Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/117969
20 B e a c h e s Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park – An Island Retreat >> Get your fill of fish tales while following the coastline between the east and west shores of & Lake Winnipeg, where stories Pa r k s of enchanted islands and sunken ships abound. Explore mysterious Drumming Point, once frequented by ancient Anishinabe medicine men, or head straight for Hecla Island, named after one of the most famous volcanoes in Iceland, Mount Hekla. Walk PHOTO: Hans Pfaff Hecla Provincial Park on limestone-cobbled shores, book a tee time at Gull Harbour's 18-hole golf course, or explore lush forest and sandy beaches while snapping photos of birds and other wildlife. Follow hiking and biking trails to the scenic boardwalk, rest easy at a campground or vacation cabin, and check out the catch of the day at the Hecla Fish Station, which houses exhibits on commercial fishing. To learn even more about the region's early history, head to the Heritage Home Museum, a restored Icelandic household depicting life in the 1920s and 1940s. Or sign up for Second Nature's Fish & Folk of Hecla Island tour, which showcases the century-old traditions that sustained the people of Lake Winnipeg. Hear tales told by fourth-generation fisherman Ivan Grimolfson, then learn how to slice the perfect pickerel fillets. For more information, see www.discoversecondnature.ca. From Spirits To Devils and more at Spruce Woods Provincial Park >>Something of a geographical oddity in Manitoba, this desert-like region once covered by glacial ice now boasts sand dunes towering up to 30 metres tall. Home to the pincushion cactus, the western hognose snake, and the northern prairie skink (Manitoba's only native lizard), the stretch of Spruce Woods known as Spirit Sands looks like something out of Lawrence of Arabia. Take a self-guided trail or a horse-drawn wagon ride to Devils Punch Bowl, an eerie, aquamarine pond formed by the action of underground streams. Or traipse through riverbank forests, backcountry riding trails, sweet mixed-grass prairie, and the sweeping views from the Steels Ferry Overlook. See www.manitobaparks.com for Spruce Woods Provincial Park campground and trail information.