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The Thousand Islands area is also known
as Manitowana, Garden of the Great Spirit. It is approximately
80 kilometers wide, filled with extensions of granite hilltops,
which join the Canadian Shield of Northern Ontario and the
Adirondack Mountains in New York State in the south.
At the end of the last Ice Age between
12 and 10 thousand years ago, glaciers retreated exposing
the eroded, rounded knobs of an ancient mountain chain.
The St. Lawrence River flooded over the area and emptied
into the Atlantic ocean.
A thousand hilltops became the Thousand
Islands.
Today, a 37 kilometer road leading from Gananoque to Brockville
along the St. Lawrence River is known as the Thousand Islands
Parkway.
Commonly, the river and its shoreline is
visited and explored by boat. Several boat tours, boat rentals,
canoe rentals and fishing charters are available along the
Parkway. Many different species of fish can be found there
because of the large size of the river. The most common
fish include northern pike, bass, muskie, perch and bullheads.
St. Lawrence Islands National Park was established in 1904,
it is the smallest park in Canada. The park comprises all
or parts of 21 islands and about 90 islets scattered between
Kingston and Brockville.
The preserved hull of a British gunboat
from the War of 1812, which was raised from the St. Lawrence
in 1967, is on display. A walking trail that leads through
woodland and wetland habitats, crosses an old Loyalist farm
which was cultivated until 1956.
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Ontario
