Beausoleil Island Has Two Autumns, and This Year's New Shuttle Reaches Both

The day shuttle to Beausoleil Island leaves from the Port of Honey Harbour, at 1 Delawana Road. In fall it sails Fridays through Sundays plus holiday Mondays. Parks Canada's posted fall hours for the Cedar Spring visitor centre end on Monday, October 12. That date is Thanksgiving Monday. Neither Parks Canada nor Landmark Cruises has published a final sailing date. Still, after today, October 4, this coming Thanksgiving weekend is the last stretch of the fall shuttle pattern that falls inside the visitor centre's posted season.

That makes the choice of landing more important than the choice of day. The island's south end and north end are close to two separate parks, and the boat stops at both. Parks Canada describes Beausoleil as changing from dense deciduous forest at the south end to Canadian Shield granite at the north. In October, that means two different autumns.

A new operator, a first season

The boat at the Port looks different this year for a reason. After a request-for-proposals process, Parks Canada handed day-visitor transportation to Landmark Cruises Inc. Landmark's service replaces the DayTripper shuttle that Parks Canada used to run itself, under a licence of occupation covering five operating seasons from May 2026. According to the announcement, which MidlandToday ran on June 12, the new service adds round trips and boat capacity. It also says Landmark has partnerships with the Township of Georgian Bay and the Delawana Inn.

The practical details for a fall trip:

• Reservations are required, and the boat leaves from the Port of Honey Harbour, where Landmark offers paid parking.
• Shuttles to Cedar Spring and Chimney Bay start at $42.35 on Landmark's booking page. Daily park admission is charged when you make the reservation.
• Admission was free from June 19 to September 7, 2026, under the Canada Strong Pass. Fall trips are back to regular rates of $7.25 per adult, $6.25 per senior, free for youth, or $15 for a family or group.
• Pets, bicycles and canoes are not allowed on board. Landmark's FAQ says registered service dogs with paperwork are welcome, so call ahead if that applies to you.

Thanksgiving Monday as the last sailing is an inference from two facts. The fall pattern includes holiday Mondays, and Cedar Spring's posted hours stop on October 12. The announcement also says the schedule can change based on operations and demand. Landmark's reservation line is 705-549-3333.

The south end is the maple end

Cedar Spring is the island's southern hub. The visitor centre runs Friday through Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., until October 12. It offers park information and bike rentals. Parks Canada says the area also has interpretive programs, picnic shelters, swimming beaches and easy trails.

If you want fall colour, the forest here is the reason to land at Cedar Spring. Parks Canada's trail list describes the 6.9-kilometre Huron Trail passing beech-maple forest, a glacial drumlin and a stand of hemlock. The trails near Cedar Spring offer different ways to see that forest:

1. Lookout Trail, 1.5 km. Views of Georgian Bay and a platform that looks into the forest canopy. In October, this is the most direct route to the treetops.
2. Heritage Loop, 0.6 km. An interpretive walk past the Cemetery of the Oak, and the shortest trail at the south end.
3. Treasure Trail, 3.8 km. Parks Canada calls this narrow route from Cedar Spring to Tonch Point one of the more challenging ones.
4. Christian Trail, 1.5 km. An inner-island route where bikes are permitted.

The Heritage Loop is worth the time for a reason beyond its length. Beausoleil Island is also Bimadinaagogi National Historic Site. Parks Canada describes its long Anishinaabe history as a place of gathering, ceremony and habitation, and the island held reserve settlements in the mid-19th century.

Parks Canada's trail list was last modified in November 2024, so check current trail conditions at the visitor centre before you set out.

The north end is the granite end

Chimney Bay, near Fairy Lake, is a different hike. Parks Canada warns that trails in the Fairy area cross exposed bedrock that gets slippery when wet, with rugged ground and changes in elevation. It describes the north end as harder going for visitors with limited mobility or small children. In exchange, you get open views of the bay, clear water and windswept white pines on Shield rock.

The north-end trails are short and link together. The Fairy Trail is a 2.5-kilometre loop, and Parks Canada's Ontario hiking page rates it moderate at about an hour and a half. The Cambrian Trail adds 2.0 kilometres along Little Dog Channel through pine forest. The 2.5-kilometre Dossyonshing Trail is one of the more challenging hikes and looks out over Long Bay. Rockview, at 1.5 kilometres, joins the northern Georgian Trail and leads to the historic Brebeuf Lighthouse. The 0.3-kilometre Portage Trail crosses the island at its narrowest point, past a wetland.

The Chimney Bay trip takes 50 minutes and stops at Cedar Spring on the way. Landmark lists Honey Harbour departures at 9:00 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., with boats leaving Chimney Bay at 1:30, 3:15 and 5:00 p.m. That page has no date, so make sure the times hold for Thanksgiving weekend when you book.

The two ends side by side

Neither end has a store. Pack water, snacks or lunch, layers for the weather and sturdy footwear for uneven ground.

What stays open after the boat stops

Once the day shuttle stops, the island isn't closed to people with their own boats. On the Wednesdays and Thursdays of the fall schedule, docking and camping work through self-registration permits, but washrooms are not serviced. Honey Harbour Boat Club says its cottage and park water taxi usually runs from May through the end of October, weather permitting. It operates during regular Club hours and not after dark. Parks Canada's list of licensed water taxis also includes Georgian Bay Islands Water Taxi, Georgian Coastal Water Taxi, Harbour Water Taxi, Island Express and North Western Private Tours.

On the mainland, Honey Harbour General Store lists its season as April through October. Posted hours are Tuesday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays. The snack bar is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Boat Club's retail store says it is open seven days a week through the end of October, with hours that vary. Neither hours page carries a date, so call ahead before you plan a holiday Monday stop.

The shuttle's five-season licence also shows up in the Township's planning. An April 14, 2026, staff report to the Committee of the Whole says the Township was working on a 2026 permit for the ferry operator at its existing commercial rate of $2.00 per foot per day. The report names the operator as "Lakeland Cruises," while Parks Canada's announcement says Landmark Cruises. The same report says $70,000 was approved in 2025 to upgrade the Honey Harbour Road launch from gravel to concrete, because heavy commercial use had worn it past what ordinary pleasure-craft users need. The Township's 2026 capital budget also includes:

• $150,000 to rehabilitate the Honey Harbour public launch ramp, pending a staff report
• $50,000 to replace interlocking stones on the Honey Harbour Park Landing boardwalk

The sidewalk planned from the LCBO to the Port of Honey Harbour has been pushed to 2027.

When fall service resumes next spring, Landmark Cruises will be starting the second of its five seasons on the run. That gives you four more falls to see whichever end of Beausoleil you skip this Thanksgiving.

When you own a property near Honey Harbour, how people reach it shapes everything from weekend plans to what a buyer needs to know someday. Water taxi hours, launch conditions and shuttle seasons all count. If you're weighing what your island or water-access property is worth, Bryan Coxworth and Megan Coxworth would be glad to talk it through. Request a Complimentary Valuation & Marketing Plan.