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Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park

620 S. Main St.

Canandaigua, NY 14424

585-394-9420

Services: C,J,K,Q,T

The launch area at Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park offers six paved ramps.

Location 

The park is located at the northern end of Canandaigua Lake in the City of Canandaigua. If you are coming from State Routes 5 & 20 (this is actually just one road with two numbers), the entrance will be the first driveway on your right as you turn south onto Main Street. There is a large park sign visible from this direction. If you are coming north on Main Street, the entrance will be the last driveway on your left before State Routes 5 & 20. You probably will not be able to see the park sign from this direction.

Park Layout

The park has no layout map, so here is a written description.

 

Once you pull into the entrance, you will drive DOWN a long, paved drive. (Main Street is much higher in elevation than the launch site.) As you approach the ticket booth on your left, there will be a duck pond on your right with willow trees on one side and picnic tables under the willows. You will curve to the right around the duck pond. The launch site will be on your left, parking will be directly ahead of you, and bathrooms are in between the launch site and the parking lot with space for about 110 vehicles.

 

The bathroom at Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park with the parking lot beyond. A picnic area is under the trees on the left.

The launch site was created when a canal or channel was dug inland from the lake. The canal consists of lake water about 3.5 ft./1 m. deep filled with chopped seaweed. The launch site is on the canal, which is only about as wide as a road and doesn't go through. There are more picnic tables under some trees along the canal on park property. OPRHP says that fishing is allowed, but the only place to fish is in the canal.

 

The launch site has three, 2-sided, concrete bays. Therefore, six boats could be coming and going at the same time. In using the canal, you must stay to the right just as you do when driving down a road. OPRHP says there is temporary docking. There really isn't. The distance from the launch site to the lake is probably less than 500 ft./152.4 m. with residential and commercial buildings on both sides of the canal.

 

Each of the six ramps at Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park has a removable aluminum dock. These ramps are appropriate only for small vessels.

Issues With Using This Site

1. This can be a very busy site. You are expected to launch and dock quickly so as not to keep others waiting. If this is your first time using this site, you may want to park temporarily to scope the place out and create a game plan. It would not be appropriate, for example, for you to leave your boat moored while you went to the bathroom.

 

2. When you return from the lake, you will be expected to make a tight right turn into the launch bay to trailer your boat. If your boating skills are not proficient enough that you would be able to make this tight turn, you may want to tie a rope to the boat and pull it around the turn or you could even get out, get wet, and manually bring your boat in.

 

3. This site is an appropriate place to launch a small sailboat. However, when the wind is coming off the lake, it can be very stiff. The canal is too narrow in which to tack, so you will need to paddle to the lake.

 

4. This launch site is appropriate only for small boats. There are trees overhanging the canal, so masts of any height will cause a problem. In addition, because the canal is shallow, boats that ride low or boats with keels shouldn't use this site. See a list of marinas on Canandaigua Lake.

 

The canal at Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park is shallow. Sailboats may have trouble accessing the lake when the wind is coming from the lake.

When You're Done

Along the driveway you came down when you entered the park are No Parking signs. It is along here that people stop to drain and wipe down their boats.

Seasonality

The park is generally open from May through mid-October. A parking/launch fee is charged at least during the months of June, July, and August, and sometimes in September. (The fee and the times change from year to year.) Pets must be leashed.

Key to Services

A-Beach

B-Biking

C-Boat Launch Sites

D-Boat Rentals

A mother mallard and her two juveniles call the duck pond at Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park home while boaters use the shoulder of the driveway to drain and wipe down their boats.E-Cabins

F-Camper Recreation

G-Campsites

H-Dockage

I-Dumping Station

J-Empire Passport Accepted

K-Fishing

L-Food

M-Hiking

N-Marina

O-Nature Trail

P-Pavilions

Q-Picnic Tables

R-Playground

S-Playing Fields

T-Powerboats

U-Recreation Programs

V-Showers

W-Sledding

X-Snowmobiling

Y-Snowshoeing

Z-Tent/Trailer Sites

AA-Vacation Rentals

BB-X-Country Skiing

CC-Scenic Views

DD-All above

 

Updated 22 October 2012

 

 

 

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