New York: Selkirk Shores State Park

How can you go this far north and not visit a Great Lake?  You simply can't.  As Lake Ontario dominates this area... you guessed it we had to camp on the shore.  

Sunrise from the campground
Selkirk Shores State Park

Selkirk Shores State Park gave us the opportunity.  There are several camping loops and being July 6th, two days after the holiday weekend, we had a wide choice of sites.  The park ranger suggested we stay in a loop that offers lake views from every site to which we immediately agreed.

Bill surveying the lake with the comment,
"It is big enough to be an ocean!"

Yes, the Great Lakes are huge, you can't see the other side!  If it were salty with waves then I'd call it an ocean.  However it is not salty and on this visit the water gently lapped the shore line which varies from sand to mud to small rocks.

So this is the source of the river rocks...

The name ontarío means “Lake of Shining Waters” in the Wyandot (Huron) language.  The lake is correctly named as it does shine and sparkle.  Surprisingly, Lake Ontario is the smallest lake of the Great Lakes in surface area; however, being 53 miles wide and 193 miles long is still huge.  In any case, I couldn't see the other side and would not want to attempt a canoe trip across much less a swim.

Trees and shrubs grow to the edge of the lake

From our point of access the lake is fed by two rivers that flow through Selkirk Shores State Park.  Both The Salmon River and the Little Salmon River are accessible by boat, automotive vehicle, or foot.  Being a bit road weary foot travel was perfect.  

Trail along the east side of the lake towards
Salmon River

Our first hike was to the Salmon River which flows along the north end of the park.  This river is touted for it's world class salmon and steelhead fishing.  Unfortunately, I can't verify the park's claim as I wasn't fishing.  But we did view the village of Pulaski (1804) and the Selkirk Light (1838) from the banks of the river.

View from the park, looking west across the Salmon River

For our return to the campground we selected a trail which traversed several hills allowing us to walk along the river banks and then through an old growth forest.  As park is home to some of the highest quality freshwater marshes in New York State we were not surprised to find several spotted frogs in the area.

A wonderful frog
Northern Leopard Frog?

We left the river bank and headed back west into the old growth forest which was beautiful with the quiet broken only by the chirp of birds and an owl call.  We felt as if we were privy to a prehistoric era as we traversed the forest. 

Hilly trails through an old growth forest

When you spend time in the quiet of nature there are many interesting sights but were amazed to find a rat snake feasting on a toad amid the forest floor.

A rare treat to view in nature

As we returned to the lake we realized we observed many 'Florida' birds.  A quick check of the park brochure confirmed the lake is on a bird migratory route  ... guess the term snow bird has a real meaning in this flyway.  

Sunset on the lake
recall it is huge with both east and west views

After dinner it was time for a hike to the south end of the park and explore the Little Salmon River and Grindstone Creek.

Grindstone Creek towards the Little Salmon River

As this end of the park we found several fishermen, typical shore birds, and sunset watchers.  To pass the time waiting for the sunset several folks were skipping stones, those nice round stones, into the lake.  An old activity that was shared by adults and children alike.  Yes, we joined in the stone skipping but quickly decided another fella was the champion rock skipper.

Skipping Rocks on the banks of Lake Ontario
awaiting the sunset