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Manitoulin Island is located North of Toronto
in the northern region of Lake Huron - the 2nd largest of Canada's
Great Lakes. It is an area where you can truly escape from the
hustle and bustle of busy life and explore the wild and beautiful
great outdoors.
Manitoulin is accessible via road from
Toronto airport; a 5-hour drive takes you round the northeastern
tip of the Great Lake, to Sudbury and then onto the island. You
can also catch a car ferry across to the island from the mainland.
The island itself is famous for being the
world’s largest freshwater island and is scattered with over 100
lakes itself! The island is approximately 85 miles long and 35
miles wide.
Minitoulin is a rural community, ¾ of
the population are native Indian and are considered to be some
of the friendliest people you could ever wish to meet. They subsist
on farming, although tourism is becoming the islands growing economic
success. This is marked by the fact that this is an area where
many ‘southerners’ own their summer cottages.
Three Indian tribes, the Ojibway, Odawa
and Pottawatomi Anishinabek have come together to build a thriving
community, which is rich in history and culture. The Indians encourage
their youngsters to use their traditional dialect. They also learn
the ‘old ways’ that for generations have been passed down from
father to son. The Ojibway are known as the Faith Keepers, the
Odawa are the Traders and the Pottawatomi are the fire keepers.
With glorious, hot summers and cold snowy
winters, Manitoulin offers a diverse location for a vacation.
There is quite literally nowhere else like it on earth.
The climate of this Canadian region is
quite unique, long hot summers are followed by snowy winters.
Summertime brings out the boating fraternity
and myriad bright-coloured boats & sails descend on the lake.
Fishing is also very popular during summer season. There are countless
water based activities, as you would expect on an island. Boating,
diving, windsurfing, water-skiing…the list goes on. If you prefer
to be land based, there are fantastic golf courses all over the
island to test your game. Walking is one of the most popular pastimes
on Manitoulin and you would soon understand why! The islands beauty
is second to none and what better way to explore this natural
wonder than on foot.
Many of the islanders have boat-planes
to hire. This is a must do activity. You will soon see why Manitoulin
is one of Canada’s great treasures. A birds-eye view of the island
from a boat-plane is an experience that will live with you forever.
When winter arrives, Manitoulin takes
on a whole new way of life! The snow usually arrives mid December
and hangs around until late March. The lake normally freezes over,
this opens up 100s of miles of snowmobile tracks, you can even
drive across the frozen North Channel to the main land. Cross
country skiing is the way to see the island in wintertime. There
are designated trails for the skiers and numerous outlets for
hiring equipment. Ice fishing is also a once in a lifetime experience!
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