Kingston, ON to the Cabins: Route & Miles

Kingston is 146 road miles from the cabins, about two and three-quarter hours plus the wait at the border. The usual way is Highway 401 east to the Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge, then NY 37 along the St. Lawrence to Massena and US 11 into Malone, and two other bridges, the Thousand Islands and the Three Nations Crossing at Cornwall, make real alternatives. Here is each part of the route, the 2026 lane closure on the Ogdensburg bridge, the stops on both sides of the river, and a plan for a Friday arrival.

146 milesby road from Kingston, ON

two and three-quarter hours+typical driving time

Malonethe last town: groceries, fuel, the hospital

4 guestsper cabin, each with its own hot tub

The route from Kingston

From Kingston, Highway 401 runs east above the St. Lawrence past Gananoque, the Hill Island turnoff for the Thousand Islands Bridge, Mallorytown and Brockville to Prescott, about an hour in all. Leave it at the exit signed for Highways 16 and 416, Johnstown, the USA and Ottawa, and follow Highway 16 a short way to the bridge approach. The Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge, a mile and a half long, lands you at the U.S. inspection booths in Ogdensburg.

On the New York side, NY 812 runs less than a mile from the bridge plaza to NY 37. Turn left, east, and NY 37 carries you along the river through the towns of Lisbon and Louisville and the village of Waddington to Massena, about 45 minutes. Ogdensburg is about 77 road miles from the cabins and Massena about 47, so this river stretch is roughly 30 miles of the trip.

In Massena, turn right on NY 420, which is Main Street in the village, and follow it south to Winthrop, where it jogs onto NY 11C for a moment and then meets US 11. US 11 runs east through Lawrence, into Franklin County at Moira, and through Brushton and Bangor to Malone, about 40 minutes from Massena. In Malone, Duane Street leaves US 11 and becomes County Route 25, and the host's directions take you the rest of the way; getting to the cabins explains the last miles.

Stretch	Roads	Time
Kingston to the bridge exit	Highway 401 east, Highway 16	About an hour
The crossing	Ogdensburg–Prescott bridge, U.S. inspection	Plus the wait
Ogdensburg to Massena	NY 812, NY 37	About 45 minutes
Massena to Malone	NY 420, US 11	About 40 minutes
Malone to the cabins	Duane Street and County Route 25 south	About 20 minutes

The Ogdensburg bridge in 2026

The bridge was completed in 1960, and the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority is in the second year of a two-year, $16.4 million maintenance project on it. The paving of the U.S. approach was scheduled for the fall of 2025, and painting of the steel for the 2026 season. For this year's work the authority has put the bridge under one-lane traffic control from March 25 through November 21, 2026. Follow the signs and the flaggers, allow extra time, and know that nothing wider than 13 feet or taller than 16 feet 4 inches, and no load of 90,000 pounds or more, can cross until the lane closure ends.

The car toll is US$3.25 or C$4.25 one way. Both border offices stay open around the clock: U.S. Customs and Border Protection lists the Ogdensburg port as open all day, every day, with up to five lanes for cars, and the Canada Border Services Agency office at Prescott is open 24 hours for the drive home. In a normal year the bridge authority describes waits here as generally non-existent, but its notice for the 2026 work tells drivers to expect delays. It is still the shortest way from Kingston. If the single lane is backing traffic up, Cornwall is the way around it, and it costs you very little time.

The Thousand Islands Bridge

The Thousand Islands Bridge is the first crossing you reach from Kingston. Leave the 401 at the exit signed for Highway 137, Hill Island and the 1000 Islands Bridge. The bridge system was dedicated on August 18, 1938, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Mackenzie King, and it runs 8.5 miles from Ivy Lea, Ontario, to Collins Landing, New York, with more than 2,000,000 vehicles a year crossing it.

Since January 1, 2026, a car pays US$4.00 or C$5.50. The bridge takes E-ZPass, its own discount sticker or hang tag, cash and major credit cards in every lane. The U.S. port at Alexandria Bay is open 24 hours, with up to eight car lanes, and it is the only one of the three U.S. ports on these bridges that CBP lists with a NEXUS lane, though that lane is not always open. The Canadian office at Lansdowne is open 24 hours too, with NEXUS lanes toward Canada on weekdays from 6 to 8 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.

The catch is what comes after. From the bridge, the fastest way to the cabins is south on I-81 to exit 49, east on NY 411 and NY 26, and then US 11 through Gouverneur, Canton and Potsdam, the road laid out on the drive from Watertown. It adds 20 to 30 minutes of driving compared with the Ogdensburg bridge. It makes sense if you hold NEXUS cards, if you want a walk on Canton's river islands or the 24-hour Stewart's in Potsdam on the way, or if the Ogdensburg lane closure is causing a backup.

The Three Nations Crossing at Cornwall

The third choice is to stay on the 401 past Prescott to Cornwall, take the exit signed for Highway 138, Cornwall and Hawkesbury, and follow Brookdale Avenue south to the bridge. The Seaway International Bridge, also called the Three Nations Crossing, links Cornwall, Akwesasne and Massena. A car pays C$5.25 or US$3.75, the rate since April 1, 2025, in either currency, and a Seaway Transit Card takes 10 percent off. The U.S. port at Massena and the Canadian office at 1 Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall are both open 24 hours.

From the U.S. booths, NY 37 runs east through Akwesasne and Fort Covington to Malone, where it comes in on Finney Boulevard, by Price Chopper. Fort Covington is about 25 road miles from the cabins. The Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort is on this road, at 873 State Route 37 in Hogansburg. Mapped end to end, the Cornwall route takes about the same time from Kingston as the Ogdensburg route, so in the months of the Ogdensburg lane closure it is worth checking both bridges' waits before you choose.

Crossings to leave off the plan

Two crossings that look tempting on a map do not work for this trip. The first is the old car ferry from Wolfe Island to Cape Vincent. Horne's Ferry stopped running in 2024. By December 2025 the docks on both sides had been bought to keep the crossing possible, and Jefferson County had hired a ferry consultant to study it. In September 2026 a Cape Vincent resident was buying the ferry from the Horne family and said he expected it back in service in the spring of 2027, once customs and a building on the Canadian dock are sorted out. Until boats are running again, plan on a bridge, and check the latest news before you count on the ferry.

The second is Trout River, on NY 30 north of Malone. It has been closed to traffic entering the United States since June 1, 2026, while its port is rebuilt, with completion targeted for May 2028, though traffic heading north into Canada still crosses there. A phone map is unlikely to send a Kingston driver that way, but if one does, ignore it. For the papers each adult needs, the rules on food, firewood and dogs, and every port's hours, see crossing the border.

Stops on the Ontario side

Mallorytown

The ONroute service centre at Mallorytown South, on the eastbound 401 between Gananoque and Brockville, is open around the clock every day. It has a Tim Hortons, an A&W, New York Fries and a convenience store, Canadian Tire Gas+ with full service from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and self-serve at all hours, EV chargers and a pet area. Heading home, the westbound centre at Mallorytown North has a Tim Hortons open around the clock, a Starbucks, an A&W and a Subway.

The 1000 Islands Parkway

On a summer day you can leave the 401 at Gananoque and follow the 1000 Islands Parkway along the river as far as Brown's Bay before you rejoin the highway. A paved, traffic-free recreational trail runs beside it from just east of Gananoque to Brown's Bay, 37 kilometres each way, and the drive passes Ivy Lea and Rockport, Mallorytown Landing in Thousand Islands National Park, and the beach and picnic areas at Brown's Bay. It is slower than the 401, and in summer that is the point.

Fort Wellington in Prescott

Prescott is the last town before the bridge, and Parks Canada's Fort Wellington National Historic Site is on the river at 370 VanKoughnet Street; take exit 716, head south on Edward Street, then left on King Street and left on VanKoughnet. Its 2026 hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily from July 1 to September 7, and Thursday to Monday from May 16 to June 30 and from September 8 to October 12, with last admission at 4 p.m. It is closed from mid-October to mid-May. From September 8, 2026, adults pay $5.00, seniors $4.50, and visitors 17 and under get in free. Check the 2027 season before you plan around it.

Stops on the New York side

Ogdensburg

The Remington Museum of Art, at 303 Washington Street in downtown Ogdensburg, is a short detour from NY 37. Frederic Remington was born in Canton, New York, on October 4, 1861, and his family moved to Ogdensburg in the early 1870s; the museum began as the Remington Art Memorial in 1923, and its main building is the Parish Mansion, built in 1810. From May 15 to October 14 it opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4. From October 15 to May 14 it keeps Wednesday-to-Saturday hours of 11 to 4 and Sunday hours of noon to 4, and it closes completely in January and February. Admission is $16 for adults 30 and over, with lower prices for younger adults, seniors and students. Check the museum's hours before you detour.

Massena and the Eisenhower Lock

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, and its visitor center at the Eisenhower Lock, at 76 Barnhart Island Road in Massena, is free. Ships pass through the U.S. lock below the observation deck, and an average visit runs about an hour and a half. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and Wednesday to Sunday, same hours, outside that peak. Call 315-769-2422 for a recording of the day's projected lockage schedule before you detour, so you arrive when a ship is due. Pets are not allowed, though service dogs are. It sits north-east of the village, off the route, so give it at least an hour and a half.

Winthrop and Brushton

For fuel, the Stewart's in Winthrop stands right at the corner where NY 420 meets NY 11C, on the route. It sells regular gas, diesel and 91-octane premium without ethanol, along with coffee, and has restrooms and booths. On US 11, the Brushton Stewart's at 1271 Washington Street has the same fuel, about 21 road miles from the cabins.

Malone

Every route from the Ontario bridges ends in Malone, where the supermarkets, the drugstore and the gas are. Price Chopper, at 53 Finney Boulevard, lists its hours as 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day; groceries and supplies lists what the cabin kitchens already have.

The drive by season

Winter

Lake Ontario's snow does not stay on the Tug Hill. The National Weather Service office in Buffalo recorded lake-effect snow forming near the Thousand Islands after a cold front in late January 2025, a few inches falling through the St. Lawrence Valley on January 18, 2026, and, in December 2024, a band that stretched far inland across the northern Adirondacks, with significant accumulations all the way into Franklin County, where the cabins are. On the Ontario side, check Ontario 511 before you leave, and on the U.S. side the forecast for Ogdensburg and Malone. In February, the sun sets at the cabins at 5:21 p.m. on Friday the 12th in 2027, so a winter crossing after lunch puts the last miles at dusk. Winter driving has the tires and the kit.

Spring and summer

The Ogdensburg bridge's 2026 lane closure began on March 25; ask the bridge authority whether there is work planned for 2027. Summer is the season for the slow versions of this drive, with the 1000 Islands Parkway, Fort Wellington open every day and the Seaway visitor center open daily. On Friday, July 2, 2027, sunset at the cabins is not until 8:46 p.m.

Fall and the long weekends

Canadian Thanksgiving Monday and Columbus Day in the United States fall on the same date in 2026, October 12, and in 2027 Ontario's Family Day and Washington's Birthday, the U.S. Presidents' Day, both fall on Monday, February 15, so on those weekends both countries are on holiday at once. The Canada Border Services Agency's advice for long weekends is to cross early in the morning, and it notes that the holiday Monday tends to be the busiest day, which counts double when both sides are off. Fort Wellington's 2026 season ends on Thanksgiving Monday, and the Remington museum switches to its winter hours on October 15.

Flying or the train

From Kingston, driving is the way to do this. Kingston's own airport is no help for this trip: since September 23, 2025, Air Canada has linked it to Toronto Pearson with a Landline motorcoach. The two airports on the New York side of the river do not connect with Ontario either. Breeze flies Ogdensburg, with every daily flight routed through Raleigh-Durham and on to Florida from October 2026, and Boutique Air flies from Massena to Boston.

Without a car, VIA Rail's Toronto–Montreal trains run from Kingston to Cornwall in about an hour and a half, and Cornwall's unstaffed station has an Enterprise office nearby. The cabins are about 44 road miles from Cornwall over the Three Nations Crossing. The rental office's hours make that a weekday plan; the drive from Toronto page sets out the train and rental details.

A Friday arrival from Kingston

Check-in at all three cabins is after 4 p.m. A plan that gets you there in daylight most of the year:

2:00 p.m. Leave Kingston on the 401 east. Coffee at Mallorytown South if you want it.
About 3:00. Cross the Ogdensburg bridge. In 2026, allow for the single lane until November 21.
About 3:45. Massena. Fill the tank at Stewart's in Winthrop a few minutes later.
About 4:30. Malone. Groceries, then text the host when to expect you before the county roads, where coverage depends on your carrier.
About 5:15. At the cabin.

Leaving after work at 5:30 puts you in Malone around 8 and at the cabin by about 8:45, still ahead of the 10 p.m. quiet hours at The Aviator and The Modern Tiny Home. On the way home, checkout is before 11 a.m., and the Canadian offices at Prescott, Lansdowne and Cornwall are all open 24 hours, so you can choose the bridge on the day.

What Kingston guests come for

A Kingston guest who stayed at The Aviator in July 2024 kept the review short:

We enjoyed our stay at the aviator. It was clean (new cabin smell) and the host was very accommodating

A summer weekend from Kingston has room for more than the hot tub. The Titusville Mountain State Forest has a waterfall walk whose trailhead is about five road miles from the cabins, and the Elephant's Head trail a little farther (Titusville Mountain State Forest); Lake Titus and the small lakes south of Malone are minutes away (the lakes near the cabins); and the fire towers to the south make a full day out (the fire tower challenge). In winter, Titus Mountain's base lodge is about 3.5 road miles from the cabins (skiing Titus). All three cabins sleep four, each with its own hot tub; see the cabins to pick one.

Questions

Which bridge should we use from Kingston?

The Ogdensburg–Prescott bridge is the shortest way: Highway 401 east to the Highway 16 exit at Johnstown, then NY 37, NY 420 and US 11, 146 road miles in all. Through November 21, 2026, it runs one lane at a time, and the Three Nations Crossing at Cornwall takes about the same time overall. The Thousand Islands Bridge is the first you reach, but it adds 20 to 30 minutes of driving on the New York side.

How much are the bridge tolls?

For a car, the Ogdensburg–Prescott bridge is US$3.25 or C$4.25 one way. The Thousand Islands Bridge has been US$4.00 or C$5.50 since January 1, 2026, and takes E-ZPass, cash and cards. The Seaway International Bridge at Cornwall is C$5.25 or US$3.75, the rate since April 1, 2025, payable in either currency. Check each bridge's page before you go, because rates change.

Are the crossings open at night?

Yes. The U.S. ports at Ogdensburg, Alexandria Bay and Massena and the Canadian offices at Prescott, Lansdowne and Cornwall are all open 24 hours, so a late Friday arrival or an early start home works at any of the three bridges. Only the Trout River crossing on NY 30 is off the table: it is closed to traffic entering the United States until about May 2028.

Can we take the Wolfe Island ferry to Cape Vincent?

Not at present. Horne's Ferry, the car ferry between Wolfe Island and Cape Vincent, stopped running in 2024. In September 2026 a Cape Vincent resident was buying it from the Horne family and expected to restart it in the spring of 2027, once customs and a building on the Canadian dock are ready. Until boats are running again, plan on one of the three bridges.

Where should we stop on the way?

On the 401, the Mallorytown South ONroute, open around the clock. In Prescott, Fort Wellington in season; in Ogdensburg, the Remington Museum of Art; in Massena, the free Seaway visitor center at the Eisenhower Lock. For fuel on the New York side, the Stewart's at the NY 420 and NY 11C corner in Winthrop, and for groceries, Price Chopper in Malone, open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

What do we need at the border?

The documents each person needs, the rules on food, firewood and dogs, and the duty-free allowances for the trip home are all on crossing the border. If everyone in the car holds NEXUS, Alexandria Bay, at the Thousand Islands Bridge, is the only one of the three U.S. ports CBP lists with a NEXUS lane, though it is not always open, and Lansdowne has NEXUS lanes toward Canada at weekday rush hours.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Hours, fees and schedules change; confirm before you go.

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From Kingston, ON to the cabins