Exploring Lake Winnipeg's Hecla Island, Manitoba: Paradise Amid Unspoiled Splendor

Helca Island on Lake Winnipeg, in the province of Manitoba, is a paradise set amid the unspoiled splendor of Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park.

Icelandic farmers, who immigrated here after the Mt. Hekla volcano eruption destroyed their homes in Iceland, settled the island in the mid-1870s. The restored century-old fishing village of Hecla looks just as it did in the 1870s.

The Hecla Island Wildlife Refuge harbors mink, deer, beavers, muskrats, red foxes and moose. Birders may spot many species of ducks, plus great blue herons, grebes and bald and golden eagles.

Hecla Island is about 102 miles north of Winnipeg via Provincial Highway 8. A causeway links the island to the mainland. Park admission is $5 per vehicle, good for 3 days.

To learn more about the park and its amenities, visit www.gov.mb.ca or call Conservation Manitoba at 1-204-378-2945. For more information about the island, refer to www.gullharbour.com.