News

Manitoulin means "spirit island" in the Ojibwa language.

Here's a terrific 1,000-kilometre road trip that will take you through Manitoulin's Rainbow Country while you enjoy driving some of the most scenic roads in Ontario.

Manitoulin is the world's largest island in fresh water. It's located in Lake Huron, north of the Bruce Peninsula; both the Bruce and Manitoulin are extensions of the Niagara Escarpment. The Bruce Trail is the public footpath that spans the entire escarpment (850 km from Niagara Falls to Tobermory) and you will have time to get out of the car for a short hike on one of its most beautiful sections.

Begin by heading toward Owen Sound -- take Highway 6 or 10, your choice -- then north to Wiarton. Highway 6 continues up the middle of the Bruce Peninsula, but turn off either toward the Lake Huron side or the Georgian Bay side.

This time, let's go toward the Bay on Road 9. Take your time; you have to catch the ferry in Tobermory, but don't try to make it on day one.

You are in a World Biosphere Reserve and near two national parks -- Bruce Peninsula and Five Fathom. Enjoy the massive cliffs with 1,000-year-old cedar trees overhanging the clear waters of Georgian Bay. Look for hidden coves with a sandy beach.

Stop in Lion's Head and Dyer's Bay, which are villages hugging the limestone cliffs. From Dyer's Bay, you can hike to the Cabot Head Lighthouse. There is also a short three-km loop that takes you up to the edge of the escarpment with dramatic views of both forest and bay.

Tobermory is the fishing village that is the home base of the ferry that runs to Manitoulin Island. Try the local meal of white fish and chips.

The ferry runs from Little Tub Harbour, which has boats and ferries and shops and restaurants. Big Tub Harbour is much quieter -- it has beautiful cottages and Big Tub Lighthouse at its entrance.

You should have reserved your space on the Chi-Cheemaun, which means "big canoe" in the Ojibwa language. It's the Ontario Northlands ferry that runs four times a day carrying 113 vehicles and 638 passengers for the two-hour, 50-km journey across to the island. It costs roughly $30 per car and $14 per passenger and provides perfect views of Flowerpot Island and Cove Island on your way across the channel.

Like the Bruce Peninsula, Manitoulin Island is limestone with high rocks along its north side and flatlands sloping into Lake Huron to the south. Manitoulin, which contains more than 100 lakes, is about half the size of Prince Edward Island -- it's 160 km long and its width varies from three km to 64 km.

The island was a sacred place for native people, and travellers today write about the spirituality they feel when they cross the waters.

The North Channel of Lake Huron is the northern shore of Manitoulin Island and it is one of the finest sailing areas in the world, and is the northern gateway to the Thirty Thousand Islands. This was part of the route used by the voyageurs to reach Lake Superior.

Samuel de Champlain met the Odawa people here in 1615. The Jesuits set up a mission near Wikwemikong in 1648. Diseases introduced by Europeans had a devastating effect on the island's population. According to legend, the island was burned to purify it and remained largely unsettled for the next 150 years.

Native people began to return following the War of 1812. The island was ceded to the Crown in 1836; however, the Wikwemikong chief did not accept this treaty and that reserve remains unceded. Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve occupies the large peninsula on the eastern end of Manitoulin Island, accessible across the isthmus between Manitowaning Bay and South Bay.

The ferry lets you off in South Baymouth and you should drive toward Providence Bay. On the way, look for signs to Michael's Bay, which is a spectacular undeveloped beach known to surfers across North America. Providence Bay has cabins and a sandy beach popular with children who don't mind cold water.

On Manitoulin, you will find small, family-run resorts and restaurants, plenty of local crafts and absolutely none of the big travel chains. If you want the traffic and the glamour and the prices of Muskoka, you have come to the wrong place.

To give you an idea of what to expect, nightlife here is the activity of the Manitoulin Island Dark Sky Association. Their mission is to preserve the beauty of the night sky for future generations by establishing Manitoulin Island as a "national dark sky sanctuary."

Continue along Highway 542 to Gore Bay, which is a perfect harbour between two tree-covered bluffs for the big yachts travelling to or from the North Channel. Continue on at your leisure to Kagawong and then to Little Current.

Little Current is Manitoulin's gateway community from Northern Ontario and your departure point. You will cross the town's most famous landmark: the swing bridge. It was built as a railway bridge in 1913. After the Second World War, it was modified for vehicles. The bridge swings open for about 15 minutes on the hour in daylight during the summer to let boats pass through the channel.

Turn north on to Highway 6 toward Espanola and the Trans-Canada Highway. You will twist and turn through the La Cloche Mountains of the Canadian Shield, some of them very white, with views of local lakes and towns.

Pick up the Trans-Canada (Highway 17), bypass Sudbury (on this trip) and head south on Highway 69. Find the turnoff for Highway 637, which runs about 60 km to Killarney.

You'll pass dozens of lakes and rivers and sharply rising hills that look like small mountains. You'll do double takes on the ones that are capped with snow-white outcroppings of quartzite. The evergreens on the hills make the resemblance to snow all the stronger.

Killarney is one of the oldest villages in Northern Ontario. By the 1750s, this was a major water route for the French fur traders.

Located at the entrance of the North Channel, Killarney is famous for cruising waters, sea kayaking routes and the pink granite islands. Rent a boat and visit some.

Six km from the village is Killarney Provincial Park, considered the crown jewel of Ontario's park system. George Lake at the main park entrance provides calm waters for canoeists and a sand beach for swimming.

After a night or two in Killarney, you're ready for the drive home. Circle completed, another great road trip in the book.

mvaughan@globeandmail.com