Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

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Thousand Islands Region


Stretching from Lake Ontario north along the St. Lawrence River to Lake Champlain, the region is a stunning mixture of woodlands, islands and water, and known for some of the best boating and fishing in the world.

Wellesley Island State Park on the St. Lawrence River is the largest camping complex in the state with tent and trailer sites, cabins and cottages, a marina and boat launches, and year-round activities at its Minna Anthony Common Nature Center. Robert Moses State Park, on the St. Lawrence River near the Eisenhower Lock, is part of the Seaway Trail. Pitch a tent or rent a cabin, enjoy some of the best fishing in the northeast, picnic, swim, and hit the trails. Southwick Beach State Park on Lake Ontario is popular with campers and day-use visitors for the outstanding swimming and sunbathing on its long sandy beach. 

For quiet and seclusion, try camping at Coles Creek and DeWolf Point and particularly the island parks Canoe-Picnic Point, Cedar Island and Mary Island State Parks, which offer rustic settings and outstanding boating and fishing. Kring Point State Park is on a peninsula that extends into the St. Lawrence. From any point in the park you can see the water and many of the 1,700 islands from which the region gets its name.

Take a history break and tour Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site,the command center of the American naval and military operations on LakeOntario during the War of 1812. Find out how Americans held their ground hereduring a surprise attack by British forces in 1813.

At the far Eastern portion of the region is Point au Roche State Park, with expansive vistas of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. This scenic park offers swimming, picnicking, hiking, a boat launch and more, while nearby Cumberland Bay State Park, with 2,700 feet of beach on Lake Champlain features many campsites with water views.

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