The canals from Morrisburg to Montreal


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THE CANALS : An amazing bike trip that combines nature, culture and history!

Explore the canals that line the St. Lawrence Seaway from Morrisburg to Montréal. We offer you a 5 or 6 day bike trip itinerary that takes you through diverse scenery, quaint towns and villages and several historic sites along the St. Lawrence River.

Day 1: Loop to Morrisburg (60 KM)

Leave Morrisburg and head towards the canal and the Iroquois lock along the St. Lawrence River, where you can enjoy the beach. Then, backtrack a little to ride on country roads. Discover 1) a farm with a kiosk of fruits, vegetables, and local products, where you can stock up on fresh produce, 2) a cheese factory (ice cream made on site) and 3) a vineyard where you can taste local specialties.

Attractions/possibles stops: Beach and lock at Iroquois, Dentz Orchard & Berry Farm, Upper Canada Creamery, Smyth’s Apple Orchard, StoneCropAcres Winery.

Night in Morrisburg.

Day 2: Morrisburg – Cornwall (50 km)

Depart from Morrisburg. Why not visit the Upper Canada Village? An open-air museum that recreates life in the 19th century in the region. Continue your journey on a superb bike path through the woods. Cross a migratory bird sanctuary, and arrive at the highlight of the day: the passage by the Long Sault Islands. This is a quiet road that crosses a series of islands created from the highest points of the lands flooded by the St. Lawrence River in the 1950s. Take another bike path and discover the Lost Villages Museum and the R.H. Saunders power plant. Then, follow the historic Cornwall Canal to get to downtown Cornwall, a very accommodating city for cyclists with easy access to restaurants, shops, attractions and much more!

Attractions/possibles stops: Upper Canada Village, Mille Roches and Woodlands Beach (stlawrenceparks.com) located on the Long Sault road, Lost Village Museum, Saunders Hydro Dam Visito Center, Historic SDG Jail, Cornwall Community Museum, Lamoureux Park, Downtown Cornwall.

Night in Cornwall.

Day 3: Cornwall – Salaberry-de-Valleyfield (65 km)

Leave Cornwall and head to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. Take the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and follow the St. Lawrence river from the start. When you arrive in Quebec, at Rivière Beaudette, follow the Route Verte. Discover the landscapes and history of the Suroît, a region that stands out for its river and rural character. At Saint-Zotique, enjoy the beach to cool off. At Les Coteaux, take the bike path of the Soulanges Canal. Finish your course beautifully by following Lake Saint-François and the historic downtown of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.

Attractions/possibles stops: Saint-Zotique beach, Canal Soulanges, MUSO(a museum of history, art and heritage in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield).

Night in Salaberry-de-Vallefield.

Day 4: Optional. Loop. Salaberry-de-Valleyfield – Beauharnois (50 km)

Leave Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and head towards Beauharnois on the Route Verte. Follow the Beauharnois Canal, one of the most important engineering works in the country. Visit the Beauharnois hydroelectric dam, the fifth largest in Quebec and also visit the Beauharnois canal interpretation centre, which will reveal the secrets of its construction and operation.

Attractions/possibles stops: Delpha-Sauvé Park, Beauharnois generating station facility tour, Pointe-du-Buisson – Archaeological sites, Beach at les Îles-de-Saint-Timothée, ferme Hubert Sauvé (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield).

2nd night in Salaberry-de-Vallefield.

Day 4 (or 5): Salaberry-de-Valleyfield to Vaudreuil-Dorion (40 km)

Discover the beauty of the Montérégie-Ouest, its waterways, its regional parks, and its cities. At Coteau-du-Lac, stop to see the remains of one of the oldest lock canals in North America.Take the Soulanges Canal bike path, which runs along the old canal of the same name. It crosses the municipalities of Coteau-du-Lac, Les Cèdres, and Pointe-des-Cascades. Also stop at the Village-des-Écluses. It is possible to eat, rent a kayak or swim. From the belvedere, admire the point and the meeting of the Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River, a superb view!

Attractions/possibles stops: Coteau-du-Lac National Historic Site, Vignoble Le Bourg des Cèdres, Village-des-Écluses, Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

Night in Vaudreuil-Dorion.

Day 5 (or 6): Vaudreuil-Dorion to Montréal (50 km)

The bike path between Vaudreuil-Dorion and Montréal is a beautiful way to discover the banks of the St. Lawrence River and the Lachine Canal. Quickly, you pass by the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal. Take a break at the national historic site of the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal to admire the rapids and the junction of Lake of Two Mountains and Lake Saint-Louis, an enlargement of the St. Lawrence River. Continue on the bike path of the banks to Dorval, which follows the St. Lawrence River and offers other magnificent views of the water. In Montreal, take the bike path of the Lachine Canal. Cross the Griffintown neighbourhood, a former working-class area transformed into an artistic and gastronomic hub, to reach your final destination at the Old Port of Montreal. Your course of the day combines nature, heritage, and urbanity!

Attractions/possibles stops: Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue National Historic Site, Le Musée du Commerce-de-la-Fourrure à Lachine, Canal de Lachine, Atwater Market, Old Port

Night in Montréal.

You have completed your bike trip on the theme of The Canals, having traveled nearly 315 km along the river and the St. Lawrence Seaway!
Click on the tabs to view a list of businesses along this route.

Auberge Chesley’s Inn
Chesley’s Inn was built in 1814 in downtown Cornwall, Ontario. It is an excellent example of Georgian architecture. Located a block from Pitt Street with its cafes, bars, galleries and restaurants, the Inn is also near the St. Lawrence River and 57 kilometres of cycling trails.

Features

  • Number of rooms: 4

  • Breakfast included

  • Dinner Several restaurants a few steps away

  • Bike storage: garage

  • Bike shop nearby

40 First Street West
Cornwall
Ontario
K6J 1B9
(613) 936-1111
Auberge Saintlo Montréal
A great youth hostel with cute red awnings located in the heart of downtown. They serve up free breakfast every morning in their cozy café that transforms into a bar at night. Bike storage is offered free of charge. Digital nomads can enjoy their super well-designed coworking spaces. Saintlo Montreal also organize activities like pub crawls so you can get social and meet other travellers if interested.

Saintlo Montréal youth hostel is a hop away from the metro, stores and shops, Concordia University, daring art exhibitions, the Musée des Beaux-arts and a 14 km path along the Lachine Canal. When you stay with them. you enjoy the city like a real local.

Accommodation details :

  • 50 rooms : 2, 4, 6, or 10-bed dormitories and private rooms available

  • Possibility to prepare meals on site

  • Coworking spaces

  • Services on site : restaurant on site, laundry room, linens included, computers available, storage room

  • Bar on site

  • Grocery store nearby

  • Bike storage : on the backyard, accessible only for the staff

  • Bike shop nearby

1030 Rue Mackay
Montréal
Québec
H3G 2H1
+1 866-843-3317
Hôtel Château de l’Argoat
Located in the heart of Montreal, You will be staying in Montreal’s most eclectic neighbourhood, at the junction of the "Quartier Latin" and "Plateau Mont-Royal", very close to the beautiful Saint-Denis street with its terraces, boutiques and restaurants ; across the street from the ‘’Sherbrooke’’ metro station, 2 blocks from the Gare d’autocars de Montréal (bus station), the Grande Bibliothèque (national library), the bicycle path that goes to Old Montreal and UQAM (university).

In a sober, original and distinctive style, twenty-four rooms and a large two-bedroom suite offer visitors much more than just a hotel room. Our rooms invite our clientele to experiment and discover the contemporary art of Quebec artists living and working in the greater metropolitan area. From original works to different media, including painting, sculpture, photography and even two-dimensional paintings, grace every corner of the hotel.

Breakfast

The continental breakfast is served each day from 7 a.m. to noon.

You will surely enjoy our organic and fair-trade coffee, unless you prefer a green or black tea.

You will find a selection of croissants, chocolate croissants and 100% whole wheat bread as well as a choice of muffins. Do not forget to ask for our famous bagels from the renowned "Fairmount Bagel" ! Orange juice and yogurt are also served.

Features :


  • Number of rooms : 25

  • Breakfast included

  • Restaurants and grocery stores nearby

  • Bike storage : storage room

  • Bike shop nearby

542 rue Sherbrooke E.
Montréal
Québec
H2L 1K1
514-842-2046
Serendipity at River’s Edge
This bed and breakfast is located in the heart of Morrisburg along the St. Lawrence River. Serendipity at River's Edge has the charm, artisanship, and beauty of the 1800s with all the modern conveniences you’ll love, a perfect mix of historical and new. You can relax in the old-fashion parlour, select a book from the library, relax on the back porch with a cool drink, fish off the dock, or just sit back and watch the ships sail past.

Your comfort and enjoyment will be the priorities for your host Maureen Kearns.

OFFERED SERVICES:

  • Private bathroom

  • Free Wifi

  • Smart TV

  • Air conditioning

  • Keyless entry

  • Porch

  • Deck


TO SEE AND DO :

  • Stone Crop Acres is a winery and vineyard located just outside of Morrisburg. Taste locally crafted wines, explore the vineyard, and bring home some bottles to enjoy later.

  • Upper Canada Playhouse is a professional theatre company producing comedies and live concerts from April through December.

  • Upper Canada Village: Made up mostly of buildings and homes relocated for the flooding of the St. Lawrence River, this picturesque village will bring you back in time to the 1860s.

  • The Battle of Crysler's Farm National Historic Site: The battle, which took place on November 11, 1813, on farmland belonging to John Crysler, ended the American campaign for Montréal.

  • The Lost Villages Museum: The museum site consists of 10 heritage buildings, moved and restored to Ault Park from The Lost Villages and surrounding townships.

  • The Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary is home to over 200 various bird species, and features over eight kilometres of self-guided nature trails that take you through mature forested areas and wetlands.


FEATURES:

  • Number of rooms: 3

  • Breakfast: homemade baked goods included

  • Dinner: it is best to ask if dinner is offered during your stay, otherwise there are restaurants near the B&B.

  • Bike storage: locked garage

69 Lakeshore Drive
Morrisburg
Ontario
K0C 1X0
613.643.2157

The Stomping Grounds Bistro
Enjoy the ambience of one of Cornwall’s most historic neighbourhoods. Located near the St. Lawrence river in the weave shed building in Cornwall’s cotton mill district, The Stomping Grounds is the perfect place to stop and enjoy a drink and a meal while surrounded by charming architecture – and it’s just steps away from the St. Lawrence by bike cycling route.

Local cuisine (Canadian style) renowned for their sandwiches, tomato soup and cheesecakes! At the Stomping Grounds Bistro you will find what you need to refuel and quench your thirst; including beers from local microbreweries and Cornwall's finest coffees.
110-705 Cotton Mill Street
Cornwall
Ontario
K6H 7L9
613.938.2844

Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau
Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau, nestled in the Old Port of Montreal, offers a unique floating relaxation experience. Located aboard a repurposed ferry, this contemporary spa exudes chic elegance with minimalist decor. Its sublime view overlooks both the St. Lawrence River and the city itself.
Entrée McGill et Rue de la Commune O
Montréal
Québec
H2Y 2E2
514.284.0333
botabota.ca
Canal de Soulanges
While rolling on the cycle path that follows it, you will see the locks that enabled the ships to go from downriver to upriver. Or vice-versa. Don't miss the "Petit pouvoir", a former hydroelectric plant built in bricks and located between the canal and the St. Lawrence River.

At the east end of the canal, you will be close to the Théâtre des Cascades. It is located in what is, according to many, the more beautiful summer theatre site in province of Québec. At the other end, take advantage of your presence to visit the Coteau-du-Lac National Historic Site. There, you will be able to see, among others, some remnants of a fort.

Built between 1892 and 1899, this canal links Les Coteau to Pointe-des-Cascades. Until 1959, it allowed ships to overcome the Saint-Lawrence River rapids. It becames obsolete due to the opening of the St. Lawrence seaway. Boats do not navigate on it anymore, but cyclists enjoy its flat banks!
45.309861 -74.136321
Lieu historique national de Coteau-du-Lac
Located nearby canal de Soulange, this historic site features Canada’s first lock canal and the remains of a fort. You can also see a blockhouse, military building erected in 1813, as the fort, to protect Canada (then a British colony) from possible US attacks. The channel, abandoned since the inauguration of the first Beauharnois Canal, can now be visited, both feet dry!

Construction of the Coteau-du-Lac canal began in the summer of 1779. Built by soldiers using rudimentary tools and techniques, this channel (100 m long and 2.5 m wide) was completed in 1781. It includes 3 locks, each 12 m long, 1.8 m wide and a draught of about 80 cm. It allows to bypass a drop of about 2 m between downstream and upstream of the rapid.
308 chemin du Fleuve
Coteau-du-Lac
Québec
J0P 1B0
450 763-5631
Lieu historique national du Canal-de-Lachine
To ride along the Lachine Channel is to rub Montreal, a vibrant metropolis with a diverse cultural life. Linking its Old Port to Lake Saint-Louis, the venerable channel (it has over 150 years!) is fun to explore by bike. Besides, in 2009, the canal's bike path was ranked third of the most beautiful urban circuits in the world by Time magazine.

Along it, you can, among others, do a picnic and rent a canoe, a kayak or, even, an electric boat. Nearby, you will also find the Atwater market, a place to discover for any food lover!

Built to bypass the impressive Lachine rapids, this canal immerses visitors in the past. It is, indeed, the craddle of canadian industrilization. The presence of this watereway combined to the hydraulic power contributed, in 19th century, to the establishment of several industries on its banks: mills and grain elevators, nail factories, edge-tool, sawmills and wood workshops.

Truly, a trip to Montreal would not be complete without a visit to this channel!
45.458400, -73.611489
Lieu historique national du Canal-de-Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Between Lake St. Louis and Vaudreuil Bay, the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal is used for yachting. Take some time to stroll along the boardwalk that borders the waterway. You can also explore the historical sites or attend the operation of the lock maneuvers. Otherwise, picnic in this green area is a great way to regain strength before going back on your bike!

Inaugurated in 1843 for commercial navigation, this channel was heavily used during the second half of the 19th century. At the time, many steam boats, loaded with passengers, went through it daily. Following the opening of the Seaway St. Lawrence, in 1959, he was gradually abandoned. Since 1963, only the pleasure crafts can access it.
170 rue Sainte-Anne
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Québec
H9X 1N1
514 457-5546
Vieux canal de Beauharnois
You can see the western end of this former canal while riding in the Delpha-Sauvé park, in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. In front of this park, on the south shore of the canal: the Marina and the sail club. In summer, a resort atmosphere prevails. Pleasure crafts are now the only occupants of this former trade route.

The canal construction began in 1842. It needed a lot of energy, from the workers workers who dug, with little machinery, that 880 meters long and 40-50 meters wide trench. A bit as a side effect, those major works gave birth to the city of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. After these, on April 23 of 1845, the canal was opened to shipping.

If you want to learn more about this former waterway, we invite you to visit the Société du Vieux Canal de Beauharnois (in french only), located at 410 Victoria, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.

Aerial view of the canal (Video)
45.256845, -74.125754
vieuxcanal.com

Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau
Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau, nestled in the Old Port of Montreal, offers a unique floating relaxation experience. Located aboard a repurposed ferry, this contemporary spa exudes chic elegance with minimalist decor. Its sublime view overlooks both the St. Lawrence River and the city itself.
Entrée McGill et Rue de la Commune O
Montréal
Québec
H2Y 2E2
514.284.0333
botabota.ca

Vélo-Station
We are a family-owned business with 40 years of history.
Vélo-Station is the go-to place for all cycling enthusiasts. Whether you’re into road biking, mountain biking, hybrid, or electric bikes, each of these categories enjoys an extensive in-store selection from some of the most popular brands: Specialized, Trek, Devinci, Cannondale, AVP, NCM, ENVO, Rocky Mountain, and Santa Cruz.
In addition, our friendly team of experts will address all your inquiries and provide advice on a wide range of bike accessories.
You can also take advantage of on-site maintenance and repair services.
61 rue Alexandre
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
Québec
J6S 3J6
450.377.4769

VAV – The Canals – Morrisburg to Montreal
THE CANALS : An amazing bike trip that combines nature, culture and history!
Explore the canals that line the St. Lawrence Seaway from Morrisburg to Montréal. We offer you a 5 or 6 day bike trip itinerary that takes you through diverse scenery, quaint towns and villages and several historic sites along the St. Lawrence River.
1494 Chemin de Chambly
Longueuil
Québec
J4J 3X3
Les canaux
VQV – Morrisburg to Montreal – Self-guided
River trip along the canals
Departing from Morrisburg, Ontario, you'll follow the superb canals that make up the St. Lawrence Seaway west of Montreal. The gradients along the river are gentle, not to say non-existent! That's the charm of this six-day tour: let yourself be carried away by the beauty of the region, without pushing yourself too hard, so that you can fully appreciate the varied landscapes you'll discover along the way.

The friendliness of the locals and the beauty of the pretty villages and historic sites will convince you that the section of the St. Lawrence shared by Quebec and Ontario is well worth a visit!
1251 rue Rachel Est
Montréal
Québec
H2J 2J9