Georgian Bay, Bay on Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada
Georgian Bay is a bay on Lake Huron in Ontario that stretches 190 kilometers and counts more than 31,000 islands along its rocky eastern shore. The beaches range from sand to pebble, and granite outcrops continue from the shoreline below the water surface.
Champlain mapped the region in the early 1600s and called it La Mer douce for the fresh water. Lieutenant Henry Wolsey Bayfield renamed the body after King George IV in 1822 following years spent charting the coastline.
The name honors King George IV, though Champlain once called these waters La Mer douce for their fresh water rather than ocean salt. Today, boats move between the islands, and cottages line many sheltered coves along the granite shore.
The summer months from June through August work best for activities on the water, with temperatures staying suitable for kayaking into early September. North winds can rise suddenly, and small boats should favor protected areas between the islands.
The region hosts more reptile and amphibian species than any other place in Canada, including the eastern massasauga rattlesnake on some rocky islands. Lichens grow so slowly on the granite rocks that some patches are hundreds of years old.
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