Paddle TodayFind the best paddle near you today

Live score, water level, and weather.

See all 2 routes on Lake Champlain

New York | Clinton County / northern Lake Champlain

Lake ChamplainRouses Point Municipal Boat Launch to Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch via Point au Fer and Kings Bay

A planning-only approximately 10-mile Lake Champlain blueway from the municipally operated Rouses Point launch around Point au Fer and Kings Bay to the public Great Chazy River launch. Lakes to Locks Passage publishes the named launch pair, route distance, marshy shoreline, wildlife, shallow-water character, and southern-wind warning; NYSDEC independently lists the Great Chazy launch and Lake Champlain access context. This is exposed lake travel with limited shore access, not a protected river float.

Route location

Loading the route map.

Open access map

Plan this route

DistanceApproximately 10 paddling miles from Rouses Point Municipal Boat Launch to the Great Chazy River NYS boat launch
DifficultyModerate
Typical timeAbout 4–7 hours for a sheltered-water touring group
ShuttleCar shuttle
Lake Champlain at Rouses Point, New York, used as route-context imagery for the Rouses Point to Great Chazy blueway.
Route photoLake Champlain at Rouses Point; northern blueway route-context imagePhoto by U.S. Geological Survey

Need to know

Why this call
This route is documented for planning, but does not receive a Paddle Today score.
View Primary Source
Embed this route

Route alerts

Email me when this route improves

We'll email you when this route climbs into Good or Strong. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.

We only email on a new threshold crossing.

Route overview

Trip details

Access rules, camping, seasonal conditions and trip length.

Distance, difficulty, rules and camping
On-water distanceApproximately 10 paddling miles from Rouses Point Municipal Boat Launch to the Great Chazy River NYS boat launchRouses Point Municipal Boat Launch to Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch via Point au Fer and Kings Bay
DifficultymoderateLakes to Locks describes a mostly shallow route with southern-wind exposure and limited shore access. Treat it as a moderate open-water touring route requiring a seaworthy craft, self-rescue margin, navigation, and a conservative weather exit plan.
ShuttleCar shuttleStage the downstream vehicle at the Great Chazy River NYS launch only after confirming current parking and access, then shuttle to Rouses Point Municipal Boat Launch. Keep a same-launch return or early public-launch exit as the weather fallback; do not depend on private marinas or marsh shoreline.
PermitsCheck posted rulesConfirm current municipal and NYSDEC launch rules, New York PFD and Clean.Drain.Dry requirements, Lake Champlain navigation and border-area notices, wildlife-area rules, parking, fees, and any seasonal restrictions. No private shoreline access or camping is inferred.
CampingOptions nearbyDay-use route with nearby managed lodging or campground options only. No on-route, marsh, island, launch-site, or private-shoreline camping right is claimed; reserve a legal facility separately and verify current operation.
SeasonMay-OctUse the open-water season only after checking the Lake Champlain forecast, wind direction, thunderstorms, visibility, daylight, water temperature, and launch operation. Southern wind can build waves around Point au Fer and the route is mostly shallow.

Plan ahead

Tomorrow and the weekend

Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.

TomorrowChecking

Waiting on forecast.

WeekendChecking

Waiting on forecast.

Plan

Plan your trip

Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.

Route logistics

Access and shuttle

A planning-only approximately 10-mile Lake Champlain blueway from the municipally operated Rouses Point launch around Point au Fer and Kings Bay to the public Great Chazy River launch. Lakes to Locks Passage publishes the named launch pair, route distance, marshy shoreline, wildlife, shallow-water character, and southern-wind warning; NYSDEC independently lists the Great Chazy launch and Lake Champlain access context. This is exposed lake travel with limited shore access, not a protected river float.

Access map

Skip map

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

End of map
Start

Put-in

Rouses Point Municipal Boat Launch
Open mapDirections to put-in

The route source names the Rouses Point and Great Chazy public launches, but current hours, parking, ramp/dock condition, water level, and event restrictions remain day-of checks.

Finish

Take-out

Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch
Open mapDirections to take-out

Lakes to Locks identifies limited shore access between the endpoints. Treat Point au Fer, Kings Bay, Montys Bay, marinas, marsh edges, and private shoreline as navigation context rather than automatic bailouts.

Road shuttle

Driving shuttle routeShuttle in Apple MapsOpenStreetMap
Access notes and hazards

Access caveats

  • The route source names the Rouses Point and Great Chazy public launches, but current hours, parking, ramp/dock condition, water level, and event restrictions remain day-of checks.
  • Lakes to Locks identifies limited shore access between the endpoints. Treat Point au Fer, Kings Bay, Montys Bay, marinas, marsh edges, and private shoreline as navigation context rather than automatic bailouts.
  • The Great Chazy launch is at the Lake Champlain mouth; do not assume the adjacent Great Chazy channel, marsh, or riverbank is a public landing beyond the listed launch facility.

Watch for

  • Lake Champlain stage at 04295000, south or north wind, waves, thunderstorms, fog, visibility, water temperature, motorboat traffic, and daylight remaining
  • shallow marsh shoreline, wildlife areas, limited alternate landings, private banks, marinas, border-area navigation, and a failed-shuttle/weather extraction plan
  • Rouses Point municipal launch hours and parking, Great Chazy mouth surf/current, ramp congestion, invasive-species controls, and any seasonal closures

Plan this paddle

Choose your trip times

No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.

Trip schedule

Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.

Browser plans

Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.

Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.

Conditions

Water levels, gauge history, and hourly forecast

Check the forecast and local water levels before launching.

Gauge detail

Water-level history and forecastDetailed view

Gauge

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

------------

Weather

Hourly forecast

Checking weather.

Loading today's forecast.

Next 8 hours

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
----Loading--

Route gallery

Photos

Check each caption: some photos show the surrounding area rather than this exact trip.

Lake Champlain at Rouses Point, New York, used as route-context imagery for the Rouses Point to Great Chazy blueway.
Lake Champlain at Rouses Point; northern blueway route-context imagePhoto by U.S. Geological Survey
USGS public domain; clearly labeled route-context imagery

Sources

Data and sources

Read the access and hazard notes and check the linked guides. We do not issue a daily score for this trip.

NotesWhat to know before you go

These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.

  • Named Lake Champlain bluewayRouses Point to Great Chazy River; approximately 10 miles

    Lakes to Locks Passage publishes the named launch pair, route distance, Point au Fer and Kings Bay corridor, shallow-water character, wildlife context, and southern-wind warning.

    Source

  • Public launch endpointsRouses Point Municipal Boat Launch and Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch

    The municipal launch is documented by the Village/blueway listing and the Great Chazy hard-surface launch is listed by NYSDEC with approximately 66-car parking.

    Source

  • Direct stage contextUSGS 04295000 Lake Champlain at Rouses Point

    USGS provides current lake-stage context at the route start; it does not establish a route-wide wind, wave, traffic, or safe-launch threshold.

    Source

  • Camping postureDay-use / nearby managed basecamp only

    The blueway source does not grant shoreline or marsh camping, so arrange a separate legal campground or lodging plan.

    Source

  • Direct live gaugeUSGS 04295000, Richelieu River (Lake Champlain) at Rouses Point, NY

    USGS provides continuous stage and discharge telemetry for the route corridor.

    Source

  • Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch

    Lakes to Locks Passage Rouses Point to Great Chazy Blueway / NYSDEC launch listings and its linked safety material warn that conditions change rapidly and require local inspection.

    Source

  • Image decisionApproved same-river context image used for route presentation

    The image is labeled as river-level context when it depicts the named river elsewhere, not this exact reach.

    Source

Verify it yourselfCheck the source links

Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.

Reports

Paddler reports

See recent photos and notes from people on the route.

Share your trip

Help build the route page

Add photos or send a quick condition report.

Photos

Upload route photos

Add access, hazard, or on-water photos.

No files selected yet.

Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or explore different rivers within 75 straight-line miles.

More in New York

All 282 routes
New York route guideBrowse every tracked New York route.Clinton County / northern Lake ChamplainJump to routes in this region.

More on Lake Champlain

All 2
Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch to Point au Roche NYS Boat Launch via Chazy Landing and Montys BayClinton County / northern Lake ChamplainModerate · Approximately 12.2 paddling miles from Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch to Point au Roche NYS Boat Launch

Nearby routes within 75 miles

Saranac RiverImperial Mill Dam to Lake Champlain · about 22 straight-line mi awayHard · Approximately 3 river miles from immediately below Imperial Mill Dam to the Plattsburgh Lake Champlain launchSaranac RiverMilitary Turnpike (Route 190) to Imperial Mill Dam · about 23 straight-line mi awayHard · Approximately 2.5 river miles from the Military Turnpike dam to Imperial Mill DamSaranac RiverFoot of Kent Falls Powerhouse access to Military Turnpike dam access · about 27 straight-line mi awayModerate · Approximately 7 river miles from the foot of Kent Falls to the Military Turnpike damLamoille RiverFairfax Falls below-dam access to Arrowhead Mountain Lake · about 30 straight-line mi awayModerate · About 8 river miles

Quick answers

Lake Champlain paddling FAQ

What water level is best for the Rouses Point Municipal Boat Launch to Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch via Point au Fer and Kings Bay route on the Lake Champlain?

This planning route has no live Paddle Today score. Review the linked water-level sources, current access notices and route-specific hazards before travel.

Where does the Rouses Point Municipal Boat Launch to Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch via Point au Fer and Kings Bay route on the Lake Champlain start and end?

This route starts at Rouses Point Municipal Boat Launch and ends at Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch, Approximately 10 paddling miles from Rouses Point Municipal Boat Launch to the Great Chazy River NYS boat launch on the water.

Is the Rouses Point Municipal Boat Launch to Great Chazy River NYS Boat Launch via Point au Fer and Kings Bay route on the Lake Champlain suitable for beginners?

This is listed as a moderate route. Review the difficulty notes, hazards and current access conditions against your group's skills. No live score assesses this trip.

Flag a change

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.

Report a changeEmail update