This town of 1000 is nestled at the bottom of Gore Bay with a view of the high North Shore cliffs. This town is on the northern shore of Manitoulin Island, about 60 km west of Little Current, the first town on the Island. At this point, the North Channel, between the Island and the North Shore is about 25 km wide.
The town was named in 1860 after the bay, in turn named for the steamship Gore, which was frozen into the North Channel in the 1850s. The steamship was named for Sir Charles S Gore, who helped stop the Rebellion on 1837, and ran between Collingwood and Sault Ste Marie. The town was incorporated in 1890, and is one of the island’s larger settlements. It is named for its tapered gore-shaped harbour, though it is also likely that its name came from a steamship The Gore that became trapped in the ice of the bay one winter.
The town has many elegant turn-of-the-century homes. The town is now the Island’s government centre, and a supply point for North Channel cruisers. The town has a children’s play area, swimming area and tennis courts. The town also has an airport, with regular service to Toronto by Pem Air and Discovery Air.
Gore Bay Attractions
Pavilion
The red-roofed pavilion is the harbour’s focal point and provides a top-floor lookout and a tea room. The ground floor has an information centre and shops. There are slips for 100 boats., and customs clearance can be handled for US visitors.
Gore Bay Museum
12 Dawson St, Gore Bay, ON P0P 1H0
(West end of Dawson St)
(705) 282-2040
This museum is housed in the former jail house, with the cells converted into display rooms. Displays include old furniture, curios of the early settlers, and relics from old shipwrecks. Open daily from June to September, and open Sundays in the afternoon.
Boardwalk
There is a boardwalk that leads around the docks and through the marsh at the western end of the Bay. It travels 1.2 km along the shoreline west to Fish Point Park and provides a great view of local wildlife, including fish, birds and mammals.
Harold Noble Memorial Park
This park is high on the East Bluff Lookout, overlooking the town. The park provides a great panoramic view of the harbour and the surrounding countryside.
Farmers Market
Locally-grown produce, handicrafts, and maple syrup are sold every Friday from June to October.
Gore Bay Fish Hatchery
On the Waterfront
Visitors can see many varieties of fish, including chinook salmon, rainbow trout and lake trout for the Manitoulin Island sport fishery. The fish hatchery is open to the public every day.