Date Visited: September 11, 2022
Our Recommended Trip
Put In / Take Out:
Trip Length:
Cost: We paid $15 per car.
Degree of Difficulty:
Trip Length:
Cost: We paid $15 per car.
Degree of Difficulty:
Gear Recommendations
Life jackets and all Transport Canada required safety gear are always a must. Sunscreen and sun hats are definitely recommended when you're on the water.
Last Minute Decision
When we got up Sunday morning, we weren’t even aware that Wildwood Lake existed. We had loaded the kayaks up the night before, including one for a friend, and were getting ready to head to the Welland Recreational Canal. One look at the Weather Network’s full day forecast for rain, though, and we realized we would need a new plan!
The rain was a system blowing up and across from the US and the Doppler suggested it would stay mostly south of Lake Ontario, but even Waterford Ponds was going to be iffy. And so I sat down with Google Maps (as I’m sure some of you have done!), scouring the lands within a 90 minute drive and outside the rain zone for decent size bodies of water and cross referencing these against the GoPaddle app to confirm public boat launches and against feedback in Facebook paddle groups on water levels. 30 minutes later, we had decided to head to St. Marys and try out a new-to-us waterway.
The rain was a system blowing up and across from the US and the Doppler suggested it would stay mostly south of Lake Ontario, but even Waterford Ponds was going to be iffy. And so I sat down with Google Maps (as I’m sure some of you have done!), scouring the lands within a 90 minute drive and outside the rain zone for decent size bodies of water and cross referencing these against the GoPaddle app to confirm public boat launches and against feedback in Facebook paddle groups on water levels. 30 minutes later, we had decided to head to St. Marys and try out a new-to-us waterway.
Upper Thames River Watershed
Located between Stratford and St. Marys, Wildwood Lake Conservation Area is a reservoir on Trout Creek, a tributary from the north branch of the Thames River. The conservation area is operated by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, and is home to a large number of seasonal campsites and offers hiking and bike trails, car camping, and backcountry/canoe-in camping sites along the trail.
The dam was built in the 1960’s to manage flooding and seasonal water levels and created a 9 km long, S-shaped lake. The land around the lake was planted with white pine and white spruce, and today the trees create a northern feel in this southern Ontario lake.
Each fall, the conservation area lowers the water level, from a summer high of over 6m to less than 4m, and our visit in September was in the midst of this draw-down - when sandy and muddy banks were exposed and signs were posted warning power boats of the problems that the lower water levels could pose for them.
The dam was built in the 1960’s to manage flooding and seasonal water levels and created a 9 km long, S-shaped lake. The land around the lake was planted with white pine and white spruce, and today the trees create a northern feel in this southern Ontario lake.
Each fall, the conservation area lowers the water level, from a summer high of over 6m to less than 4m, and our visit in September was in the midst of this draw-down - when sandy and muddy banks were exposed and signs were posted warning power boats of the problems that the lower water levels could pose for them.
Additional Reading
Wildwood Lake is considered an Important Bird Area (IBA) as a gull roosting area. According to this article by IBA Canada, beginning in late summer, Wildwood is a rest and sometimes overwintering spot for Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls, with tens of thousands of these birds in the fall and early winter.
