Kate and I decided to give this a try on a windy day in the fall. We saw the forecast calling for waves to big to paddle in on Lake Ontario so we decided to try an small inland lake.

The Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area is an interesting water feature that is located in the headwaters area of the Grand River watershed. The Luther Lake, which is approximately 1,400-hectares was created by Luther Dam, built in 1954. It is surrounded by wetlands, fields and forests providing habitat to a wide variety of birds, animals, plants and trees. We saw more interesting birds, nest and animals on this trip than any of the other ones in memory.

In the fall, the entrance is set up on the honour system. There is a shack with slips to fill out that are used as a parking pass and you place your fee in an envelope and then into a collection box. Park Fees

After we launched, we headed towards windmill island. If you look on the map, you can see that it looks like the propeller of a windmill. The winds were very strong, so after the short battle across, we decided to take a break behind the marsh surrounding the island.

Once we started paddling again, we decided to circumnavigate Big Island in a clockwise direction. The scenery was definitely unique, the islands were surrounded by thick marsh but there were TONS of Canadian geese and huge flocks of birds. We saw many large unoccupied nests as well, but I am not sure what type of bird made them.

The marsh has a lot of inlets and channels to explore, none of the inlets are very big but they have nice scenery.

Everywhere you turn, there are interesting naturally occurring things to investigate. The pic above, looked to be the remains of a big nest that had blown apart. There is another section with tons of tree stumps sticking through the water in a neat pattern.

The channels between the islands were the best part of the trip, they were the most sheltered from the wind and made for the best pictures. Overall, the Luther Marsh is a nice place to go for a short paddle, hopefully next time it won’t be as windy.

Notes from the park’s website:

• Non-motorized watercraft including canoes, kayaks and rowboats are allowed starting July 31. Before Sept. 1, use the launch at the main gate. Starting Sept. 1, canoes and kayaks can be put in the water at any of the other boat launch areas. The north edge of the lake has orange markers to restrict access to a wildlife sanctuary and heronry.
• Boat Access Form: For safety reasons, a boat access form including emergency contact information must be completed by anyone using any watercraft at Luther Marsh. These forms are available at the park kiosk or may be downloaded.
• Beware of hunters, this is a very popular spot for it. It’s best to avoid the in season times.
• More than 262 bird species have been recorded at Luther Marsh, making it one of the most important birding areas in Ontario. Visit the Birding pages of the website for more information.
• The area is also home to 35 species of mammals, ten species of amphibians and 11 species of reptiles. Unusual sightings include the northern flying squirrel, Butler’s garter snake and the spotted turtle.

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This trip would require a minimum of level 1 or higher skills depending on the conditions.