From Montreal to the cabins
About 93 road miles, about two hours plus the border crossing. The route, the alternatives, the arrival and which cabin fits.
From downtown Montreal the cabins are 93 road miles away, about 150 kilometers, by the main route through the Fort Covington crossing, which is open around the clock. Plan on about two hours of driving plus the wait at the booth. This page covers the road itself: each stretch with its towns and distances, the other crossings and when they fit, where to stop, what the seasons do to these roads, and the train and bus for anyone without a car. The weekend around the drive, from groceries and money to phones and the trip home, is planned out in Montreal to the cabins.
The route through Fort Covington
This is the route behind the 93-mile figure. It leaves the autoroutes at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, and most of its last hour is on two-lane roads: Route 132 beside the river in Quebec, then NY 37 in New York. Each stretch below is measured from downtown on OpenStreetMap's road network, in miles and kilometers, and the times assume an open road with no stops and no line at the booth.
| Stretch | Roads | Places on the way | Distance | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown to the south shore | The Ville-Marie expressway, Autoroute 20 west, then Route 138 over the Honoré-Mercier Bridge | LaSalle, Kahnawake, Châteauguay | 15 miles (24 km) | 20 minutes |
| On to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield | Autoroute 30 west, then Autoroute 530 | Léry, Beauharnois | 22 miles (36 km) | 25 minutes |
| Across Valleyfield | The Larocque bridge, then Route 132 and Route 201 together | Salaberry-de-Valleyfield | 7.5 miles (12 km) | 10 minutes |
| Valleyfield to the border | Route 132 west along the St. Lawrence | Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Sainte-Barbe, Saint-Anicet, Dundee | 22 miles (36 km) | 25 minutes |
| The border to Malone | Dundee Road, then NY 37 east | Fort Covington, Westville | 16.5 miles (26 km) | 20 minutes |
| Malone to the cabins | Duane Street south out of the village, County Route 25, then town roads | Malone, the Town of Bellmont | 10 miles (16 km) | 20 minutes |
The border is about 67 road miles (108 km) from downtown, roughly an hour and twenty minutes out, and the cabins are about 26 road miles past it. Both offices at this crossing, Dundee on the Quebec side and Fort Covington in New York, are open 24 hours, so this route works whatever time you leave. The papers to carry and the rules on food, firewood and dogs are in crossing the border.
Route 132 and a stop at Dundee
West of Valleyfield, Route 132 keeps to the St. Lawrence through the villages in the table to Dundee, the last municipality before the line. Valleyfield is the last city on the route, so buy coffee or top up the tank there if you want either before the border. Once across, plan the next stop for Malone.
Dundee also has the one long stop worth planning on this route. The Lake Saint-François National Wildlife Area, managed by Environment and Climate Change Canada, protects about 1,317 hectares on the lake and has more than 10 kilometers of trails, lookouts, observation towers and a visitor center with washrooms. Its entrance is at 7600 chemin de la Pointe-Fraser, about two and a half road miles there and back from Route 132. The trails are open from sunrise to sunset, April to December. The friends' group that runs the visitor services keeps them going from about May to October, with the visitor center open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the 2026 season is listed as April 29 to November 1. Dogs may walk the trails on a leash. It suits a morning or midday crossing; outside the season the trails stay open but there are no visitor services.
From the border to Malone
The U.S. port is on Dundee Road, about a mile from NY 37; CBP's number there for travelers' questions is (518) 358-2444. NY 37 runs east through Fort Covington and Westville and comes into Malone as Fort Covington Street and then Finney Boulevard, where the Stewart's and the Price Chopper in the table below are about two-tenths of a mile apart. From the village, Duane Street and County Route 25 lead south to the county and town roads of the last ten miles, where the host's directions beat a phone map, as getting to the cabins explains.
Autoroute 15 and the Champlain crossing
Autoroute 15 is the other main route that stays open all night. It is about 101 road miles to the cabins, eight more than the Fort Covington route, and it keeps to autoroute and interstate until the US 11 exit just past the border. From downtown, the Bonaventure expressway, Autoroute 10, leads onto Autoroute 15, which crosses the St. Lawrence on the Samuel De Champlain Bridge and runs south past La Prairie, Candiac and Saint-Philippe to Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle. The booth is about 40 road miles (64 km) from downtown, roughly 45 minutes on a clear road.
Champlain is the one crossing on the Montreal routes where CBP posts a live wait time, and it processes passenger traffic 24 hours a day. Past the booth the interstate lasts only about a mile and a quarter; US 11 then carries the remaining 57 road miles west through Champlain, Mooers, Altona, Ellenburg, Chateaugay and Burke. Buy groceries in Champlain on this route, because phone maps take US 11 around the middle of Malone on Andrus Street and River Road, almost two miles from the village's Price Chopper. Take Autoroute 15 if you start on the South Shore, or if you would rather keep to autoroute and interstate as far as the border on a dark night.
The daytime crossings at Chateaugay and Churubusco
Two shorter routes work only in daylight hours. Chateaugay, called Herdman on the Canadian side, is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in both directions and gives the shortest trip, about 75 road miles: Route 138 over the Mercier Bridge to Ormstown, rural roads through Hinchinbrooke to the port, about 48 road miles from downtown, then US 11 west from Chateaugay village. Churubusco, about 84 road miles, takes traffic into the United States from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., by Route 201 and Route 209 south of Ormstown and NY 189 to US 11 on the New York side. Canada has no office opposite it, so it works only on the way down. The road-by-road directions for both, and the hour to leave downtown for each, are in the Montreal weekend post.
Where to stop on the way
| Stop | Route | What it is good for | Hours and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Saint-François National Wildlife Area, Dundee | Fort Covington | A walk on the trails and lookouts; washrooms at the visitor center | Trails sunrise to sunset, April to December; visitor center Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in season |
| Price Chopper, 860 Route 11, Champlain | Champlain | Groceries and beer | 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, 2.7 road miles past the port |
| Stewart's, 195 East Main Street, Chateaugay | Champlain, Chateaugay and Churubusco | Gas, 91-octane non-ethanol premium, an ATM, restrooms | On US 11 in the village |
| Price Chopper, 53 Finney Boulevard, Malone | Fort Covington | Groceries and beer | 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily |
| Stewart's, 289 West Main Street, Malone | Fort Covington | Gas, diesel, non-ethanol premium, an ATM, restrooms | At the corner of Finney Boulevard |
On a daytime trip through Chateaugay, High Falls, a waterfall in a private campground just outside the village, makes a longer stop; the Chateaugay and High Falls guide has the details. Malone's restaurants are listed in where to eat, and electric-car charging on these routes is covered in the weekend post.
Snow on the Quebec roads
Winter changes the choice of route more than the distance does. Quebec's transport ministry names a handful of stretches where blowing snow is a known hazard, and two are on the Montreal routes. On the way to Chateaugay, Route 138 has a 4.2-kilometer rural section between Mercier and Sainte-Martine where the limit drops to 80 km/h, with snow fences, about 1.9 kilometers of rumble strips, closer watch in winter and a longer stretch under mobile photo radar. On the Champlain route, Autoroute 15 at La Prairie has warning signs, extra plowing and road monitoring, and a real-time weather alert system is being planned there. The Fort Covington route turns off Route 138 onto Autoroute 30 at the edge of Mercier, before that rural section, and never uses Autoroute 15.
Before a winter drive, Québec 511 posts conditions road by road; for NY 37 and US 11, use 511NY, the New York State Department of Transportation's travel information service. If a storm is due on a Friday evening, a Saturday morning start puts the whole drive in daylight. For tires, snowplows and the kit to carry, see the winter driving guide.
Fall color and the long weekends
October brings the color and a long weekend both countries share. In New York's weekly foliage report for October 7 to 13, 2026, Malone was at about 50 percent change and near peak, mostly bright reds and oranges, while Saranac Lake, about an hour south of the cabins, had reached peak. That week takes in Monday, October 12, Thanksgiving in Canada and Columbus Day in the United States, and in 2027 the two fall together again on October 11. The fall foliage guide explains how the color moves through the area.
Quebec's other holidays line up less neatly. In 2027 the Journée nationale des patriotes falls on Monday, May 24, a week before Memorial Day on May 31. The Fête nationale on June 24 and Canada Day on July 1 both land on Thursdays, and the United States observes Independence Day on Monday, July 5. Labour Day and Labor Day share Monday, September 6.
The lines at the border follow the holidays. The Monday of a holiday long weekend is usually the busiest day to cross back into Canada, and early morning is the best time to avoid a wait, so on those weekends head home on the Sunday or early on the Monday. For what is on near the cabins month by month, see the events calendar.
The train and the bus from Montreal
No train or bus reaches the cabins, and the listings call a car or SUV essential, but you can get as far as Plattsburgh without driving and rent a car there for the last 61 road miles. Amtrak's Adirondack leaves Montreal's Gare Centrale once a day at 11:10 a.m., stops at Saint-Lambert at 11:25 and reaches Rouses Point, the first station in New York, at 2:15 p.m. and Plattsburgh at 2:45 p.m. The schedule sets aside about an hour for the border, because U.S. customs and immigration officers board the train at Rouses Point and check passengers in their seats. Going back, the train leaves Plattsburgh at 4:02 p.m. and reaches Montreal at 8:16 p.m.
Greyhound runs five buses a day from the Gare d'autocars de Montréal at 1717 Berri Street to Plattsburgh, the first at 7 a.m. and the last at 5:15 p.m.; the fastest takes about two hours and ten minutes and stops at 485 Route 3, at a Sunoco station. The Avis counter is at Plattsburgh International Airport, about 4 road miles from the train station and 5 from the bus stop, and it is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, so reserve the car before you buy the ticket and plan the short ride out to it. From Plattsburgh the drive is NY 190 and US 11 west, about an hour and a quarter. Flying into Montréal–Trudeau from farther away? Airports near the cabins has the rental counters and the papers.
A Friday evening arrival
The listings put check-in at all three cabins after 4 p.m., so leaving the city after lunch on a Friday is early enough. What decides the hour is daylight on the county roads. Allow about two and a half hours from downtown to the cabin door, counting the booth and a quick grocery stop, and set that against the sunset at the cabins:
| Friday | Sunset at the cabins | Leave downtown by, to arrive in daylight |
|---|---|---|
| October 16, 2026 | 6:10 p.m. | About 3:40 p.m. |
| November 6, 2026 | 4:39 p.m. | About 2:10 p.m. |
| December 4, 2026 | 4:16 p.m. | About 1:45 p.m. |
| January 8, 2027 | 4:34 p.m. | About 2 p.m. |
| March 5, 2027 | 5:50 p.m. | About 3:20 p.m. |
| March 19, 2027 | 7:08 p.m. | About 4:40 p.m. |
| June 18, 2027 | 8:45 p.m. | About 6:15 p.m. |
The early departures can still use Chateaugay, which closes at 6 p.m.; the March 19 and June departures need Fort Covington or Champlain. Arriving after dark is fine too: both of those crossings are open all night, and Malone's Price Chopper stays open until 11 p.m. Message the host with your arrival time from Malone, since phone coverage on the county roads depends on your carrier.
What Montreal guests come for
Guests from Montreal have written about the quiet. A guest who spent January 2025 at The Modern Pine wrote:
Overall our stay exceeded our expectations! The cabin is so lovely, peaceful and charming decorated.
Another, in July 2022, put it in a line:
Beautiful cottage in the middle of the woods.
Winter adds skiing. The base lodge at Titus Mountain is about 3.5 road miles away, and the Titus Mountain guide covers the lifts, the night skiing and the tickets. Every one of the three cabins sleeps four and has a private hot tub, a fire pit and a full kitchen; they suit couples, friends and families with older children, and none is suitable for children under 10.
Driving home to Montreal
Going north, more crossings open up. Trout River, closed only to traffic entering the United States, takes cars into Canada from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Canadian office in Elgin, and Herdman keeps the same hours, while Dundee, Hemmingford on the Mooers route and Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle on Autoroute 15 are open 24 hours. Which of them fits a Sunday checkout, and the 48-hour line for the duty-free allowance, are worked out in Montreal to the cabins, and the Trout River post explains the rebuild.
On Autoroute 15, the dedicated NEXUS lane into Canada at Lacolle is unavailable until further notice while the port is rebuilt. Near the border, the rebuilt Jardins-de-Napierville rest area on the northbound side at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle is open around the clock, with washrooms, electric-car chargers and free Wi-Fi. For a day in the city from the cabins rather than the drive home, see the Montreal day trip guide, and for the amounts you may bring back, the crossing guide.
Questions
How far is it from Montreal to the cabins in kilometers?
About 150 km (93 road miles) through Fort Covington, the 24-hour route behind the site's Montreal figure, and about two hours of driving plus the border. Through Chateaugay it is about 120 km (75 miles), open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; through Churubusco about 135 km (84 miles), 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; through Lacolle and Champlain about 163 km (101 miles), open all night.
Is there a good place to stretch our legs on the Fort Covington route?
Yes, in daylight. The Lake Saint-François National Wildlife Area at Dundee, the last municipality before the border, has more than 10 kilometers of trails, lookouts and a visitor center with washrooms, about two and a half road miles off Route 132 and back. The trails are open from sunrise to sunset, April to December; visitor services run from about May to October, Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dogs on a leash may use the trails.
Which Montreal route is worst for blowing snow?
Quebec lists two blowing-snow sectors on these routes: the rural stretch of Route 138 between Mercier and Sainte-Martine, on the way to Chateaugay, and Autoroute 15 at La Prairie, on the Champlain route. The Fort Covington route misses both. Check Québec 511 and 511NY before you leave, and see winter driving.
Can we get to the cabins from Montreal without driving?
Only part of the way. Amtrak's Adirondack leaves Gare Centrale at 11:10 a.m. and reaches Plattsburgh at 2:45 p.m., and Greyhound runs five buses a day to Plattsburgh. From there you need a rental car for the last 61 road miles; the listings call a car or SUV essential, and the Avis counter at Plattsburgh's airport is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
When is the border busiest on the way home?
On the Monday of a holiday long weekend, with early morning the best time to avoid the lines. In 2026, Thanksgiving Monday, October 12, is also Columbus Day in the United States, and in 2027 the two countries share Monday, October 11, as well as Labour Day, September 6. Northbound hours for every crossing are in crossing the border.
Where can we fill the tank before the cabins?
In Malone, about ten road miles north of the cabins, the Stewart's at 289 West Main Street sells gas, diesel and non-ethanol premium and has an ATM. Coming in on US 11 from Champlain or Chateaugay, the Stewart's at 195 East Main Street in Chateaugay village is on the way and has gas, non-ethanol premium and an ATM.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Hours, fees and schedules change; confirm before you go.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection cbp.gov/about/contact/ports/trout-river-new-york-0715
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection cbp.gov/contact/ports/champlain
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection bwt.cbp.gov/
- cbsa-asfc.gc.ca cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/data/cbsa-offices-services-bureaux-asfc-en.json
- U.S. General Services Administration gsa.gov/real-estate/ongoing-construction-projects/trout-river-land-por
- router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/route/v1/driving/-73.567300,45.501700;-74.5077
- router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/route/v1/driving/-73.567300,45.501700;-73.4535
- router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/route/v1/driving/-73.567300,45.501700;-74.0857
- router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/route/v1/driving/-73.567300,45.501700;-73.9392
- OpenStreetMap (road distances) openstreetmap.org/
- quebec.ca quebec.ca/en/transports/infrastructures-transport-projects/transport-p
- canada.ca canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-are
- amisrnflacstfrancois.com amisrnflacstfrancois.com/
- pricechopper.com pricechopper.com/stores/ny/malone/price-chopper-166.html
- pricechopper.com pricechopper.com/stores/ny/champlain/price-chopper-220.html
- locations.stewartsshops.com locations.stewartsshops.com/ny/malone/331
- locations.stewartsshops.com locations.stewartsshops.com/ny/chateaugay/137
- quebec.ca quebec.ca/transports/circulation-securite-routiere/periode-hivernale/i
- quebec511.info quebec511.info/en/Diffusion/EtatReseau/Route.aspx?id=20
- 511NY 511ny.org/
- I LOVE NY iloveny.com/things-to-do/fall/foliage-report/
- opm.gov opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/
- vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/redirection/ficheuid/8880910
- quebec.ca quebec.ca/nouvelles/actualites/details/la-fete-nationale-et-la-fete-du
- stepstojustice.ca stepstojustice.ca/steps/employment-and-work/learn-which-days-are-publi
- canada.ca canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/news/2025/10/travelling-for-thanks
- Amtrak content.amtrak.com/content/timetable/Adirondack.pdf
- trainsinthevalley.org trainsinthevalley.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2022_11_15-Report-on-
- greyhound.com greyhound.com/bus-routes/montreal-pq-plattsburgh-ny
- avis.com avis.com/en/locations/us/ny/plattsburgh/pbg
- aa.usno.navy.mil aa.usno.navy.mil/api/rstt/oneday?date=2026-12-04&coords=44.769,-74.192
- quebec.ca quebec.ca/nouvelles/actualites/details/modernisation-des-parcs-routier
- canada.ca canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/news/2025/11/update-modernization-
- amisrnflacstfrancois.com amisrnflacstfrancois.com/en/plan-your-visit/
- lequebecavelo.ca lequebecavelo.ca/en/tourist-attractions/reserve-nationale-de-faune-du-
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