Kingston

Scattered like emeralds across the glassy expanse of the St. Lawrence River, the Thousand Islands archipelago is a geography of legend—1,864 islands straddling the Canada–U.S. border, each one required to have at least one square foot of land above water year‑round and support a living tree. The result is a fairy‑tale jumble of wind‑swept pines, granite shoals, and Gilded Age “castles” such as Boldt and Singer, where industrial barons once summered in baronial splendor. Today, the best way to absorb the scale is from the water: a two‑hour cruise from Gananoque threads the narrow Admiralty Group, passes Millionaire’s Row, and slips beneath the soaring International Bridge. On shore, the Thousand Islands National Park protects a necklace of mainland and island properties—hiking trails that lead to lookouts over the rift‑valley channel, kayak launches into crystal channels, and oTENTik glamping units for those who want to wake to loon calls. Whether you’re sipping a glass of Prince Edward County pinot on a sunset dinner cruise or paddling past a heron rookery at dawn, the region feels both intimate and immense—a rare place where human history and raw geology share equal billing.