The world's largest freshwater island — Manitoulin Island on Georgian Bay is a 2,766 square kilometre expanse of Indigenous heritage, dramatic lake views, limestone outcroppings, and small towns accessible by ferry from Tobermory. The Chi-Cheemaun Ferry crossing alone is one of Ontario's great experiences.
Neighbourhood: Northern Ontario (3–4h from Toronto) · Address: Manitoulin Island, ON (3h drive to South Baymouth + Chi-Cheemaun Ferry) · Hours: Multi-day trip recommended | Ferry: seasonal (May–October)
Why Visit
Manitoulin Island is the only place near Toronto where you can cross an inland sea via ferry to an island dotted with Indigenous-run galleries, dramatic cliffs, and freshwater swimming holes. The ferry ride itself feels like a rite of passage for Ontario explorers.
What Makes It Unique
Nowhere close to Toronto comes close to Manitoulin's sense of remoteness, sprawling island drives, or mix of quiet Anishinaabe communities and old-school general stores. Unlike Muskoka or the Kawarthas, you’re actually on the world’s largest lake island, and the two-hour ferry is as much a highlight as the destination.
If you’re up for a day trip that feels much bigger than a day, Georgian Bay and Manitoulin Island are the kind of place Torontonians talk about with a slightly dreamy look in their eyes. It’s not close-close, and that’s part of the point. You leave the city, the traffic thins out, the landscape starts opening up, and by the time you reach Tobermory or South Baymouth, you already feel like you’ve gone somewhere real. Manitoulin is the world’s largest freshwater island, and it doesn’t feel polished or over-curated. It feels spacious, grounded, and deeply tied to the water.
The move I’d actually recommend is planning your trip around the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry. Even if you’re not usually a “the journey is the destination” person, this crossing might change your mind. The ferry runs between Tobermory and South Baymouth, and the two-hour ride across Georgian Bay is easily one of the best slow-travel experiences in Ontario. You stand on deck with a coffee, the wind gets a little aggressive, kids run around spotting the shoreline, and everyone quietly starts taking photos of the cliffs, the pale rock, and the unreal clear water. It’s simple and beautiful in a very Ontario way. Book ahead if you’re bringing a car, especially in summer, because it fills up fast.
Once you’re on Manitoulin, the pace shifts immediately. There are long stretches of road, limestone outcroppings, old farms, and sudden views of the bay that make you pull over without overthinking it. Small towns like Kagawong are worth your time not because there are a hundred things to do, but because it’s exactly the kind of place where you walk slowly, grab an ice cream, look at the water, and stop trying to optimize your day. Kagawong is especially lovely for that—quiet, scenic, and easy to spend a couple of unhurried hours in.
What makes Manitoulin feel different from a lot of other Ontario escapes is the strength of its Indigenous presence. This is Anishinaabe territory, and that’s not just a line in a brochure—it shapes the island in a meaningful way. Wikwemikong Unceded Territory is one of the most important places to understand if you’re visiting. If your timing lines up with the annual powwow in August, go. It’s moving, welcoming, and memorable, but go respectfully: read up a little, listen more than you talk, and understand you’re there as a guest.
A practical note: for a true day trip from Toronto, this is ambitious. It’s more realistic as a very long day or, better, an overnight. The drive to South Baymouth is about three hours before the ferry piece if you’re coming from the north side of the GTA with good timing, but it often feels longer once you add stops and summer traffic. Still, if you want a remote escape that gives you lake views, Indigenous culture, and that rare feeling of being properly away from the city, it’s hard to top. This is the kind of place you return to because it doesn’t try too hard. It just stays with you.