Thousand Islands

The Thousand Islands is an archipelago of islands in the Saint Lawrence River, stretching for approximately 80 kilometres (50 miles) downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario. The U.S. islands are in the state of New York.

There are 1,865 islands in all, ranging in size from over 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) to smaller uninhabited outcroppings of rocks. The number of islands was determined using the criteria that any island must be above water level for 365 days per year, bigger than one square foot and support at least one tree or shrub.

Recreation

The area is very popular among vacationers, campers and boaters. Approximately twenty of these islands form the St. Lawrence Islands National Park, the smallest of Canada's national parks. The Thousand Islands-Frontenac Arch region was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2002. The U.S. islands include numerous New York state parks, including the Robert Moses State Park - Thousand Islands.

Roads

The Thousand Islands Bridge System extends from Collins Landing near Alexandria Bay, New York to Ivy Lea near Gananoque, Ontario, covering a distance of 8.5 miles and providing a direct connection between U.S. Interstate Route 81 and Canada's Highway 401.

The Thousand Islands Parkway extends easterly from Highway 401 at Gananoque for approximately 45 kilometres to the community of Butternut Bay, in Elizabethtown-Kitley near Brockville.

Notable Islands

• Amherst Island
• Bayfield Island
• Carlton Island
• Dark Island
• Deer Island
• Douglas Island
• Fox Island
• Grenadier Island
• Grindstone Island
• Harbor Island
• Hickory Island
• Lotus Island
• Manhattan Island
• Maple Island
• Murray Isle
• Pike Island
• Sugar Island
• Wellesley Island
• Wolfe Island
• Zavikon Island