Ottawa to the Thousand Islands

#6 long weekend road trip

Ontario

You’re going to love the Thousand Islands

Just 2-ish hours from Ottawa lies Gananoque, the gateway to the Thousand Islands. This collection of islands (there are over 1800) is shared between the US and Canada, on the St. Lawrence River. The town of Gananoque itself also offers loads of cultural sights and experiences.

The Thousand Islands are great for outdoor exploration, biking and relaxation.

Hacker tip

Bring your bikes. The Thousand Island Parkway is roughly 37km of paved trails. It’s a great way to experience the natural surroundings, and get around outdoors.

COVID-19 information

As you consider current and future travel plans, stay up-to-date on car rental providers’ change and cancellation policies. As you’re searching for car rentals, use our Flexible Filters options that let you sort your search results by providers offering free cancellations (usually in the form of travel credits) and providers that are waiving change fees.

As you consider current and future travel plans, stay up-to-date on hotel providers’ change and cancellation policies. As you’re searching for hotels, use our Flexible Filters options that let you sort your search results by providers offering free cancellations (usually in the form of travel credits) and providers that are waiving change fees.

View country-level and province-specific restrictions in Canada here.

Enjoy your drive

There are 3 major routes that will take you to the Thousand Island: ON-15, ON-7 or ON-416/401. Depending which way you choose, there are plenty of places to stop. But going the expressway route does afford you the opportunity to get straight to your destination.

Median rental car rate

This graph shows the median rental car rate in Ottawa by month in 2020, compared to the same month in 2019.