Travel The Manitoulin Island with Pictures, Videos and Stories

Manitoulin Island has an area of approximately 2,766 square kilometers and is known to be the world's largest freshwater island. The Island is about 130 kilometers long, 50 kilometers wide at the east end and about 10 kilometers wide at the west. The highest part of the Island can be found in the eastern part toward the north shore and is over 350 meters above sea level, as well as around 170 meters above the waters of Lake Huron.

Manitoulins Island's human history started with the Paleo-Native settlements at least 9500 years ago. The Anishinaabe people, including the Potawami, Odawa and the Ojibwe believe the Island to be sacred. In the Ojibwe language, Manitoulin Island is called Spirit Island.

The Island became known to the explorers, missionaries and voyageurs in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there were no settlers in the area until the nineteenth century when europeans came to the area to settle. Lumbering, fishing and farming were the mainstay of the area economy until ferry service connected the Island to the Tobermory area of Southern Ontario and shifted the economy of the Island to tourism in the second half of the twentieth century.

The Manitoulin Island provides unlimited recreational oppurtunities for all members of your family or gang. From beautiful sandy beaches to great hiking trails and even native cave drawings, such as Providence Bay and the Cup and Saucer trail.

With numerous camp grounds and RV parks, you can take your time traveling around the Island sight seeing. There are also many cottage rentals all over the Manitoulin Island.

The Manitoulin Island is an incredible summer vacation destination for you and your family and friends. Especially if you like outdoor activities.

When coming onto the island from the north, you run into a very special stucture that is quite important to Manitoulin and that is the Manitoulin Swing Bridge.

Passage to Manitoulin was only by water until 1913, when a swing bridge was built for rail use between Little Current and Great La Cloche and Goat Islands, and on to the Ontario mainland.

Passenger traffic to the island was available only by ferry until 1946. After the Second World War, the bridge was converted for use by automobiles as well, and cars and train now shared the bridge.

Rail service was discontinued in the 1980's and the bridge was then totally used by motor vehicles.

It is a single lane wide, and runs one-way, changing directions about every three or four minutes using street lights.

The other thing is the bridge swings 90 degrees during the summer to allow boat traffic to go by the bridge. This happens on the hour for fifteen minutes, so if you do not want to get held up by the bridge, plan your travelling time carefully.

The first stop after the swing bridge is a town called Little Current. This site was settled as a trading port taking advantage of the natural harbour.

Little current was first known by the local native population as Wewebjiwang or "where the waters flow back and forth". By the french fur trading voyageurs as "Le Petit Courant". One time the federal post office called it by the name "Dingwall", but that did not last. It went by "Shaftsbury" for awhile, which came from the surveyor who laid out the town site.

Little Current is a beautiful little town with a great boardwalk that followes the shore line down to the marina. With nice little shops downtown, there is something for everyone.

Should mention a nice little restaurant and bar downtown is the Anchor Inn Hotel. During the summer they erect a sidewalk patio so you can enjoy the summer weather. Also while you sit on the patio you should know that you are being broadcast over the internet by their patio web cam.

One of the most beautiful and gracefull animals in North America is the whitetail deer, which the Manitoulin Island has in abundance.
There is upwards of 30,000 whitetail deer on the Island and if you drive around the Island just before sunset, you are sure to see your fair share.

The Manitoulin Island is widely know for its incredible deer hunting potenial.

The seasons run from the first week of October to second week of November for archery season, which includes the use of crossbows.

The rifle season runs for seven days starting the third Monday of November. They also have a black powder season for five days in early December.

Besides the summer tourist season, this natural resource provides the second most important economic boost to the local business owners.

Below the videos you will find a poll about the videos. Here you can vote your favourite video up or down the rankings. You can also submit a new video to be added to the poll as well as to this site.

You can also add your comments about the site at the bottom of the page.

So have fun and enjoy.

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