Lake Champlain

Location & fast facts

Good for & watch for

Built only from the data on this page: official access lists, OpenStreetMap beaches and trails, campground listings, state and USGS invasive-species records. We don't rate crowds or water quality.

Official fishing data (NYSDEC)

Fish species listed by NYSDEC for this recommended fishing water: Lake trout, Landlocked salmon, Smallmouth bass, Largemouth bass, Yellow perch, Crappie, Northern pike, Carp, Channel catfish.

Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation: Recommended Fishing Lakes and Ponds and Fish Stocking Lists (2011 on) on data.ny.gov, records for Lake Champlain (Washington/Essex/Clinton County). NYSDEC page.

Lake map

Lake Champlain shoreline, boat launches & beaches

Open interactive map

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID {492CB89C-D0FF-47E3-A144-39464508B9FD}), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: NYSDEC boat launch sites (data.ny.gov) and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL). Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

Shoreline trails

OpenStreetMap shows about 18.3 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Lake Champlain shoreline, mostly along the north and south shores. About 7.1 mi of it is on islands, which you can reach only by boat.

Trails along the shore

• South Perimeter Trail · 2.1 mi near the shore · on an island
• North Perimeter Trail · 1.8 mi near the shore · on an island
• Terry Gordon Bike Path · 1.7 mi near the shore · west side · part of Champlain Valley Trail (Keeseville to Plattsburgh)
• Primitive Trail South · 1.0 mi near the shore · on an island
• Point au Roche State Park · 0.7 mi near the shore · north side
• Royal Savage Trail · 0.5 mi near the shore · on an island
• Heritage Trail · 0.5 mi near the shore · north side
• Camp Red Cloud Road · 0.3 mi near the shore · north side
• Unnamed paths · 9.0 mi near the shore

Getting to the trails

No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Boat ramp, right on a shoreline trail (NYSDEC boat launch data).

• Boat ramp
  Public access site near the trailGet directions

The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.

Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 9, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 100 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.

Campgrounds near Lake Champlain

We found 118 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Lake Champlain, 52 of them within 5 miles. 30 are right on the shore. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

• Cumberland Bay State Park Campground
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · Plattsburgh

  Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Tent sites

  Season: May-Oct Mo[2] "Columbus Day"

  WebsiteGet directions
• Burton Island State Park Campground
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · St. Albans

  Tent sites · Cabins or yurts

  ReserveGet directions
• Button Bay State Park Campground
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · Ferrisburgh

  ReserveGet directions
• Grand Isle State Park Campground
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · Grand Isle

  ReserveGet directions
• Knight Island State Park Campground
  CampgroundState park

  On the shore · North Hero

  ReserveGet directions
• Lakewood Campground
  RV park

  On the shore · Swanton

  RVs welcome · Drinking water

  Get directions

All campgrounds & RV parks in New York

Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.

Campground data: Vermont State Parks · OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.

Conditions right now

Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (44.3337, -73.3161). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Lake Champlain. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

Sun, moon & best fishing times

Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in ET (America/New_York), and accurate to within a few minutes.

Boat launches & access sites

41 public access sites listed, 41 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.

NYSDEC boat launch sites (data.ny.gov) and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL)

Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.

Public beaches

On OpenStreetMap: 5 beaches and swimming spots on the shore of Lake Champlain not marked private, residents-only or members-only.

Beaches: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), within about 150 m (500 ft) of the lake outline. A mapped beach is not a guarantee that swimming is allowed, supervised or safe; some town beaches need a resident sticker even when the map doesn't say so. Check posted rules and water-quality advisories before you swim.

Non-native/invasive species

Reported on or near Lake Champlain

• Water chestnut (Trapa natans): 23 USGS records, first reported 1942, latest 2024 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha): 239 USGS records, first reported 1994, latest 2024 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum): 24 USGS records, first reported 2000, latest 2024 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus): 12 USGS records, first reported 2002, latest 2025 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Brittle waternymph (Najas minor): 2 USGS records, first reported 2002 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Variable-leaf watermilfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum): 4 USGS records, first reported 2009, latest 2011 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Spiny waterflea (Bythotrephes longimanus): 9 USGS records, first reported 2014 · status: established, unknown (fact sheet).

USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database

USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.

Contact & official info

• NYSDEC Division of Fish and Wildlife: fishing rules, licenses and stocking.

Questions about Lake Champlain

Share a tip or fishing report

Know Lake Champlain? Tell us about the launch, parking, where they're biting or anything a first-time visitor should know. Tips go privately to the LakeRipple editor; nothing is posted automatically. Helpful tips may be featured on this page (we'll use your first name only if you give one).

Lakes & ponds nearby

• Lake Champlain · Burlington, VT · 277,117 acres · connected (same mapped lake)
• Long Pond · Willsboro · 297 acres · 7.7 mi
• Highlands Forge Lake · Willsboro · 124 acres · 8.2 mi
• Shelburne Pond · Shelburne, VT · 479 acres · 8.5 mi
• Hadley Pond · Chesterfield · 39 acres · 9.1 mi
• Frances Pond · Lewis · 31 acres · 9.9 mi

Straight-line distance between lake centers. All New York lakes & ponds · All waters in Willsboro