The Thousand Islands Parkway is a parkway in the Canadian province of Ontario, which extends easterly from an interchange with Highway 401 at Gananoque for approximately 40 kilometres to the community of Butternut Bay, in Elizabethtown-Kitley near Brockville.
While today only a two-lane road, it was a divided and paved four lane roadway in the early 1940s.
The parkway interchanges with Highway 137, an extension of US Interstate 81 which serves as the Ontario approach to the international Thousand Islands Bridge.
The 1000 Islands span about 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the St. Lawrence River, a river that forms the boundary between Canada and the United States.
They start just downstream on the St. Lawrence, east of Kingston, Ontario. and run almost none-stop almost all the way to Brockville, Ontario.
You can drive alongside the St. Lawrence River along the 1000 Islands Parkway, gazing over sometimes calm and sometimes turbulent St. Lawrence River into New York State from the Canadian side as you cruise along.
Drive south from Parliament Hill on any of the north / south roads a short while until you reach the 417 highway (also known as the Queensway). Take the 417 heading west and travel 10 – 15 kilometers (6-9 miles) until you reach the 416 merge to the left. Take that merge and head south on the 416.
After about an hour you will reach the 401 highway. Take it westbound towards Brockville.
Brockville is another beautiful city to visit, and has, what I believe, to be one of the best “fish & chip” take away restaurants anywhere, as well as one of the best parking spots on Blockhouse Island with wonderful views of the St. Lawrence allowing you to sit at and enjoy watching the busy river life sail by while you munch excellent fish and hot, home cut french fries.
As you pass Brockville on the 401 move into the left lane as you’ll soon encounter the 1000 Islands Parkway exit, which exits to the left.
Take this exit, immediately slow down to 70-80 kilometers per hour (40-50 MPH) and enjoy the next 50 kilometers (30 miles) of scenic 1000 Islands Parkway, which ends near Gananoque Ontario.
