Brockville.
Brockville sits on the north bank of the St. Lawrence River at the eastern reach of the Thousand Islands archipelago, where the Brockville Narrows scatters 70 islands and 60 shoals into the channel.
Canada's first railway tunnel runs 525 m beneath the downtown core — a brick-and-stone passage that opened to trains in 1860 and to walkers in August 2017. The waterfront stacks the Aquatarium discovery centre, the Brock Trail, and Blockhouse Island in a continuous downtown ribbon.
Just offshore, the Centeen Memorial Dive Park is the first underwater sculpture park in Canada, anchoring a Brockville-area cluster of 12-plus St. Lawrence shipwrecks that includes the schooner Lillie Parsons (sunk 1877) and the barge Robert Gaskin (sunk 1861).
Mac Johnson Wildlife Area, a 532-hectare CRCA conservation area, sits two km north of Highway 29 with 11 km of year-round trails. Brockville sits on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Nations.
Today's read.
Real-time conditions updated; AI field notes unavailable.
On the record.
Every claim sourced. Click through to the original.
- 01The Brockville Railway Tunnel is Canada's first railway tunnel — construction began September 1854; the first train passed through on December 31, 1860; the tunnel runs 1,721 ft (525 m) beneath the downtown core.Source ↗
- 02After a 2016–2017 rehabilitation, the Brockville Railway Tunnel re-opened to the public on August 12, 2017 as a free seasonal walking attraction; over 25,000 visitors toured it during opening weekend.Source ↗
- 03The Aquatarium at Tall Ships Landing is a 33,000+ sq ft climate-controlled aquarium and discovery centre on the Brockville waterfront, focused on St. Lawrence River species.Source ↗
- 04The Centeen Memorial Dive Park is the first underwater sculpture park in Canada — founded in 2015 with the City of Brockville and student-built sculptures, located in the St. Lawrence directly offshore from downtown at depths under 9 m (30 ft).Source ↗
- 05Mac Johnson Wildlife Area is a 532-hectare CRCA-managed conservation area 2 km north of Highway 29, with 11 km of trails including the wheelchair-accessible 1.4 km Wildflower Loop interpretive trail.Source ↗
- 06The Brock Trail is a 7 km paved, non-motorized walking and cycling trail along Brockville's waterfront, passing through the Railway Tunnel, Blockhouse Island, Hardy Park, and Rotary Park, with extensions west to St. Lawrence Park and north to Mac Johnson Wildlife Area.Source ↗
- 07The Brock Isles paddling route at the eastern end of the Thousand Islands runs through 70 islands and 60 shoals, anchored at the Brockville Henry Street boat launch, with day-use and camping at Stovin Island and several Brockville municipal park islands.Source ↗
7. activities
worth your time
StrongHiking
Mac Johnson Wildlife Area is a 532-hectare CRCA-managed conservation area two km north of Highway 29, with 11 km of trails crossing wetland, field, and forest. The 1.4 km Wildflower Loop is a wheelchair-accessible interpretive trail suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Trails are open year-round including for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing — though no longer regularly groomed. Inside the city, the 7 km Brock Trail provides a flat, paved walking option from Hardy Park through the Railway Tunnel and along the waterfront.
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StrongWalking & Strolling
The 7 km Brock Trail is paved, flat, and threads downtown Brockville's waterfront — through Canada's first railway tunnel, around Blockhouse Island, past the Aquatarium, and into Hardy Park. The downtown core itself is a limestone-block heritage walk between the river, the tunnel's south portal, and the Court House Square. Most of the central walking is non-motorized and dog-friendly, with the Brock Trail serving as the spine.
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StrongCycling
The 7 km Brock Trail is paved, non-motorized, and runs along Brockville's St. Lawrence waterfront, passing through Canada's first railway tunnel, around Blockhouse Island, and through Hardy and Rotary parks before tracing Buell's Creek north. Newer extensions add a westbound link to St. Lawrence Park and a northbound link to Mac Johnson Wildlife Area. Brockville is a documented community on the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, with the city section forming a flat ribbon through the limestone old-town core.
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StrongPaddling — Sea & Coastal
The Brock Isles route — Ontario Trails Council Thousand Island Route 9 — runs through the eastern end of the Thousand Islands, where the Brockville Narrows holds 70 islands and 60 shoals just offshore from downtown. Day-paddle launches from the Brockville Henry Street boat launch lead to Stovin Island and a string of Brockville municipal park islands that offer day-use and camping. Thousand Islands National Park's paddler-access cabins lie further downstream around Mallorytown Landing in the Leeds and the Thousand Islands township — a multi-day extension from a Brockville base, not a Brockville day-paddle.
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StrongSailing & Boating
The Brockville waterfront anchors a busy summer calendar — the 1000 Islands Regatta runs each summer with food trucks, vendors, and live entertainment, and the Tall Ships Festival visits Brockville on a triennial cadence (most recently June 20–22, 2025) with a Parade of Sail and dockside vessel tours. The Brockville municipal harbour and the Henry Street boat launch open onto open St. Lawrence cruising water, with the Thousand Islands archipelago immediately upstream and the Brockville Narrows islands just offshore.
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▲ SignatureDiving & Snorkeling
The Centeen Memorial Dive Park sits in the St. Lawrence directly offshore from downtown Brockville — the first underwater sculpture park in Canada, founded in 2015 with the City of Brockville and Thousand Islands Secondary School students. The site holds 24-plus concrete sculptures (human figures, sturgeons, mermaids, a Nemo-inspired clownfish) at depths under 9 m, designed in part to keep novice divers off the area's protected wrecks. The Brockville-area shipwreck cluster includes the schooner Lillie Parsons (sunk 1877 with a coal cargo), the barge Robert Gaskin (sunk 1861), and the schooner Maggie L (cut in half by a freighter in 1927) — twelve-plus wrecks and drift dive sites between Rockport and Brockville at depths from 7.6 to 42 m.
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▲ SignatureHeritage & Culture
Canada's first railway tunnel runs 525 m beneath downtown Brockville. Construction began in September 1854; the first train passed through on December 31, 1860; the tunnel served the Brockville and Ottawa Railway, linking the Ottawa Valley timber trade to the Brockville port on the St. Lawrence. Following a 2016–2017 rehabilitation, the tunnel re-opened to the public on August 12, 2017 — over 25,000 people walked through during opening weekend, and it now operates as a free seasonal walking attraction. On the waterfront, the Aquatarium at Tall Ships Landing is a 33,000+ sq ft climate-controlled discovery centre focused on the St. Lawrence ecosystem, with river-otter, beaver, turtle, and snake exhibits, a salt-water touch tank, and a glass-enclosed otter habitat.
Read field guide arrow_outward13. more outings
surveyed.
Activities supported across Brockville without a featured write-up.
- 01
Trail Running
Brock Trail - 02
Camping
frontcountry - 03
Nature & Discovery
birding · nature-interpretation - 04
Mountain Biking
cross-country - 05
Paddling — Flatwater
canoeing · kayaking · sup - 06
Surf & Wind
windsurfing - 07
Swimming & Beach
lake-swim · beach-day - 08
Freshwater Fishing
smallmouth-bass · largemouth-bass · walleye - 09
Cross-Country & Nordic
classic-xc - 10
Snow Adventure
snowshoeing - 11
Seasonal Phenomena
fall-colours - 12
Motorized Touring
scenic-drive - 13
Food & Drink
brewery · farmers-market
Local operators.
Trusted outfitters, guides, and experience providers in Brockville.
1000 Islands Cyclery
Mobile bicycle tune-ups and repairs in Brockville, from $34.99 kids' tunes to full bearing overhauls
View on AER arrow_outward1000 Islands Helicopter Tours
Year-round helicopter sightseeing tours over the 1000 Islands and Boldt Castle, departing Gananoque on the St. Lawrence
View on AER arrow_outward1000 Islands Kayaking
Paddle Canada–certified sea kayak tours, rentals, and courses on the St. Lawrence River from Gananoque
View on AER arrow_outward1000 Islands and Seaway Cruises
Brockville's only boat-tour operator — sightseeing, dinner, tiki and themed cruises on the St. Lawrence past Singer Castle
View on AER arrow_outwardDeltawood Farm
Hourly trail rides, CHA-certified Western and English lessons, and horse boarding in Delta, Ontario, in the Rideau Lakes region
View on AER arrow_outwardDive Brockville Adventure Centre
PADI shipwreck dive charters, snorkel tours, and paddle rentals on the St. Lawrence River in Brockville, 1000 Islands
View on AER arrow_outwardMisty Isles Lodge
Waterfront cottages, campground, and sea kayak rentals in the 1000 Islands at Lansdowne, Ontario.
View on AER arrow_outwardTootle
App-based bike-share rentals in Gananoque with pickup at Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn parking hubs
View on AER arrow_outwardDan Spencer's Fishing Charters
Fishing charters (bass, walleye, pike)
Visit website arrow_outwardKouri's Kopters Inc.
Helicopter tours, fishing excursions (fall/ice fishing with heli transfer), custom charters
Visit website arrow_outwardRideau King Tours
Boat cruises/sightseeing tours on Rideau Canal (Merrickville-Westport, Ottawa-Merrickville)
Visit website arrow_outwardOn the map.
Brockvilleand the local operators we've mapped nearby.
Key resources.
- brockvillerailwaytunnel.comBrockville Railway Tunnel — Canada's first railway tunnel, free seasonal walking attraction
- cataraquiconservation.caCataraqui Region Conservation Authority — Mac Johnson Wildlife Area
- brockvilletourism.comTourism Brockville
- saveontarioshipwrecks.caSave Ontario Shipwrecks — Centeen Memorial Dive Park (Thousand Islands chapter)
- aquatarium.onlineAquatarium at Tall Ships Landing — St. Lawrence River discovery centre, downtown waterfront
- brockville.comCity of Brockville — Parks and Trails (Brock Trail)
- 1000islandstourism.com1000 Islands Tourism — Shipwrecks & Scuba Diving
- waterfronttrail.orgGreat Lakes Waterfront Trail — Brockville community