I spent a sunny August weekend with my wife and in-laws on beautiful Manitoulin Island. As a life-long Ontario resident I was surprised it had taken me nearly 29 years to make it to the world's largest freshwater island. To be honest, a day and a half wasn't nearly enough time to take everything in, but we did our best, exploring on foot and bike as much as possible. Here are some of my favorite photographs from the adventure:
 |
| Picturesque beach at Gore Bay - after a 20min bike ride from our cottage. |
 |
| Gore Bay (the bay, not the town), as seen from dock level. |
 |
| Getting ready for the next cycling adventure, with Ice Lake in the background |
 |
| The stone pier out into Meldrum Bay. It was cool to see, but likely not worth the hour drive from Gore Bay as there wasn't much else in the area. |
 |
| An old sign that lists just about everything you are going to find in quaint Meldrum Bay. |
 |
| Majestic Bridal Veil Falls. We wished we had more time to swim in the lagoon below like some were doing, but sadly we only got a quick visit on our way off the island. |
 |
| One of the many beautiful sailboats docked at Little Current, our entry/exit point of Manitoulin Island. |
 |
| Manitoulin Island is a pretty well kept secret compared to other Ontario 'Cottage Country' destinations, so we were a little surpised to see a cruise ship making the rounds. |
 |
| Enjoying the sunshine and the view. If I want my own boat one day I may have to start a little smaller. |
Some musings about Manitoulin Island:
-There are two ways to get to the island, a 3 hour drive from the Toronto area, followed by a 1.5 hour car ferry, or a 6 hour straight drive. When you factor in having to arrive at the ferry 1 hour before departure you are looking at similar timelines. We choose the road route as it provided a much more flexible schedule.
-As the island isn't very accessible by car, there are surprisingly few on the road. This makes for fantastic cycling with little towns and places of interest separated just enough for a nice ride.
-Take a week if you truly want to experience the island. A weekend is far too short. Plan to picnic by beaches and hike the trails. The more you can cover on bike & foot the better as it's hard to really appreciate it's beauty from the non-coastal main road that spans across it.
Thanks!
Mike @ Palms & Pints
