Thousand Islands

城市概覽

The Thousand Islands is one of the most scenic spots in Ontario and northern New York. Some 1,864 islands (defined as anything permanently above water that can support at least one tree) dot this portion of the St. Lawrence River that straddles the Ontario/New York border. During the 18th and most of the 19th century, it was a choke point on the St.Lawrence and therefore of vital military importance for both the young United States and the British colony of Canada. The colonial and military influence is still visible on the Canadian side in towns like Kingston, which was established in 1673 as Cataraqui, a small and then-distant French military outpost which controlled entry of fur trading vessels into the Great Lakes. During the War of 1812, Kingston and Oswego were British and American strongholds in the region. Passenger rail came to Gananoque in 1856 and to Clayton in 1873. Multiple steamboats left Clayton's docks for elaborate hotels on various islands. At the turn of the 20th century, the Thousand Islands were mainly a retreat for the wealthy, some of whom bought a private island for their summer mansion. Dubbed Millionaire's Row, these lavish homes are visible by taking a boat cruises down the river. For New York City's elite in 1874–1912, the region was close enough to be readily accessible by train and steamship but distant enough to be a welcome break from city life of the era. A similar pattern took place in the Adirondacks, where rail transport from Albany and New York City brought the well-to-do in search of waterfront sites to construct "Great Camps" as a luxury of their era.

The popularisation of the now-famous "Thousand Islands" salad dressing dates to this period; while accounts differ, the dressing appears to have originated in Alexandria Bay or Clayton where New York City stage actress May Irwin requested the recipe from Sophia LaLonde (wife of local fishing guide George LaLonde Jr.) to pass it on to George Boldt of Waldolf-Astoria hotel fame (wh

如何抵達

From the US mainland the Thousand Islands region is served by Interstate 81, which meets the St. Lawrence River at Fisher's Landing (between Clayton and Alexandria Bay). From there, the Thousand Islands Bridge crosses Wellesley Island to Canada, while NYS Route 12 follows the river. On the Canadian side, Highway 401 is often fastest; a more scenic route is to take the 1000 Islands Parkway westward from Brockville or the former Ontario Highway 2 from Kingston. Bus and train travel is available to Kingston (although none are centrally located in that city) and limited services are offered in Brockville and Watertown. A shuttle bus serves the casino in Gananoque from Kingston. No scheduled intercity carriers cross the border in-region and many small towns are only reachable by automobile or by chartering a bus. Kingston Airport is no longer served by commercial passenger flights. The following cities are local and serve as points of access to the region:

Kingston (YGK IATA) has year-round ferry service to Wolfe and Howe islands. Brockville has access to the 1000 Islands Parkway and to tour boats. Watertown (ART IATA) is also less than thirty miles distant on I-81. Individual attractions in these cities are not listed on this page, with the exception of base infrastructure (such as boats or car ferries) needed to get to the islands. These towns are on the mainland in areas in the heart of the Thousand Islands; many are departure points for tour boats or provide marinas and facilities needed to access the region:

Alexandria Bay, Cape Vincent and Clayton in northern New York Gananoque and Lansdowne in eastern Ontario. Privately-owned ferries had served the region since the 1800s; the last such service, from Horne's Point (officially Point Alexandra) on Wolfe Island to the US mainland at Cape Vincent, closed in 2025. A mix of local, county and provincial ferries serve a few key Canadian islands today. A magnificent international bridge across Hill Island (Canada) and Wel

當地交通

A number of different ferries and tour boats depart from Gananoque, Alexandria Bay, Rockport and Clayton.

1 Gananoque Boat Line, 280 Main Street, Gananoque K7G 2M2, ☏ +1 613-382-2144, toll-free: +1-888-717-4837, fax: +1 613-382-2148. Boldt Castle may be toured by boat from Gananoque, with afternoon departures especially scenic. Some one-hour tours depart from Rockport. Due to customs delays (the castle is in the US) not all trips stop at Boldt Castle; just the five hour tour makes the two-hour stop at the castle. 2 Uncle Sam Boat Tours, 45 James Street, Alexandria Bay, ☏ +1 315 482-2611, toll-free: +1-800-253-9229. Closest access from the US mainland to Boldt Castle. 3 Clayton Island Tours, 428 Riverside Drive, Clayton, ☏ +1 315 686-4820. Departures from Clayton Village Docks and Wellesley Island. 4 Rockport Boat Line, 23 Front St, Rockport, ☏ +1 613-659-3402, toll-free: +1-800-563-8687, fax: +1 613-659-2000. C$20-55/person. 5 Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises, 1 Brock St, Kingston, ☏ +1 613-549-5544, toll-free: +1-800-848-0011. 9AM-5PM or last depart, seasonal. Dining and sightseeing cruises, charters, entertainment aboard Island Queen, Island Star and Island Belle. (updated Mar 2016) 6 1000 Islands & Seaway Cruises, 30 Block House Island Parkway, Brockville K6V 4S9 (downtown Municipal Harbour), ☏ +1 613-345-7333, toll-free: +1-800-353-3157, [email protected]. 9AM-6PM, May-Oct. Variety of traditional sightseeing, high-speed adventure cruises and dining cruises of the 1000 Islands and St. Lawrence River. C$24-60. (updated Mar 2016) For many islands (some of them Canadian or New York State parkland), cruising on small craft is the only access. Pleasure boats may be rented.

1000 Islands Kayaking Company, 110 Kate St. Gananoque, ☏ +1 613-329-6265. Guided trips and lessons available at extra cost. C$55/day kayak rental. AquaMania, Route 12, Alexandria Bay, ☏ +1 315 482-4678. US $300-400/day. Caiger's Resort, 853 Thousand Islands Parkway, Rockport

必看景點

There are at least two unincorporated villages on the islands; Marysville is on the north shore of Wolfe Island (facing Kingston) and Fineview is on Wellesley Island (near I-81 and Thousand Islands Park). Each has a post office; the town hall for the Township of Frontenac Islands is in Marysville village. Landmarks in these villages (none of which exceeds a thousand people) are listed here.

1 Antique Boat Museum, 750 Mary Street, Clayton, ☏ +1 315 686-4104, fax: +1 315 686-2775. Museum admission (US $13-15/person) includes an opportunity to row a three-passenger St. Lawrence Skiff, the 45-minute run aboard the six-passenger Miss Thousand Islands II is $25/person and the sunset cruise $60/person. 2 Boldt Castle, Heart Island, USA (Ferry from Gananoque, Rockport, Clayton, and Alexandria Bay), toll-free: +1-800-847-5263. May–October. An impressive castle on its own island in the middle of the river. Built by millionaire George Boldt (of Waldorf-Astoria hotel fame) for his wife Louise a