Autumn at Wellesley State Park Beckons You
Warm days, crisp nights and bright fall foliage are the hallmarks of September and October along the St. Lawrence River. Early autumn is an ideal time to head up to New York’s northern border and experience the beauty and adventure the Thousand Islands offer visitors. The regions’ flagship park,Wellesley Island State Park, is an ideal destination for a getaway, offering unspoiled nature and exciting activities that are the hallmark of New York State’s parks.
Located on Wellesly Island in the St. Lawrence River, in Jefferson County, the park is divided into a handful of different sections that highlight the unique geography, geology and ecosystems native to the region.The park, which officially opened in 1954, was preceded by two other state parks on the island dating back to 1898, as part of the larger St. Lawrence Reservation.Since then, the park has expanded to encompass more of the island and capitalize on its wide variety of outdoor activities, including camping, fishing, cross-county skiing, swimming, hiking, and even golf.
Wellesley is one of the largest camping sites in New York State, with over 430 sites. Reserve America named the state park as one of the top 100 campgrounds in the nation in 2004 and it’s easy to understand why.Whether you are looking for long-term rentals, rustic cabins, or wilderness sites only accessibly by foot or boat, Wellesley Island State Park is an ideal location to plan your autumn camping adventure.
Being located on the St. Lawrence River affords visitors with a myriad of water sports to choose from during their visit. While it may be too chilly for a swim at the park's sandy beach in the Fall, there are excellent opportunities for fishing and boating. Fishing enthusiasts will enjoy the challenge of wrangling perch, largemouth and smallmouth bass, pike, bullheads and muskies along the river’s edge, scenic south bay, or in any of the ponds and streams that dot the landscape.In fact, the Lake of the Isles located within the confines of the park nearly double’s the island’s waterfront.
With miles of trail to explore, the hiking at Wellesly is also not to be missed.A network of interconnected paths take visitors through woodlands, wetlands, fields and forests, and along Eel Bay. While the Ridge Trail and Granite Trail offer the most variety in terms of landscapes as the reach the rocky outcrops above the Narrows, it’s the River Trail’s scenic overlook and access to the glacial potholes that is most popular with visitors. In fact, there are 18 different natural community types within the park, three of which considered significant ecological communities. During your visit, be sure to keep an eye out for Bald Eagles and migratory ducks that make the river, lakes and ponds their home.
Perhaps the real jewel of Wellesley Island State Park, however, is the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center. Located on 600 acres within the park, and named after Minna Anthony Common, a local naturalist and steward of Thousand Island parks, the Nature Center offers wonderful educational and environmental conservation programming. Exhibits, a museum, interactive Discovery Room, butterfly house and activities ranging from canoe trips tog uided hikes, are engaging and informative. Later this month, the MAC Nature Center is hosting fishing clinics and guided tours, while October brings festive programming with pumpkin picking, indigenous agricultural programs and turtle tours.
Can’t make it to Wellesly or the phenomenal MAC Nature Center? Visit the MAC Nature Center’s website, where you'll find excellent online programming for the whole family, including virtual field trips and Outdoor Classrooms, truly making you feel like you are immersed in the local environment of the Thousand Islands.
So as you consider one more camping excursion this year before the winter weather arrives, consider visiting Wellesley Island State Park to experience for yourself all of the engaging and quintessentially ‘New York’ outdoor activities the Thousand Islands provides.