Beach · Lake Ontario · New York
ONTARIO SHORES (Rainbow Shores)
A public beach on Lake Ontario in Oswego County, New York, about 160 feet of shore. The state samples the water for bacteria twice a month through a 98-day swim season.
The beach
On the record
- Water
- Lake Ontario
- Location
- Oswego County, New York
- Length
- about 160 feet
- Owner
- Public
- Access
- Public Access
- Water sampling
- Yes — twice a month in the swim season
- Swim season
- 98 days, as reported
- Monitoring tier
- Tier 2 (Tier 1 is highest)
- Water quality standard
- E. coli, single sample: 235 per 100 mL
- EPA beach ID
- NY059316
- Coordinates
- 43.6171° N, 76.1979° W to 43.6167° N, 76.1979° W
As the state reported it to EPA for the 2025 season. Sampling schedules change year to year. How beach monitoring works →
Down the shore
Nearest Ontario beaches
- Sandy Island Beach State Park1.0 mi · sampled · NY
- Brennan'S Beach2.1 mi · sampled · NY
- Selkirk Shores State Park Beach4.5 mi · sampled · NY
- Selkirk Shores State Park Beach - South4.5 mi · sampled · NY
- Chedmardo5.4 mi · sampled · NY
- Mexico Point State Park (Town)7.1 mi · sampled · NY
Straight-line distance.
By boat
Launches nearby
- Sandy Creek DEC launch3.3 mi · trailer ramp
- Selkirk Shores State Park3.5 mi · unimproved trailer launch
- Mexico Point7.0 mi · trailer ramp
On the horizon
Lighthouses nearby
- Selkirk Light2.9 mi · deactivated
Ashore
State parks nearby
On shore nearby
Worth the stop
- Sackets Harbor23 mi · town
Off the beach
What to fish on Lake Ontario
Source
Facts on this page are from the EPA BEACON profile for beach NY059316, the record New York files under the federal BEACH Act, retrieved 2026-10-10. The county is placed from the beach’s own coordinates. A blank field means the record is silent. Parking, fees, lifeguards and dog rules are set by whoever runs the beach; check with them before you go.
Chart shoreline generalized from Natural Earth (public domain). Not for navigation. Something wrong or missing? Write to contact@greatamericanlakes.com.