Thousand Islands... Crowded?

[Irie]

I am researching my trip which will take me through the Thousand Islands. I have seen a lot of pictures and videos of the area lately and I see lots(LOTS) of lil power boat zooming around. Are there quiet areas there during the summer? Is the zooming around crowd mostly on the weekends? I can see that it is a beautiful area that would tend to draw lots of people out on the water.

[Southern Star]

Irie, yes it tends to be extremely crowded, especially during the last two weeks of July, when many businesses in the province of Quebec are closed down. Weekends are worse than weekdays, although to avoid the worst traffic you would be best advised to go in late June, or late August.

Brad

[Navicula]

it may not be a place to cuddle up to a good book, because it is a tourist area, there will be hot boats zooming around, and in those boats are very good looking people............
imagine what the cottager says when he wakes up in the morning and sees your boat anchored in front ....sometimes crowds can be very cool

trust me it is worth the trip, go for it

[Drumroll30]

Beautiful and less crowded cruising grounds in the Bay of Quinte area not far to the west of Kingston, much better for sailing too.

[knottybuoyz]

If you're just passing through it's not a big deal. It can get unruly on weekends as has been noted. The main ship channel on the US side is the best bet and you can reenter the small craft channel a little farther west. Passing under the Ivy Lea bridge on a busy Saturday afternoon in late July can be a challenge. I recommend avoiding it if possible. We've seen 50' houseboats goin' full bore ahead and loosing ground! :-)

Watch out for the triple decker tour boats. They toss a mean wake and don't slow down for anybody!

The absolute best time to tour the islands by water is early fall. You'll have the whole place virtually to yourself.