Hecla Island North Road — Grassy Narrows Marsh to Black Island Ferry Crossing

Most visitors to Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park stop at the resort or the boardwalk trail and call it done. The north road past Grassy Narrows Marsh is a different proposition — a narrowing gravel track that hugs the lake side of the island, passing the remnants of the original Icelandic fishing settlement at Hecla Village before pushing toward the island’s remote northern tip. The road degrades noticeably past the last maintained campground, with soft shoulders, overhanging brush, and seasonal wash-outs from Lake Winnipeg storm surge making the final kilometres genuinely interesting. Watch for the causeway sections — they flood in high-water years.

This is an accessible overland route for a stock high-clearance 4WD in dry summer conditions, but spring and fall demand more capable rigs due to soft ground and flooding risk. The reward is significant: world-class white pelican and great blue heron habitat at Grassy Narrows, unobstructed Lake Winnipeg sunsets, and almost no other vehicles past the provincial park day-use area. Fill fuel in Riverton before the causeway crossing — there’s nothing on island. The park requires a Manitoba Parks vehicle permit.