The North Channel is the body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron

Lake Huron

Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...

, in the Canadian province of Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. It is bordered on the east by Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...

, on the west by the St. Marys River

St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)

The St. Marys River , sometimes written as the St. Mary's River, drains Lake Superior, starting at the end of Whitefish Bay and flowing 74.5 miles southeast into Lake Huron, with a fall of ....

, to the north by the eastern Algoma District and to the south by the islands of Manitoulin

Manitoulin Island

Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...

, Cockburn, Drummond and St. Joseph

St. Joseph Island

St. Joseph Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, near the mouth of the St. Marys River which connects Lake Huron with Lake Superior. It is the second largest island in Lake Huron and the third largest in the Great Lakes overall, trailing Manitoulin and Lake Superior's Isle Royale.St...

.

In addition to Georgian Bay, the North Channel is connected to the main body of Lake Huron by the False Detour Channel

False Detour Channel

The False Detour Channel is a short channel in Lake Huron, connecting the main body of the lake to the North Channel. The Canada-United States border passes roughly through the middle of the channel, which separates Michigan's Drummond Island from Ontario's Cockburn Island ....

 and the Mississagi Strait

Mississagi Strait

The Mississagi Strait is a narrow strait or channel in Lake Huron, connecting the North Channel to the main water body. The strait also separates Manitoulin Island from Cockburn Island.-References:...

, which separate the above-noted islands.

The only road crossings of the North Channel are at the Little Current Swing Bridge

Little Current Swing Bridge

The Little Current Swing Bridge is a swing bridge in the Canadian province of Ontario, located at the community of Little Current in the town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands....

, which carries Highway 6

Highway 6 (Ontario)

King's Highway 6, also known as Highway 6, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It crosses a distance of between Port Dover on the north shore of Lake Erie and Espanola on the northern shore of Lake Huron, ending at the Trans-Canada Highway in McKerrow.- Port...

 between Manitoulin Island

Manitoulin Island

Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...

 and the mainland of Northern Ontario

Northern Ontario

Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...

, and the Bernt Gilbertson Bridge, which carries Highway 548 from the mainland onto St. Joseph Island. The bridges are located at two of the narrowest points along the entire channel.

The North Channel lies under the jurisdiction of the Georgian Bay Land Trust

Georgian Bay Land Trust

The Georgian Bay Land Trust is a not-for-profit, registered charity, whose goal is to protect the uniqueness of the eastern shore and North Channel of Georgian Bay through the securement and on-going stewardship of land that has ecological, geological and historical importance.Through this work,...

. The Georgian Bay Land Trust is an organization which seeks to preserve land of ecological, geological, and historical importance.

The communities on the mainland side of the North Channel, between the townships of Tarbutt

Tarbutt and Tarbutt Additional, Ontario

Tarbutt and Tarbutt Additional is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the Algoma District. The township is about east of Sault Ste. Marie.Its population centres are Port Findlay and MacLennan...

 and Nairn and Hyman

Nairn and Hyman, Ontario

Nairn and Hyman is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario. The township, located in the Sudbury District, borders on the southwestern city limits of Greater Sudbury...

, are commonly grouped as the North Shore region. This designation does not generally include the communities on St. Joseph or Manitoulin islands.