Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay was first charted in 1815 by Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen who called it Lake Manitoulin. At 5,792 square miles, it’s not that much smaller than Lake Ontario (7,320 square miles), earning it the nickname “the sixth Great Lake. Georgian Bay ( French : Baie Georgienne ) is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada. It was first explored by Samuel de Champlain in 1615 and was named for King George IV by Captain Henry Bayfield of the Royal Navy.

The Thirty Thousand Islands lie along the bay’s eastern shore, they constitute another popular summer resort area. The largest is Beausoleil Island, now a National Park (4 square miles [10 square km]), once the home of Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indians, visitors can walk the beaches, hike the trails and more recently camp overnight. Discover the beauty of two biosphere reserves along the Niagara Escarpment Bruce Peninsula portion, the eastern coast of Georgian Bay is also known as the “30,000 Islands” and is considered the world’s largest freshwater archipelago. They were also made famous by the “Group of Seven” painters who showcased the beauty of the windswept islands of Georgian Bay.

The Fathom Five Provincial Park at Tobermory is a diver’s dream with the many shipwrecks being very well preserved by the cold fresh water. The principal rivers emptying into Georgian Bay are the French, draining Lake Nipissing; the Muskoka, draining the Muskoka chain of lakes; the Severn, draining Lake Simcoe; the Magnetawan; and the Nottawasaga. For more information on the town of Collingwood, visit our Collingwood Real estate Pages.