The Fassett Quebec Ferry Traverse(Next to Montebello),
As A Viable Transit Option For Tremblant Commutes
To/From All Points Of Ontario Using Hwy # 401 .
(Also including all U.S. points South, i.e, Penn., Ohio, N.Y.
etc., etc., transiting to Tremblant via Ontario either up
through Cornwall or from any points West on Hwy. 401.)
This topic is for those who may wish to consider a different path, and
we must say, a refreshing alternative that keeps you moving and completely
avoids significant urban transits. There is a small cost(see photo detail below),
but you may save fuel expense by not being stuck idling in long metro traffic jams.
We are intentionally listing all the maps at the top of this topic just in case
you want to use this as an actual travel document, so that the route can
be easily referenced in sequence. Pictures from behind the wheel are included
below. In this example, the route is picture outlined as the return route, leaving
Tremblant to return to Ontario Via the 401 Hwy., but obviously, it can be run
the other way around, so either way it is a solid option for missing all that city
traffic that you really don’t need.
This Route Assumes You Will Be On Quebec Hwy # 323 From St.Jovite
To Quebec Hwy # 50 At Montebello, Or Reverse.
”Light-Bulb”...
Use The Montebello/Fassett Vehicle Ferry
From Cornwall Instead Of Ottawa.
What we recommend is that you use Hwy 24, Hwy 9, Hwy 417, Hwy 138 To Cornwall,
or reverse, from/to Hwy 401 at EXIT # 789. For all other regional commuters the
object is to use this ferry as means of bypassing the Ottawa/Gatineau Traffic Jams.
Map “A”:
- 8.27.22.Map.A.Fassett.Ferry.To.QC.Hwy.50.at.Montebello.Detail.a.jpg (1.13 MiB) Viewed 6678 times
Important Repeat Note Above: To/From Hwy 401 at EXIT # 789, at Cornwall, Ontario.
(Please Note: We also estimate that the Fasset Ferry crossing is 45/50 KM’s and
45 min’s shorter than the Hawkesbury/Grenville bridge crossing option as well.)
Map “B”:
- 8.27.22.Map.B.Fassett.Ferry.To.QC.Hwy.50.at.Montebello.Detail.a.jpg (630.09 KiB) Viewed 6707 times
(Maybe it was a bit of good timing, but we made the
entire span of the red arrows in this map below in
17 minutes. Average should still be around/under 20.)
Map “C”:
- 8.27.22.Map.C.Fassett.Ferry.To.QC.Hwy.50.at.Montebello.Detail.a.jpg (624.18 KiB) Viewed 6707 times
For those Tremblant Fans who either reside in all Ontario districts to the
South-West, or are U.S. Guests using this vector, commuting Via Hwy # 401
to Tremblant has typically been a choice between going through Ottawa or
Montreal to get to Tremblant by road. The Ottawa route has become the
most popular Via the 416 as it is shorter. Basically the Ottawa route is the
hypotenuse of what would be the triangular form of the Montreal route.
The occasional/common problem with those 2 main routes is urban
traffic that can result in bumper-to-bumper chrome connections that
frequently mean extended delays in stop-n-go jams that are just
no fun at all.
Our experience shows that those tie-ups can occur at some totally
expected times during heavy commute times of morning and afternoons,
but... additionally, they happen at some unexpected times too, due
to construction season that can run from May to November.
We respectfully submit that you skip the cities altogether and consider
taking this ferry at Fassett. It’s fun, fast, inexpensive and you don’t stop moving.
Picture File Reference Showing Return Route To Ontario Via
Fassett Ferry Ottawa River Crossing Adjacent To Montebello Quebec.
If you reference the map scales above, you’ll see it is about 3 kilometres
from Montebello to the Fassett Exit. Our transit from Montebello to the
ferry dock, including the main highway exit ramps, as well as the final
jog to the ferry, was 7 minutes.
- 8.12.22.Tremblant.To.401.Via.Fassett.Ferry.At.Montebello.a.jpg (1.12 MiB) Viewed 6707 times
From Hwy # 50, to the ferry dock is about 1Km to the old # 148, where you
make a right turn, then 500 metres to the entrance. It is a super-easy, well
marked route.
- 8.12.22.Tremblant.To.401.Via.Fassett.Ferry.At.Montebello.b.jpg (1.29 MiB) Viewed 6707 times
500 Metres from above gets you to below and we have inserted a zoom-in
to the ferry sign to show magnified detail of the Ontario highway links indicated.
The one Hwy reference missing is Hwy # 9, from Treadwell Ont. down to the
417, however if you scroll back up to the top maps, you’ll see we’ve added
that as an annotation to the overall map “A”.
- 8.12.22.Tremblant.To.401.Via.Fassett.Ferry.At.Montebello.c.jpg (1.3 MiB) Viewed 6707 times
What you are looking at here below is the ferry entrance from the Quebec side,
overlooking the span of the traverse across the Ottawa River to the Ontario
landing side. The main ferry is coming into the big dock on screen-right.
There is a back-up ferry parked across the end. We estimate the span of the
river here at about 600 metres and you can see the inverted “U” shape of
the white steel frame over the ramp on the other side.
- 8.12.22.Tremblant.To.401.Via.Fassett.Ferry.At.Montebello.d.jpg (1.35 MiB) Viewed 6707 times
Below is a closer view of the inbound approaching ferry with a load on board.
This vessel is a double-ender, i.e., drive-on, drive-off, either end, so it is very
easy to load and unload. With the helm/control station elevated on the side,
it looks like a miniature aircraft carrier!
Additionally, we have included the posted open hours, load and tariff data for
the time of this crossing which is August 12, 2022.
At the time of this writing the fee for any car with all passengers included is
$11.00, CASH ONLY.
Please Note: All manner of passage from Pedestrian, bikes, cars to heavy trucks
and trailers. This vessel has a 50 ton payload capacity so very suitable for your
Rec. Vehicle with camper/travel trailer.
- 8.12.22.Tremblant.To.401.Via.Fassett.Ferry.At.Montebello.e.jpg (1.38 MiB) Viewed 6707 times
The boat runs “On Demand”, so they are almost always moving and even
if they happen to be on the other side when you get there, if will only be
a couple of minutes before they’re on the way.
Drive-on, drive-off does not get much simpler than this. The ramps are very
low-angled and there is a smooth transition to deck level on the boat so you
can barely feel the boarding process.
- 8.12.22.Tremblant.To.401.Via.Fassett.Ferry.At.Montebello.f.jpg (1.2 MiB) Viewed 6707 times
There is just enough time to get out of your vehicle for a stroll on the deck
while you admire the views up or down the river, but it’s still a great chance
to stretch the legs for a few minutes.
- 8.12.22.Tremblant.To.401.Via.Fassett.Ferry.At.Montebello.g.jpg (1.33 MiB) Viewed 6707 times
Coming in for a landing. Almost too quickly your trip to the other side
is fast approaching the ramp and literally within seconds of the docking,
you’re motioned off the boat and you are on your way.
- 8.12.22.Tremblant.To.401.Via.Fassett.Ferry.At.Montebello.h.jpg (1.38 MiB) Viewed 6707 times
The essence of this specific Ottawa River transit, is that if you consider the
average time(excluding traffic jams), it takes to go from the 416/417 junction
at Nepean, to the east end of Gatineau, out past the suburbs, you reduce the
exposure to the busy, city traffic congested river crossing portion of the journey,
from roughly just over an hour, down to about 6 minutes of literally clear sailing.
It was a bit of good timing coincidence, but from the 323/50 entrance ramp at
Montebello, we were actually driving down the road in Ontario towards Cornwall
in roughly 17 minutes. Wow...
As the odometer rolls, we estimate that compared to the Ottawa route,
the Prescott to Montebello distance is roughly 25km’s shorter via
Cornwall to the Fassett ferry as well.
As an additional bonus, the drive along the river bank from the ferry dock
to Treadwell is wonderfully scenic. The road is smooth, and the homes
built on the waters edge are all beautifully landscaped. South to Cornwall,
the traffic is non-existent and it is just a really pretty area to pass through.
The farms along the way are equally well kept and the small towns and villages
are all less than a minute to span so it all goes by very quickly.
It was our first time using this ferry and we were super-impressed with the service.
The boat is in immaculate condition and it is perfectly obvious the crew takes a
great deal of pride in maintaining a ship-shape operation. Clean, fast and inexpensive
are the best summarization we can make and we can tell you for a fact we’ll be using
this service more often for our warm seasons Tremblant commutes.
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