Thousand Islands
Discover Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands are an island group split between New York's North Country and Eastern Ontario, lying on the Canada-US border, where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River. It is a very scenic and popular summer cottage area. The Thousand Islands is one of the most scenic spots in Ontario and northern New York. Some 1,864 islands (defined as anything permanently above water that can support at least one tree) dot this portion of the St. Lawrence River that straddles the Ontario/New York border. During the 18th and most of the 19th century, it was a choke point on the St.Lawrence and therefore of vital military importance for both the young United States and the British colony of Canada. The colonial and military influence is still visible on the Canadian side in towns like Kingston, which was established in 1673 as Cataraqui, a small and then-distant French military outpost which controlled entry of fur trading vessels into the Great Lakes. During the War of 1812, Kingston and Oswego were British and American strongholds in the region.
What to Experience in Thousand Islands
Taste of Thousand Islands...
The St. Lawrence Seaway is a busy shipping channel; there are dangerous shoals and strong currents in some narrow portions of the river. Mariners must carry up-to-date charts and safety equipment at all times. A license is required to fish in Ontario or New York State; Canada also requires operators of motorised recreational vessels to carry proof of competency. Some boat rental operators offer short, introductory training lessons which may be advisable for inexperienced sailors before taking the helm of unfamiliar watercraft. In the most extreme weather, it may be best to leave the boat in the harbour or harbor and remain on dry land for safety's sake. The international boundary has come under closer scrutiny in the post-September 11, 2001 era and the concept of being "waved through" Customs in either direction no longer applies. It is no longer possible to travel without a passport. In 2009, the United States began deployment of Predator drones on its northern borders. In 2011, Canadian officials attempted to seize a boat from a US recreational fisherman in Canadian waters despite the boat having neither landed nor anchored in Canada. The border situation only got worse during the Trump administration (January 2017-January 2021) and degraded further due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-21. Even before the pandemic, travellers have routinely been turned back at the border even for minor police incidents in which they were neither charged nor convicted.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsFrom the US mainland the Thousand Islands region is served by Interstate 81, which meets the St. Lawrence River at Fisher's Landing (between Clayton and Alexandria Bay). From there, the Thousand Islands Bridge crosses Wellesley Island to Canada, while NYS Route 12 follows the river. On the Canadian side, Highway 401 is often fastest; a more scenic route is to take the 1000 Islands Parkway westward from Brockville or the former Ontario Highway 2 from Kingston. Bus and train travel is available to Kingston (although none are centrally located in that city) and limited services are offered in Brockville and Watertown. A shuttle bus serves the casino in Gananoque from Kingston. No scheduled intercity carriers cross the border in-region and many small towns are only reachable by automobile or by chartering a bus. Kingston Airport is no longer served by commercial passenger flights....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
A number of different ferries and tour boats depart from Gananoque, Alexandria Bay, Rockport and Clayton. For many islands (some of them Canadian or New York State parkland), cruising on small craft is the only access. Pleasure boats may be rented. Dive charters are available from multiple vendors in Kingston. Fuel stations are available on Wellesley Island (near the southernmost of the two I-81 exits on the island) and Wolfe Island (in Marysville village) but prices tend to be higher than on the respective mainlands. In general, Canadian fuel prices are exorbitant by US standards (Ontario's double-digit HST is a tax on a price which already includes 25 cents/litre of fuel-specific taxes) so international travellers are advised to leave Clayton or Alexandria Bay on a full tank. Portable tanks for outboard motor boats can be filled more economically at highway fuel stations than at dockside; many marinas sell petrol but prices are less competitive.
Where to Stay
The St. Lawrence Seaway is a busy shipping channel; there are dangerous shoals and strong currents in some narrow portions of the river. Mariners must carry up-to-date charts and safety equipment at all times. A license is required to fish in Ontario or New York State; Canada also requires operators of motorised recreational vessels to carry proof of competency. Some boat rental operators offer short, introductory training lessons which may be advisable for inexperienced sailors before taking the helm of unfamiliar watercraft. In the most extreme weather, it may be best to leave the boat in the harbour or harbor and remain on dry land for safety's sake. The international boundary has come under closer scrutiny in the post-September 11, 2001 era and the concept of being "waved through" Customs in either direction no longer applies. It is no longer possible to travel without a passport. In 2009, the United States began deployment of Predator drones on its northern borders.
Money & Budget
The St. Lawrence Seaway is a busy shipping channel; there are dangerous shoals and strong currents in some narrow portions of the river. Mariners must carry up-to-date charts and safety equipment at all times. A license is required to fish in Ontario or New York State; Canada also requires operators of motorised recreational vessels to carry proof of competency. Some boat rental operators offer short, introductory training lessons which may be advisable for inexperienced sailors before taking the helm of unfamiliar watercraft. In the most extreme weather, it may be best to leave the boat in the harbour or harbor and remain on dry land for safety's sake.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
The St. Lawrence Seaway is a busy shipping channel; there are dangerous shoals and strong currents in some narrow portions of the river. Mariners must carry up-to-date charts and safety equipment at all times. A license is required to fish in Ontario or New York State; Canada also requires operators of motorised recreational vessels to carry proof of competency. Some boat rental operators offer short, introductory training lessons which may be advisable for inexperienced sailors before taking the helm of unfamiliar watercraft. In the most extreme weather, it may be best to leave the boat in the harbour or harbor and remain on dry land for safety's sake. The international boundary has come under closer scrutiny in the post-September 11, 2001 era and the concept of being "waved through" Customs in either direction no longer applies. It is no longer possible to travel without a passport. In 2009, the United States began deployment of Predator drones on its northern borders.
Glimpses of Thousand Islands
A castle on a small island in the middle of a lake
a castle like structure sitting on the shore of a lake
Le château de Boldt se trouve sur l'île Heart dans l'archipel des Mille-Îles sur le fleuve Saint-Laurent, le long de la frontière nord de l'État de New York, États-Unis. Construit en 1900 dans un style chateauesque « Gilded Age », pour George Boldt, directeur général du Waldorf-Astoria de New York et gérant de l'hôtel Bellevue-Stratford de Philadelphie, et sa famille.
One of the thousand islands with a home and lighthouse with a motorboat crusing along
green trees beside blue body of water during daytime
Nusa Penida
brown wooden folding chairs on green grass field near body of water during daytime
A large bridge spanning over a body of water
A kitchen with a refrigerator and a table in it
A large body of water with a sky in the background
A castle on a small island in the middle of a lake
a castle like structure sitting on the shore of a lake
Le château de Boldt se trouve sur l'île Heart dans l'archipel des Mille-Îles sur le fleuve Saint-Laurent, le long de la frontière nord de l'État de New York, États-Unis. Construit en 1900 dans un style chateauesque « Gilded Age », pour George Boldt, directeur général du Waldorf-Astoria de New York et gérant de l'hôtel Bellevue-Stratford de Philadelphie, et sa famille.