From the ride
A few frames from day three.
The longest day of the trip: 147 km from Picton to Brockville via Kingston, opening with a ferry and closing on a paved trail beside the St Lawrence.
Map, elevation, and the route file to take with you.
A long day, but a gentle one underfoot: only 751 m of climbing spread across 147 km, most of it rolling farmland and riverside trail. It is not dead flat, so don't be surprised by short rises along the parkway. Time the start so you make the Glenora Ferry, and save something for the final stretch into Brockville.
Out of Prince Edward County, along the Loyalist shore through Kingston, and into the Thousand Islands.
"Our longest day, and it throws a bit of everything at you."
Day three is the big one, the longest day of the trip, and it opens with a scramble. You leave Picton with about eight kilometres to cover before the Glenora Ferry pulls away, a free, year-round crossing run by the province across the narrows of the Bay of Quinte. Make it and you glide off Prince Edward County the way people have for generations; miss it and you wait for the next one. On the far shore you land at Adolphustown, the heart of Loyalist country, where United Empire Loyalists settled after the American Revolution, and the roads that follow are the reason to ride this day, some of the quietest farm and lake lanes of the whole trip. It doesn't stay that peaceful the whole way, but this first stretch is worth the early alarm.
The middle of the day belongs to Kingston, the limestone city where Lake Ontario narrows into the St Lawrence. Once the first capital of the Province of Canada, it wears its history in grey stone: Fort Henry above the harbour, the martello towers, City Hall's great dome, and the campus of Queen's University threaded through the old streets. It is a natural place to break for lunch before the route pushes on east. The stretch leaving the city is the least charming of the day, busier road with thin shoulders, but it delivers you to Gananoque, the small waterfront town that bills itself as the gateway to the Thousand Islands.
From Gananoque the day is transformed. The route joins the Thousand Islands Parkway and its companion 37 km paved path, which runs almost the whole way to Brockville along the north bank of the St Lawrence. This is the archipelago of more than 1,800 islands scattered where the river leaves the lake, all granite, pine and summer cottages, with Thousand Islands National Park strung along the shore. The trail is car-free and green, gentle overall but not dead flat, with a handful of short rises where it rolls over the inlets, and it carries you into Brockville, the self-styled City of the Thousand Islands and one of Ontario's oldest towns, the first to be incorporated in Upper Canada and home to Canada's first railway tunnel. Roll in along the waterfront and the longest day is done. Tomorrow, Ottawa.
The reel from day three. Open on Instagram →
Food, refreshments, and local hints. Filter below.
Day three starts with a clock running. From Picton you have about eight kilometres to reach the Glenora Ferry, so leave with a little in the legs and don't dawdle over the first coffee. A brisk start sets up the whole day.
Open in Maps →A free, year-round ferry across the Bay of Quinte, run by the province. It sails on the hour and half-hour for most of the day, and the crossing takes about fifteen minutes. Miss it and you're waiting for the next one, so time your start. We just made it.
Open in Maps →Off the ferry at Adolphustown you hit some of the quietest farm and lake roads of the entire trip, threading the Loyalist shore toward Kingston. Definitely a highlight and worth exploring further if you have the time to wander.
Open in Maps →The lunch stop, and a big one. A friendly, family-run spot on King Street West serving generous bowls of noodles, rice and Asian comfort food. Ten out of ten, would strongly recommend. Fuel up here before the less-loved stretch east.
Open in Maps →Heads up for the stretch out of the city: fairly busy roads with mediocre shoulders. Not our favourite part of the day. Just know it's a means to an end, because what comes after is worth it.
Open in Maps →A quick coffee stop before the best part of the day. A family-run café on Gananoque's main street with a licensed patio, freshly baked treats and homemade gelato, known for its signature pistachio latte. A good place to top up before the trail. Check current hours.
Open in Maps →The payoff. Turn onto the Thousand Islands Parkway and its 37 km of paved trail along the St Lawrence River, car-free almost the whole way to Brockville. Gentle overall, though not flat, with a few short rises where the path rolls over the inlets. Islands, granite and pine on one side, quiet water on the other. The finest stretch of the day.
Open in Maps →A quick run off the trail brings you into Brockville, the City of the Thousand Islands and one of Ontario's oldest towns. A handsome waterfront on the St Lawrence, a walkable core, and a well-earned rest. Just like that, your longest day is done.
Open in Maps →The night's base in Brockville, and how to book it yourself.
A stylish, self-check-in studio right in the middle of Brockville, an easy walk to the waterfront and the restaurants along King Street. A comfortable, quiet base to recover before the final push to Ottawa. One thing to know for bikepackers: there was no elevator access for the bikes, so be ready to carry them up a flight of stairs.
A few frames from day three.