Thousand Islands By the Numbers
The Thousand Islands region actually includes two countries (US and Canada), two bodies of water (The St, Lawrence River and Lake Ontario) and one state and one province - New York and Ontario.
Oh, and about 1,800 islands.
Okay, so some of the islands are very small - according to the website, an island is an island if it is above water and can support the growth of at least one tree. And many of the islands are privately owned, so chances are slim that you’ll set foot on every one of the Thousand Islands.
If you’re visiting the Thousand Islands from New York State, you’ll want to take I-81, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. Getting here via airplane will entail a drive of at least and hour; the nearest main airport, Syracuse Hancock International Airport, is an hour and a half away. It’s also roughly 3.5 hours to Albany, or 6.5 hours to New York City.
Once you get here, you’ll need a place to stay. Vacation rentals and vacation homes have been popular here for decades. Diving, fishing, boating and boat tours, and white water rafting draw people to the waterways; on dry land, there’s hunting, hiking, golfing, and visiting historical sites. So booking a vacation rental in the Thousand Islands may not put you on an island, but it will certainly give you plenty of options for recreation.
