Parry Sound & 30,000 Islands

A resort town on the east shore of Georgian Bay, where cruises wind through the 30,000 Islands and pink granite and windswept pines form the classic scenes of the Group of Seven.

Parry Sound is a small town on the east shore of Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada, about 230 km north of Toronto off Highways 400/69, and the gateway to the 30,000 Islands archipelago. The east shore of Georgian Bay is made of the Canadian Shield's pink granite: glacier-smoothed rock, white pines bent to one side by the westerly winds and countless scattered islets — the very scenes painted by the Group of Seven. This coastline is recognized by UNESCO as the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve. The town is also the hometown of hockey legend Bobby Orr. The best season is June–September, for boat cruises, kayaking, camping and swimming, with chamber music concerts at the Festival of the Sound in July–August; fall colors peak from late September to early October. Winters are bitterly cold and revolve around snowmobiling and ice fishing, with most cruises and provincial park facilities closed. A visit breaks down into three parts: in town, the Town Dock, the Waterfront Fitness Trail, the Tower Hill lookout tower, the Charles W. Stockey Centre and the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame, all doable in half a day; island cruises and floatplane sightseeing, which should be booked ahead; and the surrounding area — Killbear Provincial Park (beaches and sunsets over the rocks), The Massasauga Provincial Park (a boat-access-only paddling paradise), and to the south Georgian Bay Islands National Park, the Big Chute Marine Railway and the Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve, with French River Provincial Park to the north. Getting there: about 2.5–3 hours' drive from Toronto; there are also long-distance buses, but you'll basically need a car to reach local sights. Plan on 2–3 days, and in summer book accommodation and campsites months in advance. Note: the Killbear area is home to the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (a protected species), so watch your step on trails; the water in the bay is cold and wind and waves can change quickly, so wear a life jacket when paddling and keep an eye on the weather.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries