Thousand Islands Cruise with Boldt Castle Option Gananoque

Gananoque, gateway to the Thousand Islands

The cruise leaves from the waterfront of Gananoque, a small town on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River about 30 kilometres east of Kingston and 300 kilometres from Toronto. Gananoque has called itself the Gateway to the Thousand Islands since the first steamboat tours in the nineteenth century, and its dock, park, gift shop and restaurant make it an easy base for a day on the river. The town is a short walk end to end, with a heritage main street and a riverside walkway for an hour before departure.

If you are planning a Thousand Islands day trip from Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal, Gananoque is the usual starting point because its cruises reach the most famous sights in a single afternoon. Parking at the port is paid, and the boat boards about 30 minutes before the noon departure.

The Thousand Islands and the St. Lawrence River

The Thousand Islands are the exposed tops of an ancient granite ridge, the Frontenac Arch, that links the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mountains across the river. There are in fact well over a thousand of them, from rocks barely large enough for a tree to islands with villages, and by the official definition each must stay above water all year and support at least two trees. The border between Canada and the United States winds between them, so the cruise passes islands of both countries without stopping.

A Thousand Islands cruise is the only practical way to see the archipelago, because the best views are from the channels between the islands rather than from the shore. The commentary explains the geology, the Indigenous history, the smuggling era and the way summer cottages, lighthouses and boathouses came to decorate almost every rock. Late June to early October is the best time to visit the Thousand Islands, with warm afternoons and calm water.

Boldt Castle on Heart Island

The highlight of the three-hour route is Boldt Castle, the six-storey stone mansion that rises from Heart Island on the American side of the river. It was begun in 1900 by George Boldt, the hotelier whose name it carries, as a gift for his wife, with a boathouse, a powerhouse tower and formal gardens; work stopped abruptly in 1904 when she died, and the house stood empty for decades before its restoration began in 1977. From the water you see the turreted main house, the Alster Tower playhouse and the arched entrance, all best photographed from the open deck.

This cruise views Boldt Castle from the river and does not land, so Boldt Castle tickets are not included and no passport or visa is needed. Visitors who want to go inside should plan a separate visit; the castle is open from May to October and is reached by boats that clear United States customs.

Millionaire's Row and Zavikon Island

Beyond Heart Island the boat cruises along Millionaire's Row, the stretch of the river where wealthy families from New York, Philadelphia and Chicago built summer homes in the late nineteenth century, when the Thousand Islands were the most fashionable resort in North America. The commentary points out the mansions, boathouses and private islands one by one, including the islands linked by small bridges and the homes that are still used by the same families today.

One of the most photographed spots is Zavikon Island, where a short footbridge joins a larger island on the Canadian side to a tiny one with a single house; the guides love to tell the story of the bridge and the flags. The route also passes the lighthouses and narrow channels of the Admiralty group near Gananoque, which is the only part of the islands seen on the shorter one-hour cruise.

The St. Lawrence Seaway and the Thousand Islands Bridge

The three-hour cruise also follows the main shipping channel of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the system of locks and canals completed in 1959 that lets ocean-going ships sail from the Atlantic all the way to the Great Lakes. Large freighters pass through the islands at close range on most afternoons, a striking sight against the cottages and pine trees, and the commentary explains how the channel was dredged and marked through the maze of rocks.

The Thousand Islands Bridge, the international crossing opened in 1938 that leaps from the mainland to Hill Island and then to the American shore at Ivy Lea, is visible from the water on this route and is another favourite photo. With the Seaway, the bridge, the castle and the mansions in one sailing, the three-hour cruise is the best introduction to the region; the one-hour option is a shorter taste for those with less time.