The Thousand Islands, located along an 80-kilometre stretch of the St. Lawrence River, is truly a binational region.1000 Islands Tourism/1000 Islands Tourism.
On a muggy July day, tourists walked off a Thousand Islands tour boat to check in at what must be one of America’s most relaxed border crossings. The officials in Heart Island’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection office, a wooden booth-like structure built on the edge of a dock, glanced momentarily at passports, snapped photos and waved me and the other visitors through. It’s a far cry from the border crossing experience many Canadians have feared since the Trump administration returned to power.
The Thousand Islands are located along an 80-kilometre stretch of the St. Lawrence River, starting as it flows out of Lake Ontario, between Kingston and Brockville on the Ontario side, with New York State on the other. Les Mille-Îles, as they are called in French, actually consist of 1,864 islands. As neither the U.S. or Canada has 1,000 islands on their own (it’s said that Canada has almost 1,000, the Americans a bit less) it’s truly a binational region, with people on the islands and on both sides of the river sharing close ties. The attractions that have brought vacationers here since the Gilded Age – the boating, fishing and relaxed summer atmosphere – are still a draw, although the reluctance of many Canadians to cross into the U.S. is changing the way of life.
The boat tours that depart from both sides of the river are the essential outing, winding their way through the historic St. Lawrence Seaway, where tourists gawk at rocky, forested shoals and manicured islands dominated by mega mansions. The longer cruises include a stop at Heart Island to visit Boldt Castle. Modelled after a castle on the Rhine, it strikes an emotional chord with visitors. It was built by Waldorf Astoria hotel proprietor George Boldt as a display of love for his wife, who died suddenly in 1904, before its completion.
Boldt Castle on Heart Island is modelled after a castle on the Rhine.George Fischer/1000 Islands Tourism.
The heartbroken Boldt never returned to the island and the castle was abandoned for 73 years until renovations began in 1977. In the castle gift shop, visitors can shell out US$8.99 for a bottle of Thousand Island salad dressing, which has disputed origins but hails from the region and was popularized at Boldt’s Manhattan hotel.
The town of Gananoque, Ont. – pronounced “Gan-a-nock-way” but often shortened to “Gan” – is a hub for activities on the Canadian side. Its idyllic riverside has both tourist museums and boat launches as well as factory relics from Gananoque’s industrial past. The town is also a vibrant retirement destination for former big city professionals as well as long-time locals – I’m inspired to hear about a 94-year-old woman living alone on a nearby island who still drives her own boat.
At Laverne’s, a breakfast spot on Gananoque’s main strip, owner Ray Stedman says the number of Americans visiting his restaurant has dropped off somewhat. However, he says the drop has been more than compensated by the wave of patriotic Canadian travellers looking to explore their own country this summer. In fact, Stedman, who is also president of the 1000 Islands Gananoque Chamber of Commerce, says so far, this is the best season he’s had since the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the Thousand Islands community has definitely been fractured by the cross-border tensions that have risen as a result of President Donald Trump’s tariff war and threats to Canadian sovereignty. Susan Smith, the 80-year-old editor of Thousand Islands Life, an online cross-border magazine, says she used to go several times a month to the American side to visit friends or attend events. She’d phone in to U.S. Customs and Border Protection from her boat. Now, she no longer travels to the U.S. and is boycotting American goods. “I’m mad as heck,” she says from her porch on Ontario’s Sagastaweka Island, which has a view onto nearby Grindstone Island in the U.S. “If there was a real economic reason, then I would understand, but there is not a reason – except for power and money.”
The town of Gananoque, pronounced “Gan-a-nock-way” but often shortened to “Gan.”1000 Islands Tourism/1000 Islands Tourism.
Crossing into the U.S. a second time on the majestic Thousand Islands Bridge, I drove to Clayton, a quaint New York town with a lovely river walk along its shore. I checked out the Antique Boat Museum, where boat lovers nerd out over vintage racing canoes, pleasure skiffs and oddities such as a folding canoe and amphibious car. Clayton is also a jumping off point for the Grindstone Island Winery, where after a boat trip and bumpy ride up a forest road, I was awarded with tasting glasses of merlot, chardonnay and baco noir.
On Clayton’s main street, Hilary Sheeder-Nunn, the owner of the eclectic gift shop Courage My Love, tells me she feels a strong cultural affinity toward Canadians. She watches Canadian news and remembers an earlier era, before the Sept. 11 attacks, when people would boat across the river for Chinese food. “Historically, the other side of the river was like the other side of the neighbourhood,” she says. “We’d zip across as kids.”
She understands why many Canadians are choosing not to cross into the U.S. “We had such good relations with the Canadians. I hope they realize that we are insulted, too. There are times you’re not proud to be American and this is one of those times. We are a divided country.”
Data from Rove Marketing and the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association show that overall traffic on the Thousand Island Bridge was down 19 per cent this May versus the previous year. Last year, spending from Canadians amounted to around 13 per cent of the Visa card expenditure in Jefferson County, which includes the U.S. Thousand Islands, but this year in the first quarter, that spending dropped by half. Americans remain the primary tourists in the region, which buffers businesses somewhat from cross-border strife, but given most operate only during a short season, any losses can be damaging.
The Thousand Islands community has been fractured by cross-border tensions between the U.S. and Canada.1000 Islands Tourism/1000 Islands Tourism.
Alexandria Bay, N.Y., a 15-minute drive north, is the more fun sister city to Clayton. The village is packed with saloon style bars, shops serving wine slushies and restaurants offering grease-laden seafood dishes.
Steve Keeler, a long-time resident and former marina operator, walked me through the village, pointing out the near-complete absence of Canadian licence plates and Canadian boats at the dock. He reminisced about the riverside dances when he was in high school, which spawned countless cross-border romances, and the now-rare charm of hearing Quebec French on Clayton’s sidewalks. “The joke is that Canadians apologize, but now I’m apologizing,” says Keeler, who pauses regularly to greet people he knows on the street. “I feel sorry that we are treating Canadians this way.”
For Canadians who don’t feel like crossing into the U.S., a trip to the Thousand Islands is still wonderful. While you can’t dock on American islands, you can still see Boldt Castle and other notable American attractions by boat. Even the Americans admit that the Canadian side – with smaller and more natural islands – is more beautiful. For those who do venture over the border, the journey may spark a recollection of some of the things we miss about the U.S. – the over-the-top food, the warm and chatty locals, the festive energy – and remind us of so many carefree vacations of the past.
If you go
The Gananoque Inn & Spa is located in a former carriage factory and has the right blend of old charm and modern conveniences. If you have a boat, you can leave it at the hotel dock. Rooms from $249 a night.
In Thousand Islands National Park visitors can camp or rent an “oTENTik” – a cross between a tent and a rustic cabin. Campgrounds are located on the mainland and are first come first served on many islands. Otentiks are available on the mainland and on McDonald and Gordon islands. Boat launch and visitor centre at Mallorytown Landing, 1121 Thousand Islands Parkway.
For an elegant meal, head to Riva Restaurant on King Street West in Gananoque for excellent pastas, generous salads and sourdough bread with the perfect chew. A hot spot for celebratory drinks or pretheatre meals before heading to the Thousand Islands Playhouse.
In Clayton, N.Y., Bella’s already had a lineup at 8 a.m. on a Sunday. The draw? The gorgeous multilevel terraces overlooking the St. Lawrence and the islands. 602 Riverside Dr.
On Wellesley Island, N.Y., The Guzzle is an ice cream parlour and cafe with a candy counter and game room inside a gorgeous rebuild of a historic building. It’s a good jumping off point for kayaking, hiking Wellesley Island State Park and exploring Thousand Island Park, a dreamlike vacation village barely touched by the last century.
The writer was a guest of Tourism 1000 Islands and the 1000 Islands International Tourism Council. They did not review or approve the story before publication.
