The Georgian Bay Islands National Park is one of the many Canadian ones National parksand is located in George Bay near Port Severn. The Canadian province of Ontario is the home area of the park. It was founded in 1929 and consists of a maritime landscape.
A total of 59 small islands belong to the National park Area. The total area is only 26 square kilometers, which is very small compared to the other Canadian national parks. The largest island in the area is Beausoleil Island.
Despite the area’s small size, the park is home to many protected and threatened species. Among other things, you can find the Massassauga, a rattlesnake that is the only venomous snake in Eastern Canada and lives on Beausoleil Island. However, it is not the only reptile. In the Georgian Bay Islands National Park there are diverse occurrences of different reptile and amphibian species.
The tour through the park
The Georgian Bay Islands National Park is best explored by boat. After all, it consists of several islands and these can only be reached by water. Every island is integrated into a wide range of leisure activities. Who is not a guided group would like to join, of course, also has the option, in alone to explore the park.
The beautiful nature offers an impressive sight, the air filled with the scent of pine comes from the large population of pine trees. The other most common tree species, however, is the maple. Large rocks and coastal areas shape the landscape and show what forces nature can let play. The world’s longest freshwater beach is located in the park itself, Wasaga Beach. It is also one of the highlights of the park and is popular with tourists.
The rivers are particularly popular with whitewater sports enthusiasts. Rafting and canoeing are highly recommended here. Incidentally, it was recognized early on that the rocky area was unsuitable for agriculture. This is how the region became a national park that was not damaged by agricultural use.
At the same time, one also became aware that one has a tourist treasure here. This created many facilities and attractions to attract even more tourists.
The village of Bala is located near the park, where agriculture, in turn, with the cultivation of cranberries, plays a large and important role.
Whether fishing, boating or water skiing, almost anything is possible here. The rich and comprehensive range of activities in the park hardly sets any limits in terms of leisure activities. You almost get the impression that the focus here is on entertainment rather than nature. At the information center, visitors get an impression and overview of the entire repertoire that is on offer.
However, it is particularly nice to explore the individual islands by hike and thus experience the respective landscapes. Most of the time, however, is spent on the water or on the boat.
If the 59 small islands are not enough for you, you can expand your radius, because there are an estimated 30,000 islands in the entire area. This is why the area around Georgian Bay is also called “Thirty Thousand Islands”. Here, too, you can get some information at the information center of the Georgian Bay Islands National Park.
