Howe Island, Ontario

The fourth largest island (after Wolfe, Wellesley, and Grindstone), Howe is about eight miles long by three miles wide. Two ferry services connect to the mainland across the Bateau Channel, making it possible to drive much of the length of the island without retracing the route--but few visitors are aware of this, or even of the island.

A cable ferry links the island to the mainland (left) near Gananoque. On the map below, the eastern (Gananoque) cable ferry connects to the road at the right, the western crosses the Bateau (earlier called "Pittsburgh") Channel at the top.

As the shore lines on the map suggest, the landscape on the Bateau Channel is different from the south shore. The nothern part of the island is the characteristic granite terrain of the Laurentian Shield, whereas the southern part (like nearby Wolfe Island) has the more level surface which reflects the overlaying sedimentary limestone of the lake plain.

Although off the beaten path for tourists, Howe Island's extensive shoreline attracts many more permanent residents. The two ferry services provide year-round accessibility while the location, between Gananoque and Kingston, makes the resources of those communities relatively convenient.