Perhaps, while reading a Manitoba road map, you have noticed Elk
Island Provincial Park sitting quietly in Lake Winnipeg north of
the R.M. of Victoria Beach. One rarely hears anything about it. It
is a Provincial Park for the purpose of natural preservation. No
road to get there. No habitation there. No facilities if you get
there. No wonder only a few go there. This geocache will give you a
view of Elk Island from the mainland.
If conditions are right and you want to, you may be able to walk
across the sandbars to the island and have miles more of beautiful
beaches to beachcomb and splash around in. Google Earth has
excellent resolution in this area and will give you an enticing
view of what to expect.
I have walked or waded across to the island four times since
August 2006. The first time, the water was less than knee deep
except for a 10 meter stretch where it was waist deep. Last
September and this April the water was much lower. They were almost
dry crossings with only a short stretch of ankle deep water. By the
May long weekend the water level was rising again. Of course Lake
Winnipeg and the sandbars are always changing. So if you do attempt
to walk to the island, please mention in your log what conditions
you encountered. The crossing is all sandy bottomed with the odd
stony patch. Have fun and play safe.
The ammo box cache itself contains a hoard of those things that
are cylindrical and water-tight to protect your cash from the
splash.
Some necessary logistics:
Not only are there no facilities on Elk Island, there are no
public facilities in this sub-division of Victoria Beach. No change
rooms, no stores, not even an outhouse. So I recommend a stop on
the way north at the Traverse Bay Corner mini-mall at the
intersection of Hwy 59 and 11. It has a general store, gas station,
gift shop and a very good restaurant.
Parking is extremely restricted near the cache. The only place
to park is on the shoulder of Provincial Road 504 a couple hundred
yards south of its northern end. ( park at 50° 43.223 / 96° 31.819
) You won’t find a closer legal parking place. After parking, walk
north to Olafson Blvd. Then turn west and walk to the west end of
Olafson Blvd where you will see a decorative sign declaring
“Pathway to Beach”. It’s all free. No park pass required. You’re on
your way…
After parking it may be tempting to walk straight north down to
the water and try walking that shoreline to the cache. Not a good
idea. There is a stretch of dense bush with deadfalls in it that is
almost impregnable. I did it once. Never again. If you want to
return from the cache along that shoreline, when you encounter the
deadfall barricade simply backtrack a short way and you’ll see a
well worn path at 50° 43.390 / 96° 32.039 that will take you back
up to Olafson Blvd.
Come and enjoy another hidden corner of Manitoba.
 |
This cache was created to add to the number of
QUALITY caches hidden in Manitoba. It is an official cache in the
MBGA Cache Splash event. |
| Category 26: In a Rural Municipality that doesn't
currently have a hide in it. |