Bay of Quinte

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The Bay of Quinte at night, with a view of CFB Trenton.

Indian Point, western-most point of Prince Edward County and entrance to the Bay of Quinte.

The Bay of Quinte (pronounced /ˈkwɪnti/) is a long, thin bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is located about 200 kilometers east of Toronto and 400 west of Montreal.

The northern side of the bay is defined by Ontario's mainland, while the southern side follows the shore of the Prince Edward County headland. Beginning in the east with the outlet to Lake Ontario, the bay runs west-southwest for 25 kilometers (16 mi) to Picton (although this section is also called Adolphus Reach), where it turns north-northwest for another 20 kilometers (12 mi) as far as Deseronto. From there it turns south-southwest again for another 40 kilometers (25 mi), running past Big Island on the south and Belleville on the north. The width of the bay rarely exceeds two kilometers. The bay ends at Trenton (Quinte West) and the Trent River, both also on the north side. The Murray Canal has been cut through the few miles separating the end of the bay and Lake Ontario on the west side. The Trent River is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, a canal connecting Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe and then Georgian Bay on Lake Huron.

There are several sub-bays off the Bay of Quinte, including Hay Bay, Big Bay, and Muscote Bay.

The Bay, as it is known locally, provides some of the best trophy Walleye angling in North America as well as most sport fish common to the great lakes. The Bay is subject to algae blooms in late summer which are a naturally occurring phenomenon and do not indicate pollution other than from agricultural runoff. Zebra mussels as well as the other invasive species found in the great lakes are present.

The Quinte area played a vital role to bootleggers during Prohibition in the United States, with large volumes of booze being produced in the area, and shipped via boat on the Bay, to Lake Ontario finally arriving in New York State where it was distributed. Illegal sales of liquor accounted for many fortunes in and around Belleville, Ontario.

The Bay of Quinte area includes the municipalities of Brighton, Quinte West, Belleville, Prince Edward County, and Greater Napanee as well as the Native Mohawk Territory of Tyendinaga. Overall population of the area exceeds 150,000 and is located between Toronto and Ottawa Ontario on the 401.

Tourism in the area is significant, especially in the summer months due to the Bay of Quinte and it's fishing, local golf courses such as Trillium Wood and Black Bear Ridge and Timber Ridge, Sandbanks Provincial Park, The Royal Canadian Airforce Museum, over 20 wineries in Prince Edward County, and a great local Sports Tourism due to its proximaty in Eastern Ontario. Tourism efforts are currently being expanded in the area by the Bay of Quinte Tourist Council which is made up of the Chambers of Commerce of the Bay of Quinte as well as Taste the County, the Prince Edward County tourism group, and representatives from the Tyedinaga reserve and Quinte West's municipality. The current President of the council is Ryan Williams.

See also

• Lennox and Addington Historical Society

Coordinates: 44°09′N 77°15′W / 44.15°N 77.25°W / 44.15; -77.25