1000 Islands Houseboating Trip Report July 2017

The 1000 Islands is a hidden gem that is just 3 hours drive east of Toronto or west of Montreal. There are many people in Ontario that have heard of 1000 Islands but don't know what they look like and what a unique location in the world it is.

Dates: July 7 - July 14, 2017 (high season)

Houseboat Rental: Houseboat Holidays

Crew Members: John, Darrell, Steve, Christophe, Roxy

The 1000 Islands area is just off of the 401 highway and if you are driving by it, you really don't get a chance to see the real beauty of the area. What's neat about this area is it is at the edge of Lake Ontario which is the start of the St. Lawrence river which is one of the largest rivers in the world. There are over 20 national parks located here which is a great thing because almost all of them have docks where you can park your houseboat or any boat for that matter.

Record water levels for Lake Ontario

The spring and summer of 2017 was not a kind one for residents of Ontario, Quebec and even in New York state as the spring produced a lot of rain that just didn't seem to let up. There was much flooding on the Ottawa river, St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario had record water levels not seen in 100 years.

Overall I've seen a lot of damaged cottages and the water level was easy to notice compared to previous years. The water level looked to be about 3 feet higher than normal and that's about what has been recorded. Despite it being middle of July, the water levels haven't gone down.

Less boats out on the water

July is usually one of the busiest times to be out in the 1000 Islands as everyone is making the best use of the weather, taking time off and enjoying the summer. This was the most quiet the waterways have ever been and sometimes it felt like we were the only ones out on the water.

The national parks themselves were about 50% open with some of my favourite spots being closed like Camelot, half of Beaurivage, Georgina and Mulcaster. The upside of this was getting to experience a few new spots including Grenadier central, aka party central and Aubrey Island.

Day 1 - Gordon Island - July 7

The day started off by arriving at the Houseboat Holidays headquarters and being very confused. We saw a big puddle I guess we had to drive through but I didn't look ahead to realize there were no other cars in the parking lot because the whole parking lot was under water!

Gordon happened to have only 1 boat there and it was the only dock available as the northern one was closed. After arriving and securing our boat, we got settled in a bit. After that and some orientation, it was finally beer o'clock and after that it was a wave of boats coming in to take the remaining docks.

Day 2 - Gordon Island x2 - July 8

Everyone was up somewhat early from the vicious thunderstorm that rolled in at 5am. Since it was Saturday and our dock was full, we figured it would be the same or worse trying to find another dock. So we stayed put. Gordon was surprisingly nicer the 2nd time around.

Day 3 - Grenadier Island West - July 9

Grenadier Island West is one of my favourite spots in the 1000 Islands. It's where I caught a good sized large mouth bass and the place usually gets some decent sunsets. We anchored in the bay and I got out my inflatable dingy and paddled over to ask if anybody was leaving at all. Sure enough we had 2 people leave and it was a chance to score a spot.

Day 4 - Grenadier Island West x2 - July 10

When it's not cloudy, the sunsets and sunrises in this area are spectacular. It gets fairly bright in the morning and it's a great bay for fishing that doesn't get too deep and has weeds everywhere.

Day 5 - Grenadier Island Central - July 11

Finally a sunny day! The plan for the day was to go to a new spot in Grenadier Island Central but go all the length of the island to have a look at Singer Castle. We learned this place sometimes has the nickname of party central. It's got a large number of docks where we were the 2nd boat to secure a spot.

Day 6 - Mermaid Island - July 12

It's a sad day leaving Grenadier Island Central. Today will be a busy day as the itinerary is to go to Boldt Castle, then head to the gas station to get more worms, extra food and of course gas. Mermaid is a small island but it has a deep dock that is good for sailboats.

Day 7 - Aubrey Island - July 13

This is our last day. A houseboat just leaves a spot on Aubrey so we quickly aim in to take it. Aubrey as an island is a really nice one. Lots of paths to walk and the dock on the east side is probably the nicer spots to stay as it has a bit of a cove and can protect you from winds and waves.

After an entire week of houseboating, you are almost tired of vacation. You could easily keep going but with this much rest and relaxation it makes you want to get back to work and plan the next trip.