New York Lighthouses

Lake Ontario Lighthouses ... from Buffalo counter-clockwise around the lake to Cape Vincent

The Fort Niagara lighthouse is at the south shore of Lake Ontario, north of Buffalo, near the mouth of the Niagara River.

The Thirty Mile Point lighthouse is on the south shore of  Lake Ontario, east of Buffalo.  It gets its name because it is thirty miles east of the mouth of the mouth of the Niagara River.

Braddock Point Lighthouse

The Braddock Point lighthouse is on private property on the south shore of Lake Ontario, north of Rochester.

For many years, this has not been open to the public.  This property changed hands in 2009 when it was purchased by the Town family.  They are in the process of opening it up to the public as a seasonal Bed and Breakfast.  They also have a Florida BnB.

Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse

The Charlotte-Genesee lighthouse is on the south shore of Lake Ontario north of Rochester.

Sodus Point Lighthouse

The Sodus Point  lighthouse is toward the east end of the south shore of Lake Ontario, roughly half way between Rochester and Syracuse.  It is also known as Big Sodus Light.  There is another lighthouse in the bay known as Sodus Outer Light.  This can be seen in the distance to the left of the lighthouse structure in a couple of these pictures.

Sodus Outer Light Lighthouse

The Sodus Outer Light is located on a breakwater just behind the Sodus Point Lighthouse.  When we were there, we weren't aware that there was a second light in the area.  We will get back some time and get close-ups of the Outer Light.  In the meantime, it appears in the distance to the left of the Big Sodus Light.

Oswego Lighthouse

The Oswego lighthouse is at the east end of Lake Ontario in Oswego.

Selkirk Lighthouse

The Selkirk Lighthouse, also known as the Salmon River Lighthouse, is at the east end of Lake Ontario.  It is located near the hamlet of Port Ontario, just west of Pulaski.  At the traffic light in Port Ontario where NYSR 13 meets NYSR 3, go north on route 3 across the bridge spanning the Salmon River.  A very short distance beyond the bridge you will meet Oswego CR 5, aka Lake Road.  Head toward the lake.  The lighthouse is at the end of this dead end road

Stony Point Lighthouse

The Stony Point lighthouse is on the east end of Lake Ontario in Henderson Harbor NY.  It is just west of Watertown.

Horse Island Lighthouse

Horse Island is on the east end of Lake Ontario, just west of Watertown, off the shore of Sackets Harbor.  The lighthouse itself was taken out of service in 1957 and it was sold.  The same family still owns it and maintains it as a vacation home.  It is fairly overgrown there and the light is difficult to see even from a boat in the water.  Note that the lighthouse is white with a red top.  It can be seen best in the last photo behind the tables and umbrellas at the beach.  Our thanks to Dave Little of Watertown, New York who provided us with the aerial shot.  There is now an automated light mounted on a skeletal tower which replaced the lighthouse.

Cherry Island Light

The light on Cherry Island is more of a marker light than a lighthouse.  Cherry Island separates Chaumont Bay from Guffin Bay on the east end of Lake Ontario, just west of Watertown.  Nestled in the bays between Pillar Point, Point Peninsula and Point Salubrious, this is primarily a recreational boating area.  The light is located on the northwest corner of the island and warns boaters of a nasty shoal off the west end.  The first six pictures in the array are taken from the boat in Chaumont Bay, which is the back side of Cherry Island to us.  The last two are taken from the north shore of Pillar Point, a mile or so beyond us.

Cape Vincent Breakwater Lighthouse

This lighthouse is no longer operating.  As the sign on the structure indicates, "this lighthouse was located on the Cape Vincent Breakwater from 1900 to 1951 when it was moved to the present location and now serves as a proud landmark for this approach to the village."  The present location is just east of the Village of Cape Vincent on NYSR 12E, in front of the town highway department facility.

Tibbetts Point Lighthouse

The Tibbetts Point Lighthouse is just outside of Cape Vincent NY, about 20 miles from our summer home.    It has always been one of our favorites because it was a place we visited by motorcycle just after we first started dating and we try and get out there at least once a year.  Tibbetts Point marks the spot where the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario meet. As such, it could be considered either a Lake Ontario or a St. Lawrence River lighthouse.  Some of these photos show the new windmills on Wolfe Island which is just across the river from Tibbetts Point in Canada.  There are also some views of lakers, or Great Lakes freighters that were passing by when we were there.

East Charity Shoals Lighthouse

The East Charity Shoals Lighthouse is in Lake Ontario just before the opening of the St. Lawrence River, near Cape Vincent NY.    It is best viewed by boat.  The only picture we have of it at this point was taken with an eight power zoom from the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse grounds and then magnified.

St. Lawrence River Lighthouses ... from west to east

Rock Island Lighthouse

Rock Island Lighthouse is best seen by boat but it is visible from the American mainland near Fishers Landing.  We took some pictures from that area a few years ago but they mysteriously disappeared.  We went back on August 24, 2010.  After driving about 75% of the road and not seeing the lighthouse, we asked a man out for his daily walk if he knew where it was.  He not only knew, he took us to the shore at his home to allow us a good view.  The best view from the mainland is almost at the end of the dead end road.  Our thanks to him for his hospitality. On August 27, 2010, we went on a tour boat out of Clayton and got some closer shots from the water.

Sunken Rock Lighthouse

Sunken Rock Lighthouse is on a small island in the St. Lawrence River at Alexandria Bay NY.  It is not open to the public.  One shot was taken from the shore in Alex Bay.  Two others were taken from the Bonnie Castle Resort in Alex Bay after we bought a better camera.  You can also see Boldt Castle in some shots.

Sisters Island Lighthouse

Sisters Island is in the St. Lawrence River, about 6 miles downstream (toward the Atlantic Ocean) from Alexandria Bay NY.  It is not open to the public and is best seen by boat.  This shot was taken from the mainland using a zoom lens.

Crossover Island Lighthouse

Crossover Island is in the St. Lawrence River, about 13 miles downstream (toward the Atlantic Ocean) from Alexandria Bay NY.  It is actually located off the shore of the town of Hammond in St. Lawrence County.  It is not open to the public and is best seen by boat.  This shot was taken from the mainland using a zoom lens.

Ogdensburg Harbor Lighthouse

The Ogdensburg Harbor Lighthouse is the closest lighthouse to our home.  We live about 30 miles or so from Ogdensburg and we get there fairly often.  It is on private property and is not accessible to the public.  You can get a good view of it from the parking lot of the park across the bay.

Long Island Lighthouses

Montauk Point Lighthouse

The extreme eastern end of Long Island splits into a northern and southern fork.  The Montauk Point lighthouse is at the end of the southern fork.

Fire Island Lighthouse

Fire Island is a long narrow island that runs parallel to the southern coast of Long Island.  The lighthouse is located in the Robert Moses State Park which is part of the Fire Island National Seashore.  According to our "Certificate of Accomplishment", we climbed the 192 steps of this lighthouse on August 24, 2003.

Inland Lighthouses

Cayuga Inlet Lighthouse

The Cayuga Inlet Lighthouse is at the extreme southern end of Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes.  It marks the entrance of a channel in the area by the village of Ithaca.

We visited here on Saturday, October 17, 2009.  There are nine pictures in the display.  Two of the shots were taken from a City of Ithaca operated park known as Stewart Park on the southeastern part of the lake.  Two others were taken from the Newman Golf Course, just southwest of the light.  The best shots were taken from the Allen H. Treman State Marine Park, just west of the channel separating it from the golf course.

In Ithaca on routes 13/34, turn north on Willow Avenue toward Newman Golf Course.  When the road tees, turn left on Pier Road.  Park in gravel service area and walk.