The cross-border holiday playground with islands, boats and a legendary namesake ...Middle East

It’s little surprise that Canada is the top source of international tourists to the US, contributing more than $20bn to the country’s economy. It works the other way, too, with US tourists spending roughly the same in Canadian dollars.

However, a popular cross-border region favoured by holidaymakers on both sides is caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration’s recently imposed trade tariffs on Canada.

Thousand Islands is a region that spans both Canada and the United States, close to where the St Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario. It’s a summer holiday magnet known for boating, festivals, water sports, and delicious cuisine (and, of course, the dressing, invented in Clayton on the US side).  

Tourists flock to towns filled with shops, restaurants and B&Bs and with the allure of nearby castles, shipwrecks and lighthouses. Curious Canadians and Americans venture to opposite sides of the river to explore, but international visitors are also drawn to the region’s watery beauty.

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I live in Ontario and, on the Canadian side, I love to hike in Thousand Islands National Park with spectacular views overlooking Landon Bay. My husband and I also like to take the Thousand Islands International Bridge from Rockport, Ontario into New York state.

Our favorite stops are the hopping towns of Alexandria – full of pubs and restaurants –and Clayton where we’ll stay overnight after watching the sunset from the town’s riverside park.

Historically, both sides of the Thousand Islands region have worked together to strengthen their tourism offerings. Go to either side and you’ll see US and Canadian flags flying together. But the Trump administration has thrown a wrench into the friendly partnership. Tariffs and negative rhetoric have made some folks wonder if the welcome will continue to be warm.

Prime minister Justin Trudeau’s call to “Buy Canadian” in early February singled out tourism: “Now is the time to choose Canada… It might mean changing your summer vacation plans to stay here in Canada and explore the many national and provincial parks, historical sites and tourist destinations our great country has to offer.”

Some local travel agencies are already noticing a cooler reception from potential visitors. 

“We have long collaborated across the border on regional destination marketing projects in the Thousand Islands. If anything, the trade rhetoric out of Washington and Ottawa has pushed those of us on the front line closer because we fully recognise how reliant we are on each other,” explains Corey Fram, director of tourism for the 1000 Islands International Tourism Council based in the US. 

He notes that negative sentiment across the border is making people nervous.  “Canada comprises roughly 20 percent of our US-side visitation, so losing even 10 percent of Canadian business totals millions of dollars. This direct spending supports jobs and allows our operators, many already on a compressed season, to stay open.” 

A tour boat in Gananoque, Ontario (Photo: Patrick Donovan/Getty Images)

Although the US side may be feeling nervous, the number of cancellations by Canadians to date have been negligible, or at least hard to track. “We’ve received a few anecdotal stories from operators where a lost customer explained that international attitudes drove their decision to cancel. But overwhelmingly, operators are telling us that they have received no such feedback or that it’s been too sparse to quantify”, explains Fram. 

On the Canadian side, it’s the flip side of the coin. “With a strong US dollar, we normally see an influx of visitors. We are anticipating a boom year despite the hullabaloo south of the border,” says Kathrine Christensen, executive director for the Tourism Marketing Program based in Gananoque. 

Although the winds from above have spread discord between the two countries, both sides want visitors to know their friendship remains strong. 

“We really do respect and rely on each other here in the Thousand Islands,” explains Fram. 

A warm welcome

However, for British visitors, the picture is less emotionally complex, the region offering an outdoorsy playground of glittering water, lush islands (there are actually more than 1,800 despite the name) and grand 19th-century mansions.  

While you’ll need both an Esta and a Canadian Eta, as well as US and Canadian dollars, if you plan to visit both sides of the border, it’s worth the effort. 

A tidal waterway, the mightly St Lawrence River links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The river flows with 20 percent of the world’s fresh water and 80 percent of North America’s. 

The border between the province of Ontario and upper New York State slices through the middle of the river, which is around five miles across. Along each country’s shore are scenic drives. Thousand Islands International Bridge makes it an easy hop across with a passport checkpoint between. 

Last year, a new Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary was designated in the US’s eastern portion of the lake – covering almost 2,000 nautical square miles of cold freshwater, it is peppered with 41 well-preserved shipwrecks and one plane wreck and is popular with divers.

However, boat tours are how most tourists explore. Varying between one and five hours, they launch from the towns of Clayton and Alexandria Bay.

Highlights are Boldt Castle, Singer Castle – historic holiday homes built by American business magnates at the turn of the last century – as well as opulent summer homes of the Gilded Age known as Millionaires Row, and Rock Island Lighthouse. You’ll also see other boaters, private island cottages, and lots of folks out fishing.

A tour boat docked next to the power house of Boldt Castle (Photo: Mercedes Rancao Otero/Getty Images)

In Clayton, the Antique Boat Museum is home to a 106-foot, 10-bedroom houseboat named La Duchesse that once belonged to the owner of Boldt Castle, George C Boldt a hotel magnate who operated the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, among others. The museum offers 45-minute river rides in vintage mahogany day cruisers. 

Clayton also has an opera house, museum, distilleries and wineries. Coyote Moon Vineyards, just outside the town, offers tours and tastings as well as a bakery which sells delicious croissants and pastries.

At family-owned Saint Lawrence Spirits, you can taste vodka, gin, absinthe and whiskey made with St Lawrence River water.

The town’s waterfront Thousand Islands Museum tells the story of the community’s history and its Muskie Hall of Fame is dedicated to the region’s celebrated fish, the muskellunge.

However, Clayton is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Thousand Islands salad dressing, a mix of mayonnaise, tomato puree and chopped pickles.

In the early 1900s, fishing guide George LaLonde Jr took clients out on the St Lawrence to catch black bass and northern pike. Part of the package was a shore dinner at the Herald Hotel including a salad with dressing said to have been created by his wife Sophia. One of his clients, a prominent stage actress named May Irwin asked for the recipe, which she called Thousand Island. She later gave it to her hotelier friend George C Boldt who put it on the menu at the Waldorf Astoria New York, thereby introducing it to the world.

The Herald Inn – which opened in 1897 – was later renamed the Thousand Islands Inn and is currently awaiting refurbishment to reopen as a boutique hotel and restaurant.

Highlights in Canada 

Running between Kingston and Brockville, the region includes the lively riverside towns of Gananoque and Rockport, from where boat tours launch on this side of the border.

On land, hiking, biking, fishing and paddling attract visitors to 19 parks in the area including Thousand Islands National Park.  Other activities include helicopter rides with stunning aerial views over the river, horseback riding, and farm visits.

Thrill-seekers enjoy Treetop Trekking 1000 Islands, located on the 1000 Islands Parkway, where Tarzan skills are put to work by leaping off wooden platforms and ziplining through the foliage.

In Gananoque, a town full of 19th and early 20th century buildings, the Thousand Islands Boat Museum includes a boatbuilding shop, antique boats, and exhibits that pay homage to local boat builders.

Across the street, the 1000 Islands History Museum sits on the site of the former Thousand Island Railway Station, serving a line that was only 6.33 miles long. Exhibits tell the story of the area’s geology, ecology, First Peoples, settlers and industrial background.

How to get there  

In Canada, the closest gateway is Ottawa, around 90 minutes’ drive. Toronto and Montreal are around two and-a-half to three hours’ drive. In the US, New York, Philadelphia and Boston are around six hours’ drive, with connecting flights available to Syracuse, around 90 minutes’ drive.  

Where to stay 

Campgrounds are popular on both sides of the border in summer, but island cottages and waterside inns are perhaps the best way to soak up the serenity throughout the year.  

In Clayton, the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel overlooks the St Lawrence River and has doubles from $250 (£197).  

On the Canadian side, the historic Gananoque Inn & Spa is also on the river and room rates start at C$250 (£136) per night. 

More information   

Esta costs $21, esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta  

Canadian Eta costs C$7, eta.onlineservices-servicesenligne.apps.cic.gc.ca  

Gananoque & The 1000 Islands  

Visit 1000 Islands  

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