July 12, 2014
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| Hole in the Wall |
There is nothing more spectacular than
Georgian Bay on a beautiful summer day and the perfect way to spend it is by
cruising the World Biosphere Reserve of the 30,000 Islands. The boat tour I
chose was the 3 hour afternoon cruise aboard the Island Queen, a 132 foot
expedition cruise ship out of Parry Sound, Ontario. The ship navigates past
granite shoals into narrow channels and provides an up-close look of the
pristine beauty of Georgian Bay’s remote island wilderness.
As the ship leaves Parry Sound it makes its
way into the Big Sound, a body of water reaching depths of 350 feet. Around 20
minutes into the cruise the ship passes the first point of interest, The Hole
in the Wall. Hole in the Wall is a narrow channel which is just wide enough for
the Island Queen to pass through with 80 foot granite cliffs on either side. As
we passed through we were entertained by locals jumping from the cliffs into
the clear blue waters.
The next real point of interest is Killbear
Provincial Park which is a very popular summer park that features beautiful
sandy beaches and granite cliffs. The ship then enters the Waubuno Channel and
continues pass the Outer Islands, Bears Head and makes a tight angle turn at
Devil’s Elbow before entering the Seven-Mile Narrows. Seven Mile Narrows is a
narrow channel that was blasted out years ago and is dotted with cedars, white
pines, moss and other forms of vegetation.
The ship then passes Five Mile Narrows and
provides an opportunity to spot osprey in their nest. Before returning to Parry
Sound the ship finally passes through the Rose Point Swing Bridge. Upon
approach the ship gives 3 horn blows to signal to the attendant that the Island
Queen is approaching and needs to be let through.
I plan on returning but this time in the
fall to view the magnificent changing of leaves.
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| Killbear Provincial Park |
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| Killbear Provincial Park |
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| Approaching Five Mile Narrow |
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| Rose Point Swing Bridge |
