Hiking

Get a breath of fresh air at Jones Creek and Landons Bay

Being active is a pleasure when your gym is the Canadian outdoors. Thousand Islands National Park’s trails at Jones Creek provide an opportunity to get healthy as a family in a serenely beautiful setting. Escape the daily grind in a sanctuary of scenic lookouts, rugged rock faces, and tall stands of pine. Trails vary in difficulty from an easy 20-minute walk to a moderate 2-hour hike. Try out several paths in the trail network for a longer trip. Whether for an hour or a day, hiking is a quintessentially Canadian way to stretch your legs and get some fresh air.

An extensive trail network is also offered at Landons Bay. You can spend an hour or all day walking the six different trails that wind through the property. Signs and printed trail information guide you through the fields, forests, and wetlands of the reserve. The view from the Lookout Trail has long been recognized as the best natural view in the Thousand Islands area. Check out the trail system at Landons Bay.

There are also two trails at Mallorytown Landing – the Smoky Fire Trail (850 m), and the Six Nations Trail (1.1 km). The trails are relatively easy, though they have some ups and downs. The Smoky Fire Trail takes you through a Red Pine Plantation what was once farmland. The Six Nations Trail is closed due to damage from a recent and severe storm. A self-guided trail brochure is available.

Most park islands have hiking trails that provide excellent views of the scenic Thousand Islands. Trails vary in difficulty and length. On Grenadier Island, trails at Central, North and East lead to historic buildings and the Township Road that traverses the island.

Plan your trip

• Find the Jones Creek trailhead on the Thousand Islands Parkway, north of Brown’s Bay.
• Find a trail map on our facilities and services page or pick up a trail brochure at the trailhead. The trail brochure outlines the length, level of difficulty, scenic lookouts, and features of each trail.
• A composting toilet is available a quick 5-minute walk from the parking lot.
• Trails are open year round for hiking, snowshoeing, wildlife and bird watching, and geocaching.
• Geocaching is an activity where participants seek out hidden treasures (geocaches) on the landscape with GPS units. Coordinates of the geocaches are uploaded onto a GPS from a geocaching website (www.geocaching.com) and participants set out to find them. To find Thousand Islands National Park’s geocaches, look for geocaches under the username Blanding’s Turtle on geocaching.com.
• Want to dig deeper? Try a guided hike with a park interpreter and uncover secrets of your surroundings. Check out the Calendar of Events page for dates and times.

Fees

• Seasonal and one-time parking passes can be purchased. Permits are valid at Jones Creek, Mallorytown Landing and Landons Bay.
  • Obtain permits from park interpreters at the Mallorytown Landing Visitor Centre with cash, debit, credit or a cheque made out to the Receiver General for Canada.
  • Otherwise, self-register at the green deposit box located at the trailhead. Fees can be paid by cash, credit card or a cheque made out to the Receiver General for Canada. Signs on the deposit boxes outline the fee details and instructions for self-registration.
• See our park fees page for a full list of fees.
• Fees remain in the park and are used to improve facilities and services.

For your comfort and safety

• Black legged ticks, potential carriers of Lyme disease and Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, are common in Eastern Ontario and Thousand Islands National Park. Please visit our Ticks and Your Health page for more information on how to protect yourself.
• Even the best behaved dog can run into trouble when off leash. Keeping your dog on a leash protects both your dog and any other animal that you may encounter. Wild animals can become aggressive when confronted and other dogs may not be as friendly as yours. Additionally, other visitors may be uncomfortable with or afraid of dogs.
• The water of the St. Lawrence River and other surface water in the area may carry bacteria. Water should be filtered and then treated or boiled before drinking or bring your own drinking water. For more information regarding drinking water please refer to Health Canada’s website.
• Be sure that you are well prepared and that you have all the right gear to make every outing safe and enjoyable. Visit AdventureSmart for more details. 

• For more information on natural hazards, weather conditions, and planning a safe activity, please see our Visitor Safety page.