Manatoulin Island

Well what a year it has been! With so much time spent at home in lockdown, as soon as Ontario campgrounds were allowed to open up I went on the hunt for new adventures. There are so many beautiful and new locations to explore but after hearing good reviews, I focused my attention on Manatoulin Island which is part of Lake Huron. Manatoulin Island (or "Spirit Island") is the largest freshwater island in the world featuring over 100 inland freshwater lakes as well.

Our van is now over 40 years old and preparing for any trips is crucial. I had noticed a slight oil leak between the engine and transmission for the past month so I called on my friend Jason to check it out before our trip. After changing the appropriate seals and checking things over, I was confident we could make the long trip trouble free - thanks Jason for caring for our van.

In order to get to the island we reserved our spots on the ferry which would be a first for the van. I chose an early departure and decided to leave the day before to ensure we wouldn't miss our ride. We did find out that anywhere near the ferry area was fully booked and after many frustrating calls and searching my wonderful wife found us nice little spot to spend the night and just 10 minutes away. Here's our camping setup for the first night including some hammock fun!

After a good night's sleep, we packed up early in the morning so we could arrive for our exciting upcoming ride. Tobermory is located at the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula and is where the MS Chi-Cheemaun passenger-car ferry connects to Manatoulin Island. We were able to explore this small seasonal town which generally is only open when the ferry is running from May till October.

And here is a video of us departing the ferry on Manatoulin Island

Midemoya Lake is the third largest lake on the Island and also where Stanley Park campground is situated. This campground was fully booked and we actually had a site in their "overflow" area. There wasn't much privacy or any shade but we had a nice open field and it was close to all the fun.

It takes quite some time and effort to setup/pack our van so decided to visit a local attraction on our second day. Bridal Veil Falls is a 35' waterfall about 15 minutes away and made for a fun and very picturesque day trip.

All that excitement can be very tiring....

The rest of our time at Stanley Park was spent enjoying all the amenities and eating good food.

Campfire S'mores and milk were a must. My wife is an expert marshmallow crisper so she was teaching the girls her tricks of the trade.

It was quite hot every day but had cool nights and didn't encounter any rain. The girls were able to play to their hearts content, we had good meals, my wife got some much needed rest which meant this will go down as one of our better camping excursions.

Our trip back home took almost 10 hours including the ferry ride but it was a beautiful drive and the van ran flawlessly! Till next time.....