With so many months of frigid, miserable winter, people in Toronto definitely know how to take advantage of our precious weeks of summer, which means you can count on parks, patios, and basically anywhere else you'd want to go to be absolutely packed whenever the weather is decent.

This is especially true on a long weekend like the one we just had, and also for certain attractions and activities that have become unfortunately hellish to enjoy.

While a trip to the Toronto Islands sounds like an ideal way to spend a stunning day like yesterday's holiday, the allure fades fast when you see the throngs of people waiting for the ferry and realize everyone else has the same idea.

The ferry terminal in Toronto is almost as out of control as Pearson Airport right now https://t.co/Q3sYYrVxkU #Toronto #TorontoFerry

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 4, 2022

As has been the case on other beautiful weekend days in recent memory, the lineups at the city's Jack Layton Ferry Terminal were outrageous over the weekend, despite the fact that boats leave for Centre Island, Hanlan's Point and Ward's Island very regularly.

@cityoftoronto When the Toronto employee says "there is another ferry behide this one" does not that mean 30mins later? Why does Canada Day surprise the city of Toronto and they forget to have the Centre Island ferry run less than 15mins. Great job City!!!! 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏

— mathew maclean (@mathewmacl50387) July 1, 2023

The longest wait for a ferry, according to the summer schedule, is 80 minutes, and that is only when headed to Centre Island between 11:20 a.m. and 12:40 p.m.

For the rest of the day, waits are 30 to 40 minutes, and "may increase to every 15 minutes depending upon weather and crowd requirements." Some start as early as 6:45 a.m. (for Hanlan's), with a last trip from the city as late as 11:30 p.m. (for Ward's).

But still, the hordes persist, with people packing the terminal and waiting for hours to catch a ride over.

Line ups for the Toronto Island ferry were extra bad this long weekend - 🎥 Ismail (ism_8585) #Toronto #TorontoIslands pic.twitter.com/xfRdNoh6d9

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 4, 2023

One resident who posted videos of the bedlam on Monday calling it a "pure nightmare" and "total mess" says that they were held up for more than an hour holding a small child in the hot sun — which brought humidex values around 30 C — to get a spot on board.

"We had no chance to get on the boat as we had to push through the crowd with a baby," they told blogTO. "They were treating us like sheep."

People waited in the sun for well over an hour to get on the boats - 🎥 Ismail (ism_8585) #Toronto #TorontoIslands pic.twitter.com/XdgWYLPVs2

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 4, 2023

Our last holiday weekend for Victoria Day brought similar hassles for (and complaints from) those trying to get offshore and back home again.

As one person tweeted that weekend: "Dear City of Toronto - Your suggestion to take a ferry to Toronto Island Park on a long weekend is so nice and wonderful..However, I’m not sure if you guys are aware of the pain the general public are going through to get on and off the ferry to Center Island?"

That person reported waiting 1.5 hours to catch the ferry to the island and another whopping 3.5 hours to get back, while others cited "non-existent" crowd management and similar time spent hanging around in line.

A spokesperson for the city tells blogTO that given that Toronto Island Park sees more than 1.4 million visitors per year, queues are to be expected.

"The city does our best to mitigate wait times and are looking at new ways to address issues. We encourage visitors to plan ahead, purchase tickets online in advance and travel at off-peak times," they said.

"The ferry terminal is busiest in the mornings starting around 9:30 a.m. Return ferries tend to be busiest in late afternoon and early evening as people head home for dinner and island attractions close."

Not feeling complainy today but this is the incredibly long line home waiting for the very nostalgic but antiquated ancient toronto ferry. They ordered new ferries but they’re olden style w choked entrances / docking. Ah well. pic.twitter.com/l3Hge49oQR

— Rate Limit 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (@shawnmicallef) May 21, 2023

With the masses of people you have to deal with just to travel to the islands — yes, even for private water taxis — and also when you actually get there, many locals know by now to avoid the area altogether, at least on a weekend or holiday.

If the plan for a pedestrian bridge to the archipelago ever comes to fruition, that would surely help.