Boating
New York State has more than 7,500 lakes, ponds and reservoirs and over 50,000 miles of rivers and streams. Boating on these waterbodies can take the form of canoes, kayaks, personal watercraft, sailboats and motorboats. Many lakes, ponds and streams in the Forest Preserves are restricted to non-motorized boating.
DEC provides many boat access points at campgrounds and fishing access spots in the Adirondack and Catskills. This includes both car top and trailer access sites.
Please remember to wear your life jackets, don't drink and drive, and have a good time.
For more information about boating registration, please call the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) at (518) 473-5595.
For more information about boating requirements & boating safety, please call the Office of Parks, Recreation & Historical Preservation at (518) 474-0456.
Boating Access Brochure
The publication titled "New York State Boat Launching Sites" (PDF, 2.96 MB) has recently been updated. It contains a listing of boating access and launching areas available to the public. Other helpful information on launching and retrieving your boat and aquatic invasive species is included.
If interested in obtaining a hard copy of the New York State Boat Launching Sites Directory, send an email to fwfish@gw.dec.state.ny.us and include your name, mailing address and publication you are requesting.
Attention Boaters and Anglers - Don't Spread Invasive Species!
Boats, trailers, waders and other fishing equipment can spread invasive species from waterbody to waterbody unless properly cleaned after use. Although some invasive species such as water milfoil are readily visible to the human eye, many others are too small to be readily noticed. To avoid spreading invasive species please follow the following guidelines:
1. INSPECT your equipment; and REMOVE any visible mud, plants, fish or animals before transporting equipment.
2. Eliminate all water from equipment before transporting.
3. Clean and Dry anything that comes into contact with water including boats, trailers, waders, bait buckets and other boating and fishing equipment. Boaters should be particularly cognizant of bait & live wells and bilge areas that are difficult to dry.
4. DISINFECT if you cannot dry equipment.
5. NEVER release plants, fish or animals into a body of water unless they came out of that body of water.
For more information on aquatic invasive species, please visit the "Preventing the Introduction and Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species" pages.
Marina and Private Boat Launch Operators
Help up prevent the spread of aqautic nuisance invasive species by installing an Invasive Species Disposal Station at your facility.
More about Boating:
- Marinas - New York State has over 800 public and private commercial marinas along its coastal zone and connected waterways. This listing of marinas was compiled as a result of an inventory conducted in 1997 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York Sea Grant, and the Empire State Marine Trades Association. The inventory was conducted as part of the state's Clean Vessel Act Program and funded through the Sport Fish Restoration Program.
- New York State Pumpout Facilities - Boaters are aware of and concerned about pollution threats facing our coastal waters. The primary goal of the Clean Vessel Act(CVA) is to reduce the overboard sewage discharge from recreational boats, and so it provides funds for the construction, renovation, operation, and maintenance of pumpout stations.
- Boat Launch Sites - A list of New York State Boat Launching Sites by county.
- Accessible Boat Launches Photo Gallery - A photo gallery of DEC boat launches designed without barriers to boaters with disabilities
- Keep Waterways Clean - Tips on how proper boating practices can prevent pollution
- Diving Guidelines for Lake George's Shipwreck Preserves - Diving the "Sunken Fleet of 1758" and the "Forward" Underwater Classroom are on a first-come, first-served basis. Both are open into the autumn.
- Onondaga Lake Navigation - Boating safety on Onondaga Lake has been enhanced due to the addition of navigational buoys.
