We took a long drive up to Mississagi, about seven and a half hours, and at the front entrance was this sign of a mosquito carrying off a person. It was funny until you realize that this is a warning sign. I have been to northern parks before, even in this area and I have never seen anything like this. These mosquitoes were huge and in abundance. Well, we ended up just staying the one night and got the hell out of there. Didn’t take a trail or start a birding checklist. We will revisit this park in the future when the season is better for us.
The drive to the park went well, we were slowed by a collision on the 400, other than that it was smooth sailing for a long weekend. The road leading to the park was fast and winding. That sign was funny but flipping accurate, we couldn’t wait to get there and man it sure was a rough night.
When we arrive, Meki sets up the car. This is standard procedure; he has his way of doing things and it is best that I stay out of the way. I got out of the car, found the washroom, and checked out our private path to the water. Our site was beautiful, nice driveway for a trailer, there was a step down to the fire pit area with the picnic table and we were surrounded by trees. I light a citronella candle and the mosquitos are dive bombing the bucket that it comes in. I was wearing pants, it was a bit cool so I grabbed a thin spring jacket to wear, then I put a mosquito net over my head and it still didn’t keep them at bay.
Meki is doing his thing as quickly as possible however I do not think he realizes the number of bugs or that where we parked the car between the trees was their home and we woke them for the evening. He was busily setting up our home for the next three days. What we did not realize until we got inside was that they had perched amongst our clothes and bedding, they would torment us for the evening or from their perspective I’m sure it was a smorgasbord. There was an element of danger for them as we did everything in our power to eliminate them from the car, looking back I think one of the windows was open and they were flying in.
We did survive the night, with the Corolla camper we were not prepared for this type of insect onslaught. The ceiling of the car honestly resembles a crime scene, with nothing but broken legs and blood spatter. I cried in the car as we made the decision to go home, it bothered me that mosquitos had gotten the better of me. Meki did not give up and suggested we carry on to a different park a bit closer to home.
Mississagi Provincial Park Maps
- A rugged landscape of ancient hills and clear lakes located west of Sudbury
- Seven hiking trails of varying duration and difficulty levels with great views; fall is a particularly spectacular season for hiking
- Rustic camping with many pull-through sites and seasonal leasing options
- Backcountry camping
- Lakes for canoeing or kayaking
- Spectacular 130m high Helenbar Trail Lookout
- Excellent trout fishing