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Lamoka Lake

Coordinates: 42.406°N 77.078°W

Elevation: 1099 feet/335 meters

Lamoka Lake is the "sister" lake to Waneta to which it is connected by a channel navigable by small and, sometimes, medium-sized boats. Lamoka is an irregularly shaped lake and connects with Mill Pond to the south. The combined size of the lake and the pond is 826 acres with 11.3 miles of shoreline overall. The lake's maximum depth is 40 feet. Lamoka is almost entirely in the Town of Tyrone in Schuyler County but drains into Steuben County.

Lamoka and Waneta share many of the same features. They both have a mud/gravel bottom, a significant amount of rooted aquatic vegetation, and the same wildlife. The Waneta-Lamoka Wildlife Management Area extends over the southern end of Waneta Lake, the channel, and the northern end of Lamoka Lake. Here one will find 165 acres of marsh, with ample opportunities to observe a variety of wildlife and a boat launch for small craft. (Both lakes are ideal for canoeing and kayaking.) The area, which is administered by the New York State Department of Conservation, does not permit camping, swimming, or off-road vehicles.

Lamoka is different from Waneta in a couple of interesting ways. Waneta has the typical finger shape of many of the glacial lakes in the area, with a rather even and predictable shoreline. Lamoka, on the other hand, has an irregular shoreline with many inlets and coves waiting to be explored. In addition, unlike Waneta, which has no islands, Lamoka has three. Weller Island at the southeast end of the lake near Fleet's Cove was connected to the shore by a permanent road in the early 1950s. The southwest end of the island provides the only public access to a large swampy part of the lake that is a haven for wildlife. At the southwest corner of the lake near the mouth of Mud Creek is a privately owned un-named island, and at the northwest end of the lake near the outflow of the channel is Red Bank Island around which are some of the lakes deepest waters.

Access to the Lake

As with Waneta, public access to Lamoka is highly restricted by the fact that much of the shoreline is privately owned. The best access to either lake is from the boat launch listed below.

Channel between Lamoka and Waneta lakes and boat launch site in the Finger Lakes, New York USA

Boat Launch

On the channel inlet to the lake on the north side of Rt. 23, 2 mi./3.2 km. west of the Hamlet of Tyrone. Concrete ramp. Parking for 12 vehicles. Brochure.