends in a loop, there was a big downed tree. Given the full fall foliage, we figure it had been there a WHILE.

We took the mowed section down to the right, which ended up being a non-paved trail that kept going.

It went through a wooded area and down to a little beach. Signs discourage swimming there, and there’s a little channel of water separating Wheatley Provincial Park from.. Some other campground.

Next to the paved path, there’s a mowed path - maybe 10 feet away from it - following the length of it. Didn’t seem to be any real reason for it, other than maybe a slightly nicer view of the water?

Path Near the Footbridge

Aside from the straight shot trail along the length of that little peninsula, there’s also a little loop trail that starts where the footbridge hits that peninsula - down and to the right.

That one is narrow, unpaved, and kind of meanders along the north side of the peninsula.

We were only able to get to about the halfway point of the loop - many sections were muddy, and we stopped when we got to a section that was completely flooded out.

Again, a couple of decent scenic sections... but not really a must-see.

Biking

There aren’t any actual bike trails in Wheatley Provincial Park, but the park allows cycling on the roads throughout.

Swimming

We would not really count this among the more beautiful beaches in the area.

The beach area is difficult to access, rocky, and covered in large pieces of driftwood.

Actually, “driftwood” isn’t really accurate. Fully downed trees washed up on shore make for quite the obstacle course!

The couple of paths we saw down to the actual beach were steep and rough - the beach is below a sharp cliff, and access is via paths cut through those cliffs.

Apparently the rocks turn to sand a few meters in, but it was too cold for us to check it out.

We took it to be more of a nice place to pull up a chair and listen to the waves or watch a sunrise, more so than a beach-beach. Kids would probably get bored quickly there.

If you want a really nice beach and swimming area, definitely make the drive to Point Pelee. The long sandy beach there is gorgeous!

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

Wheatley is a great spot for getting some bird watching in - it’s on a major migratory path!

There were quite a few raptors of some sort flying overhead when we arrived at the park, and a TON of egrets in the creek behind our camp site.

At one point we saw about 10 in a smallish area of the creek banks! We also saw a couple of them on Sugar Creek, later that first day.

As always, there were plenty of red winged black birds.

There were also more blue jays than we’ve ever seen anywhere - swarms of them over our campsite. The screeching would have been completely obnoxious, if we hadn’t been so in awe of the sight!

There’s a bald eagle nest down on the beach.

While we didn’t see any bald eagles actually flying during our stay, we were lucky enough to see one popping its head up from the nest!

Beyond the eagle excitement, the big thing to us was how cool it was, just how many sites back onto the creek with all those egrets.

I’ve never seen anything like it in any camp ground we’ve been, to date.

Canoeing

Wheatley is basically a tangle of creeks with some campgrounds tossed in, so bring a canoe or kayak if you have one.

There’s a little canoe dock on Sugar Creek, next to the entry to the middle creek campground.

It’s a bit of a walk from the limited parking area just off the road - a rough trail down to the creek.

The dock is cute though - looks pretty new.

You can access a number of small creeks from that launch, though. Sugar Creek, Boosey Creek, and East Branch all converge just south of there, in the area of the foot bridge.

Fishing

Right behind our campsite, we were able to see fairly big fish jumping right out of the water!

I don’t know what they were, or if fishing is even legal on that creek (it’s not mentioned on the site), but figured I’d mention it.

It went on for hours, as far as the eye could see. We had at least a handful of really active ones right near us, it was fun to watch.

The park website says that Boosey Creek and Sugar Creek are where the fishing opportunities are. No mention of what kinds of fish you’ll find there, but you can borrow some fishing gear from the park if you’d like to find out.

It does say that you can fish for perch, pickerel, rainbow trout and smelt on Lake Erie proper, though. There’s a public boat launch in Wheatley Harbour, and also a pier that you can apparently fish right off.

Wheatley also hosts a kids fishing derby every August.

Discovery Program

As with all the Ontario Provincial Parks we’ve been to, Wheatley offers a Discovery program.

In this case, it’s only during July and August.

I’m not really sure where they host it - or what kind of activities are involved. There’s no real info posted anywhere, and not really any kind of a venue for it.

Most parks we’ve been to have a Visitor Center, Amphitheater, some kind of a gathering spot, etc ... this one does not.

Honestly, outside of a playground in the Two Creeks Campground, it doesn’t seem all that kid-friendly at Wheatley.

Niantic Games

There aren’t many stops or gyms in Wheatley Provincial Park.

Best bet is to book a site near a comfort station or other point of interest in the park, if you want regular access to spin stops.

Nearby Attractions

Nearby Point Pelee National Park is the main nearby attraction, and quickly became one of our all-time favourite destinations. The Marsh Boardwalk there is great, and makes for a particularly beautiful view at sunrise!

See our Point Pelee National Park Review post for everything you need to know!

Beyond that, the Town of Wheatley is nearby. There are a few gas stations and speciality shops there, but if you’re looking for grocery stores, you’re better off driving into nearby Leamington.

On that note, if you’re looking to make a bigger excursion, Pelee Island is accessible via a ferry ride from Leamington.

Final Thoughts

It’s a really cute campground, and the waterfront sites are fantastic.

The park feels really casual, comfortable, and probably more rural than I would have expected for so close to major cities like Toronto, London, and Windsor.

The vibe kinda reminds us a bit of Algonquin, just in a much, much smaller, less intimidating park.

Kind of has a “north” feel to it, which is a bit weird being one of - if not THE - southernmost parks in Canada!

We’ve already started a list of sites and sections we’d love to stay in next time - because there will definitely be a next time.

When we booked this site in the Two Creeks campground, it was specifically to have easier access to the foot bridge, etc.

Next time, we’d like to stay up on one of the waterfront sites in Highlands or middle creek campground, because - at last during our stay - the concentration of Egrets was much higher, and they were hanging around closer to the campsites.

... We’ll just hope that I’m not going through a low mobility period at the time of the next visit.

More Provincial Park Campground Reviews

Want to read some more of what we have to say about the campgrounds we've stayed at? Here are some more reviews!

Awenda Provincial Park
Balsam Lake Provincial Park
Bass Lake Provincial Park
Bon Echo Provincial Park
Canisbay Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park
Chutes Provincial Park
Driftwood Provincial Park
Earl Rowe Provincial Park
Emily Provincial Park
Inverhuron Provincial Park
Killbear Provincial Park
Lake Superior Provincial Park
Long Point Provincial Park
MacGregor Point Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Mara Provincial Park
McRae Point Provincial Park
Neys Provincial Park
Pinery Provincial Park
Point Farms Provincial Park
Port Burwell Provincial Park
Quetico Provincial Park
Rideau River Provincial Park
Rock Point Provincial Park
Rondeau Provincial Park
Sauble Falls Provincial Park
Selkirk Provincial Park
Sibbald Point Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
Turkey Point Provincial Park