Notable Campgrounds
- Best for convenient glamping: Mallorytown Landing
- Best for kayak camping: McDonald Island
- Best for a quiet island getaway: Mulcaster Island
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
- You can reserve 27 of the park’s campsites, as well as oTENTiks located on the mainland and on MacDonald and Gordon islands, via the Parks Canada online reservations system.
- Reservations open for the season in mid-January. The park also has 34 island campsites that are first-come, first-served.
- If you don’t have your own boat, remember to book a spot on one of the water taxis that take campers to the islands, or reserve a kayak, canoe, or other boat rental.
When to Go
Thousand Islands National Park is open from mid-May through mid-October. Weekdays throughout the season are less crowded than weekends. While the park is busiest in July and August and during Canadian and U.S. long weekends, the best time to visit is in the fall, when the weather is usually comfortable and the trees take on their autumn colors. Another good time to come is the first half of June, which is typically less crowded than mid-summer.
Know Before You Go
- Though located in Ontario, Thousand Islands is closer to Montreal (225 kilometres) than to Toronto (320 kilometres).
- Both Ganaoque and Brockville have supermarkets and other stores stocking supplies for campers. Kingston, the region’s largest town, is 30 minute’s drive west of Gananoque.
- Check the park website for local boat companies that can shuttle you to the islands and for canoe, kayak, and other boat rentals.
- None of the park islands have shops or services, other than boat launches and composting toilets, so pack everything in and out. Central Grenadier is the only island with drinking water.
Thousand Islands National Park
Camp on an island in the St. Lawrence River in Canada’s first national park east of the Rockies.
Along the St. Lawrence River, straddling the border between Canada and the United States, Thousand Islands National Park doesn’t include thousands of islands, but it does protect roughly 20 of the region’s many isles. Popular for kayaking, picnicking, and convenient camping getaways, the park is about 175 kilometres north of Syracuse, New York. The Mallorytown Landing Visitor Centre, with a small oTENTik (platform tent) camping area, is along the 1000 Islands Parkway between the eastern Ontario towns of Gananoque and Brockville. You can also camp on a dozen of the park islands that you can reach by canoe, kayak, or water taxi.
Along the St. Lawrence River, straddling the border between Canada and the United States, Thousand Islands National Park doesn’t include thousands of islands, but it does protect roughly 20 of the region’s many isles. Popular for kayaking, picnicking, and convenient camping getaways, the park is about 175 kilometres north of Syracuse, New York. The Mallorytown Landing Visitor Centre, with a small oTENTik (platform tent) camping area, is along the 1000 Islands Parkway between the eastern Ontario towns of Gananoque and Brockville. You can also camp on a dozen of the park islands that you can reach by canoe, kayak, or water taxi.
Notable Campgrounds
- Best for convenient glamping: Mallorytown Landing
- Best for kayak camping: McDonald Island
- Best for a quiet island getaway: Mulcaster Island
Read more...Notable Campgrounds
Tips for Snagging a Campsite Reservation
When to Go
Thousand Islands National Park is open from mid-May through mid-October. Weekdays throughout the season are less crowded than weekends. While the park is busiest in July and August and during Canadian and U.S. long weekends, the best time to visit is in the fall, when the weather is usually comfortable and the trees take on their autumn colors. Another good time to come is the first half of June, which is typically less crowded than mid-summer.
Know Before You Go