Cornwall (Ontario)

Cornwall is a city of about 48,000 people (2018) on the St. Lawrence River in Eastern Ontario.

Understand

Cornwall is on the St. Lawrence Seaway, opposite Massena and Rooseveltown, New York. The 1958 seaway eliminated rapids upstream at Long Sault, opening a path for large ocean-going vessels from the Great Lakes at the expense of inundating and destroying several small villages (such as Aultsville and Moulinette). Some historic buildings which were displaced from the Lost Villages are now at Morrisburg (Upper Canada Village) or Long Sault (Ault Park); islands along what is now the Long Sault Parkway were once part of the Canadian mainland. Long Sault and Ingleside are planned communities to house displaced villagers.

Cornwall-Massena is the home of a large hydroelectric generating station (with visitor's centre) and large ships may be viewed transiting the Seaway locks. Much of the city's industrial base is now gone, as is the pollution associated with Cornwall-Massena in the 1970s.

Get in

By car

Cornwall is on Highway 401 (exit 789), about one hour west of Montreal and two hours east of Kingston. As Ontario's easternmost city, Cornwall appears as a control city on highway signage for over a 160 km (100 miles) from Kingston (exit 611) eastward.

From Montréal, Autoroute 20 west becomes Ontario 401.

From Ottawa-Hull, take the Trans-Canada Highway 417 to Casselman, then turn south on Ontario 138.

By train
See also: Rail travel in Canada
  • 🌍 Cornwall station, 1650 Station Rd (From Highway 401 exit McConnell, south on McConnell, west on Tollgate to Pitt St., south on Pitt, east on Balmoral, north on Station Rd.). This is an unstaffed station - 48-hours notice (call the tollfree number) is required for wheelchair lift access. (updated Feb 2021) Train operators:
    • VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates many intercity trains across Canada. (updated Apr 2022) Operates the following route daily to Cornwall:
      • Between Montreal and Toronto including stops in Dorval, Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville, Cobourg, and Oshawa. Operates multiple times daily.
      • Travellers from Ottawa can reach Cornwall by connecting through Kingston. It is possible to shorten the trip by transferring at Brockville instead; however Via does not guarantee this connection and both legs have to be booked separately.

By bus
  • 🌍 Megabus Cornwall bus stop, 3250 Brookdale Ave (immediately north of Highway 401). Megabus (Coach Canada) serves Cornwall from Montreal and Toronto. The Cornwall intercity bus stop is located at the Irving 24 Service Center on Brookdale Ave. (updated Feb 2021)
  • 417 Bus Line. Commuter bus service from Ottawa. Tickets must be purchased in cash from the bus driver. (updated Apr 2023)

By plane

The closest major airport is Montréal-Trudeau YUL IATA, from which direct onward connections are available by rail from the Dorval commuter train station. Ottawa also has a major airport, but Ottawa-Cartier (YOW IATA) is no closer than Montréal and lacks Dorval's relatively easy air-to-rail connection.

There is a tiny airport in Massena with a few federally-subsidised US flights daily to Albany.

  • 🌍 Cornwall Regional Airport (YCC  IATA), 19403 Airport Road, 19403 Airport Road, ☏ +1 613-930-6625, . Cornwall Regional Airport does not have scheduled service - it can only handle general aviation with a maximum of 15 passengers. However, it is an airport of entry and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency on a call-out basis. (updated Feb 2021)

By seaway

Cruising on small craft is an option on the St. Lawrence Seaway, but there is a minimum length at the locks (about 20 ft, which excludes some small boats which can be carried by auto trailers) and the huge "Seaway Max" ships are given priority - one of these leviathans fills an entire Seaway lock with only inches to spare.

As the Seaway is fresh water and the Cornwall-Massena border is 45°N (halfway to the North Pole), shipping through the locks is inherently seasonal, typically ending in December and re-opening near the end of March.

  • Long Sault Marina, Hwy 2, Long Sault (on shore of Rob's Bay), ☏ +1 613-534-2113. May-November: 8AM-7PM. Marina and boat launch, restaurant and patio with seafood, Montréal smoked meat. 

Get around

See
  • 🌍 Historic Cornwall Jail, 11 Water St. W, ☏ +1 613-935-4891, toll-free: +1 844-814-5245. A working jail from 1833-2002, now a prison museum. Tours (maximum 15 people) every hour on the hour. "Escape Room" events are available for groups. $10, seniors/students $8, children 5-11 $5. 
  • 🌍 Inverarden House, 3332 Montreal Rd. Closed to the public. Former museum (closed since 2000). Parks Canada owns this national historic site, the Regency architecture retirement home of John McDonald of the North West Company, but has not reopened it to the public. 
  • 🌍 Lost Villages Museum, Ault Park, 16361 Fran Laflamme Dr, Long Sault. June-September 10AM-5PM. Ten restored and relocated heritage buildings from The Lost Villages and surrounding townships, including former Moulinette rail station. By donation. 
  • 🌍 Cornwall Community Museum & Archives (United Counties Museum), Wood House, 160 Water St. W, ☏ +1 613-936-0842. Local history museum in relocated 1840s house, archives, classroom and exhibit space. Free, year-round. 
  • 🌍 Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre, 2500B Second Street West, ☏ +1 613-932-4563. Has exhibits on both the history of the area and the hydroelectric generation process. Free. (updated Feb 2021)

Do

Buy

Eat

Drink

Ontario's drinking age, at 19, is high by Montréal standards (Québec is 18) but almost looks reasonable next to Massena (USA is 21).

Sleep

Hotels

Motels

Bed and breakfast

Camping
  • 🌍 Long Sault Parkway, On Hwy 2, between Morrisburg and Cornwall, 401 exits 770 and 778. Provincial park on 11 islands created by Seaway flooding. Campgrounds on Mille Roches, Woodlands, McLaren; beach and picnic areas on Mille Roches and Woodlands. 

Connect

Open Wi-Fi is also available at ONroute Highway 401 rest stops - the closest are at Bainsville (at the provincial border) and at Morrisburg - and McDonald's (hamburger stand with two Cornwall locations).

Nearby

Dunvegan

Martintown
  • 🌍 Martintown Grist Mill, Dundas Street (CR 18 & 20), Martintown. Four-storey 1846 stone mill building on the banks of the Raisin River; farmers' market on summer Sundays. 

St. Andrews

Williamstown

Go next
  • Morrisburg is home to Upper Canada Village, a pioneer village living museum which preserves various historic buildings displaced by Seaway flooding in the 1950s, and a park commemorating the Battle of Cryslers Farm in the War of 1812.
Routes through Cornwall
Toronto ← Brockville ←  W  E  → Dorval → Montreal
Kingston ← Morrisburg ←  W  E  → becomes → Salaberry-de-Valleyfield → Montreal
ENDS at W E ←   N  S  → → Massena


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