On the American side, the Thousand Islands region is served by Interstate 81, which meets the St. Lawrence River at Fisher's Landing (in between Clayton and Alexandria Bay). From there, you can either continue across the Thousand Islands Bridge to Wellesley Island and Canada, or follow NYS Route 12 along the River. On the Canadian side, Highway 401 is the most obvious choice from points anywhere but due north.
There are two main US-Canada crossing points in the Thousand Islands region.
The first option is the aforementioned Thousand Islands Bridge system, which is made up of five individual spans linking the State of New York with the Province of Ontario through Wellesley Island (on the American side) and Hill Island (on the Canadian side). A single toll must be paid to cross onto the islands (but not off them), making travel to an island within the national borders as expensive as going all the way to the other country.
The other option is the ferry between Cape Vincent, New York and Wolfe Island, Ontario (and from Wolfe Island to Kingston). Cars line up in a queue at the ferry dock and wait until they are allowed to board, drive on, drive off at the opposite side, cross Wolfe Island, and repeat the process. The ferry between Kingston and Wolfe Island (both on the Canadian side) is not only free of charge but much larger, and travelers spend the trip in a separate passenger area rather than in their respective vehicles. The ferry from both sides is also popular for cycling on Wolfe Island.
To cross the border in either direction, don't forget your passport. Travel between the two sides is generally very easygoing, but since 2001 the US has stepped up its security checks and a passport is now essential for a hassle-free trans-national trip.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Thousand Islands
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Thousand Islands - updated May 2024
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Thousand Islands Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
