The Thousand Islands | Beautiful Islands in Canada

The Thousands Islands are a network of in fact nearly 1,800 islands that span the American-Canadian border in the Saint Lawrence River. Some, like Wolfe Island, the largest at 124 sq km, have significant year-round populations, while others are merely rocky outcrops visited by migrating birds. The whole area is enormously popular as a holiday destination, particularly for sailing - so much so that it's sometimes called the 'fresh water boating capital of the world'.
Around twenty of these islands from the Saint Lawrence Islands National Park, the smallest of Canada's national parks. Te Thousands Islands Frontenac Arch region was designated a Word Biosphere Reverse by UNESCO in 2002. The US islands include numerous New York State parks, most notably Robert Moses State Park.
The area is frequently traversed by large freighters on their way into and about the Great Lakes shipping lanes, but is so dotted with barely concealed rocks that local navigators are hired to help the vessels travel through the hazardous waterway. Because of this it is unwise to travel the waters at nigh, except in the main channels and with good charts. It's a popular place for experienced divers as the waters are mostly so clear and the sea bed is littered with many shipwrecks for them to explore.
The area has long been popular with wealthy up state New Yorkers and many of the islands are privately owned. A plethora of 'No Landing' signs reminds potential visitors that they can look but no touch, so perhaps the best way to enjoy the area is from a boat.

Prince Edward Island | Beautiful Islands in Canada

The crescet-shaped Prince Edward Island is the smalles Canadian Province. Its area of 5,520 sq km makes it even smaller than some of Canada's National Parks, but also allows it to be explored in less than a week. The island lies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, separated from the northern coasts of the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia by the narrow Northumberland Strait.

The Mi'kmaq people, original inhabitants of Prince Edward Island called the island Abegweit, meaning 'Land Cradled on the Waves'; they believed that it was formed by the Great Spirit throwing some red clay into the sea. In 1534 the French explorer Jacwues Cartier laid claim to the island but by the end of the eighteenth century the British were in control. They expelled the Acadians and named the island after Queen Victoria's father, Prince Edward. The islander maintained a sense of independence until the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 when Canada was born, earning Prince Edward Island the epithet 'Cradle of the Confederation'.

Prince Edward Island is a well-known haven of peace and tranquility for those seeking a place to get away from it all. The islanders are warm and welcoming. The nature here seems to possess a serene quality, with expansive undulating hills where rich green and ruddy farmland offer up a pleasant patchwork of color. Doting this gentle landscape are little hamlets, where the tempo has remained unchanged by the rigours of modern life.
This is a land of plenty with bountiful harvests from land and sea, famous for its oysters, mussels and above all lobsters. It boasts beautiful lighthouses, tree-lined streets and 19th century terraces, as well as coves, parks, rocky headlands and long sandy beaches.

Fogo Island | Beautiful Islands in Canada

Fogo Island, the largest of Newfoundland's offshore islands, is separated from the mainland by Hamilton Sound. The island is about 25 km long and 14 km wide and has a total area of 235 sq km. Originally used by the First Nations Beothuks as a summer campground, it was taken over by Europeans in the early 16th century and given the name Fogo from the Portuguese word Fuego for fire, after the Beothuks's campfires.

Until the late 18th century Fogo Island was on an area off the coast called the 'French Shore'. However the British and the Irish came to settle here, thus ignoring various treaty obligations, and by the end of the century it had become a thriving hub for the British North Atlantic fleet. Evidence of this can be found today in the names, accents and culture of the local population. Fogo's location has long made the island a center for transatlantic communications, with Marconi setting up a wireless  station in the early 20th century.

This is an island where everything points to the sea. Red and white buildings line its craggy shoreline, while behind them muddy green pasture tells the story of the island's harsh environment, where the growing season lasts only a few months of the year. Fogo also boasts an extensive system of boardwalk trails making its North Atlantic wilderness accessible to all.

In the 1960s the islanders turned down the chance to be resettled on mainland Canada and they chose instead to preserve their unique cultural identity. Fishing still plays a central role in the islanders' day-to-day lives, but it is tourism that is increasing in importance to the area. There are now many operators offering guided nature tours to watch whales and the island's rich and varied bird life

Cape Breton Island | Beautiful Islands in Canada

Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island has an untamed beauty that makes for some of the most impressive scenery in North America. Covering 10,311 sq km, the island is a wonderful mixture of rocky shores, rolling pasture, barren headlands, woodland, mountains and plateaux.

The Cape Breton Highlands, and extension of the Appalachian Mountain chain and a national park since 1936, dominate the north part of the island. The famous Cabot Trail Scenic Highway, one of the most spectacular scenic drives in Canada, winds through nearly 300 km of this ruggedly beautiful countryside.

Comprehension of the people of Cape Breton Island is not possible without some knowledge of its earliest settlers. Cape Bretoners today reflect the resolve of those pioneers - whether their roots are Mi'kmaq, Acadian, Sottish, Irish or Black Loyalist. The Cape Breton Island has shaped them just as they struggled to shape the island. Since then settlers have arrived from all over the world and have made their own distinct contribution.

The largest town, Sydney, still bears the scars of a failed industrial past but outside of the immediate area, the theme of the island is heritage mixed with outstanding natural beauty. Fortress Louisbourg faithfully recreates the French military might of the early 18th century, pioneer cottages line the north shore of the imposing Bras d'Or Lake and the island's most northerly point, Meat Cove offers spectacular, unspoilt ocean views.

Accommodation on Cape Breton Island is limited, so booking in advance is recommended, and as the public transport is poor, driwing is your only real option to explore this wonderful land.

Pelee Island | Beautiful Islands in Canada

Pelee Island is a haven of green, encircled by the blue waters of Like Erie. Sitting just above 42 degree North, it marks Canada's most southerly inhabited point (the uninhabited Middle Island, located just to the south, is the country;s southernmost point). Measuring 14.5 km long and 5 km wide and located in the western half of the lake, it lies close to the Ohio boundary and on the same latitude as Northern California. Pelee's position gives it the best year-round climate in Eastern Canada.

Originally a marshland, little used by First Nations people, the island was leased by white settlers in the 19th century. Its mild climate lent Pelee to the growing of grapes, and the wine industry flourished until the Great War only to die out and them be revived again in the 1980s. The marshland was dredged in the late 19th century and tobacco was planted. Today the main crops are soybean and wheat.

Pelee Island is an important stopover for migrating birds and even non-twitchers will be impressed by the array of blue herons, cormorants, ducks and eagles on display. In 1984 the Lighthouse Point Nature Reverse was established, with trails that meander through wetland and marshes on to sandy beaches.

This is an ever-changing landscape where the coastline is easily eroded, dunes come and go, lagoons appear and new bays are formed. Its isolation makes for a gentle pace of life and the island only really springs to life during the pheasant-shooting season in autumn. It is a perfect place to walk, cycle or sail in a largely manufactured, but surprising unspoilt, nature reserve.

St Joseph Island | Beautiful Islands in Canada

Many colorful stories, some legend, some historical fact, are told about St Joseph Island. It is the westernmost of the Manitoulin chain of islands, situated in the channel between Lakes Huron and Superior. It's 45 km long and 24 km wide and covers 365 sq km. Originally named Anipich, the Ojibway word for 'place of the hardwood trees' the island was given its present name by Jesuit missionaries to honor the patron saint of a new Indian church they erected. It is linked to the mainland by a toll-free bridge, opened in 1972.
St Joseph's island location was of strategic importance to the British who fortified it as a bulwark against the Americans during the war of 1812. Fort St. Joseph itself was abandoned when peace broke out, though it has now been restored as a National Historic Site.

St Joseph Island Today

Today St Joseph island is noted for is peaceful beauty, its friendly residents and its recreational activities. It is a place of undisturbed bays, rocky inlets and the undulating hills, mixed forests, marshes and meadows that lend themselves to scenic drives, bike tours or leisurely walks. Most of the population live in the pretty villages of Richards Landing and Hilton Beach. The main industries are tourism, logging and agriculture.

St Joseph Island Activity

Water sports are very popular here in summer and good fishing is  to be found. In winter you can cross-country ski on 160 km of prepared trails. This is an island of festivals, from the winter Flurryfest and the Maple Syrup Festival in the spring, to Community Nights in the summer through to the Jocelyn Harvest Festival in the autumn

Manitoulin Island | Beautiful Islands in Canada

Situated just off the Ontario coast in Lake Huron, Manitoulin Island,  is the largest freshwater island in the world. A tranquil place of small villages, gently rolling pasture, forest and lakes, its edges are fringed with long beaches and white cliffs.

Manitoulin Island History

The First Nations Ojibwa people, the island's original inhabitants, believed that when the Great Spirit, Gitchi Manitou, created the Earth he kept the best bits and made Manitoulin his home. In 1648 a group of Frensh Hesuits became the first Europeans to settle on Manitoulin Island, which they named Isle de Ste. Marie.
Unfortunately they brought with them new diseases that rapidly devastated the Ojibwa population. Marouding Iroquois bands then drove out those who remained, leaving the island uninhabited for over a hundred years. During the 19th century, the island's  beauty attracted the attention of white settlers who, after first giving Manitoulin to other native bands, then revoked all treaties and claimed it for themselves. To this day the Ojibwa have refused to sigh any treaty, and some 3,000 of them live on an unceded reserve' in the east of the island.

Manitoulin Island Today

Today Manitoulin and the waters around it serve as Ontario's summer playground with boats of all kinds weaving in and out of its many bays and filling its large inland lakes. Hiking is popular and the island has a well signposted system of trails. Every August the Ojibwa Band holds one of Canada's biggest powwows (Wikwemikong or Wiky) a celebration of life through dance, storytelling and displays of arts and crafts.

Victoria Island | Beautiful Islands in Canada

Victoria Island is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago that straddles the boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Victoria Island  ranks as the ninth largest island in the world. Only just smaller that Britain and with a total population of little more than 2,000, it rates as one of the most sparsely populated regions on earth.
It is a island of peninsulas, craggy coastlines and innumerable inlets. Glaciers have carved the scenery into a series of moraines and glacial lakes, and though the landscape is relatively flat the Shaler Mountains in the north rise to 655 m (2,550 ft) above sea level. Though seemingly bleak, this habitat supports over two hundred species of plants and breeding populations of 50 species of bird and nine species on mammal.
This hostile environment supports only two communities of note. Located on the island's south east coast, Iqaluktuutiak serves as the administrative center for Canada's Arctic region. Originally named after the Duke and Cambridge by fur trappers in 1839, the area was used by Copper Indians as a summer camp until the 1950s and given a more descriptive name, which means 'good place to fish', reflecting the local diet. Holman, situated on the island's west coast, is the best place to view the seasonal migration of caribou, musk ox and grizzly bear that use the year-round ice to move to and from the island.
This is place where tourism feels like exploration and, whilst human activity has left some scars and the landscape, Victoria Island is still a near pristine wilderness. You will need the guidance of local experts to travel safely and to understand this magical Arctic landscape.

Quadra Island | Beautiful Islands in Canada

Quadra island is the largest and most populous of the Discovery Islands, which lie between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia. A short ferry ride from Campbell River takes you through whale- and dolphin- rich waters to this island of ancient temperate rainforest.

Human activity on the island dates back over 2,000 years and is thriving. Salish and Kwagiulth First Nations communities still exist here today. A misguided search for the fabled Northwest Passage brought Spanish and British ships to these treacherous waters in the late 18th century and contact began. Today most  of the descendants of the native bands live at Cape Mudge on the south of the island, where visitors can experience a flourishing artistic community. Quadra is also home to many well-known contemporary artists, writers, potters, and other artisans, and a growing community of alliterative health practitioners.

Whit its rich woodland, diverse topography, and plentiful wildlife, Quadra Island has become a huge draw for outdoor enthusiasts. There is an extensive system of lakes and rivers for kayaking and canoeing and many paths and trails for hiking and mountain biking. Guided bird watching and fishing charters run in the summer months, as do seaborne whale and bear watching trips. Its sheltered coves and inland lakes are home to an incredible variety of wildlife, including black tailed deer, river otters, harbour seals, sea-lions, cormorants, snowy owls, the great blue heron and the rarely seen peregrine falcon.

Its relative remoteness at the top of the Strait of Georgia helps this island community retain and idyllic charm. Aboriginal and European people live side by side, and whilst tourism is growing it is not overwhelming.

Baffin Island | Beautiful Islands in Canada

Baffin Island is in the eastern Canadian Arctic, lying between Greenland and the Canadian mainland. Covering 507,451 sq km, it is the largest island in North America and the fifth largest in the world. It was named after the British explorer William Baffin but the overwhelmingly Inuit population know it as Qikiqtaaluk.
Made up of a dozen or so sparsely populated communities, Baffin lives up to its reputation for being unspoiled, untamed and undiscovered. With 60% of the island lying above the Arctic Circle and summer temperatures struggling to reach even 5 C, this rugged ice-covered landscape is not for the fainthearted. However the rewards for any visitor are great, with unrivaled scenery and the chance to see the rich and diverse Arctic wildlife, including polar bears and whales in their natural environment.
Getting  to Baffin Island is only feasible by air. The island has only one airport (Iqaluit) which deals with external flights and another six which handle internal transfers. Arriving at Igaluit you will find a thriving First Nations community. This capital of the newly-formed state of Nunavut can  can provide all yo need for a kayaking canoeing or trekking holiday.
Most of the fines mountains are located on the Cumberland Peninsula, at the head of the South Pangnirtung Fjord.  Much of the area is included within Auyuttuq National Park, and is accessible from Pangnirtung, a small coastal Inuit settlement. From here, access to the peaks is by boat dog sled, float-plane or ski-plane, depending on ice and weather conditions.
The sheer vastness of the island is difficult to take in and any traveler should plan ahead, not be too ambitious and allow extra time for weather related delays, even in summer.