This Scenic Great Lakes Island Escape Is A Waterfront Hideaway With Outdoor Fun, Shops, And Tasty Restaurants

Nestled in the mouth of the St. Lawrence River where it meets Lake Ontario, sits Wolfe Island. Filled with pastoral farmlands, lakeside views, biking trails, and even quaint shops and eateries, the Great Lakes island is a welcome break for anyone with a busy life. Wolfe Island sits just off the coast of Kingston, Ontario, and is the largest of the Thousand Islands, a dazzling island region between Ontario and New York. For most visitors, arriving from Kingston will be the easiest way to access the island since there's a daily free ferry service.

Kingston also has a bustling downtown filled with restaurants and hotels, making it an easy overnight for anyone arriving late or who wants to stay in a major hotel chain after exploring the island during the day. But Wolfe Island offers its own lodgings, with charming local inns and bed-and-breakfasts. Plus, visitors can take scenic bike rides, lounge on breathtaking beaches, or explore some of the island's local shops and delicious restaurants.

Despite its sparse population (Wolfe Island is about 20 miles long with only 1,200 year-round residents), the island has a bounty of charming and welcoming dining establishments. Most are located in the main village of Marysville. There, you can both eat and stay the night at the Hotel Wolfe Island, which offers farm-to-table meals like pan-seared trout with fennel salad at its restaurant, The Dawson. Other local favorites include WIPP (Wolfe Island Pub & Pizzeria), which is the No.1-rated restaurant on Tripadvisor. "This is obviously the local watering hole and the atmosphere was lively," one Tripadvisor user said. "Service was excellent, and many people were picking up take out orders as well." You can even head out to Henderson Farms for high tea that's paired with a rotating, seasonal menu. Reservations are required and can be made on the farm's website.

The farm specializes in jams and preserves, and while they make all the classics, you can also try their unique spreads like beet and ginger jam and pumpkin marmalade. Visitors can purchase Henderson Farms treats at Jean and Aggie's General Store in Marysville. The shop also sells local honey, beer made from local hops, and lots of Wolfe Island souvenirs. Other must-visit Marysville shops include Fishtale, which sells local Canadian-made goodies like beeswax candles and goat milk soap, and the Wolfe Island Gallery, which displays local artists' work and is open seasonally from May to October.

One of the biggest draws to Wolfe Island is enjoying its natural beauty. Many travelers come to bike around the island, which has various trails and paths that take riders through farmland and along sandy beaches. The longest of the trails, the Red Route, is 36 miles long and takes bikers from the town of Marysville through rustic farmland and out to the island's easternmost tip, Port Metcalfe. Wolfe Island even attracts cyclists from around the world because it's part of Canada's 2,236-mile-long Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, which connects four of the five stunning Great Lakes. 

But even without a bike, the island has lots to offer. The Big Sandy Bay Conservation Area offers up sandy beaches, a marshland trail, and even unique plant species that attract a variety of birds. Visitors can also enjoy the lake thanks to kayak rentals on the island and sailing trips that depart from Kingston just across the river. Some of the trips even take you to the numerous shipwrecks just off Kingston's shoreline, including one of Wolfe Island's previous ferries, the Wolfe Islander II, which was intentionally sunk to serve as a scuba diving site.