GreatAmericanLakes
The Chain

State parks · The Deep End of the Chain

Lake Ontario State Parks

36 state parks on the New York shore, about 12,402 acres where an area is recorded. The biggest is Wellesley Island State Park; the oldest, Canoe-Picnic Point State Park (1897). The busiest on record, Fort Niagara State Park, counted 830,538 visitors in 2014.

Parks

36

Acres recorded

12k

States

1

Oldest

1897

Chart of Lake Ontario with 36 state parks markedBeechwood State ParkBurnham Point State ParkCanoe-Picnic Point State ParkCedar Island State ParkCedar Point State ParkChimney Bluffs State ParkDe Veaux Woods State ParkDevil's Hole State ParkDewolf Point State ParkEarl W. Brydges Artpark State ParkFair Haven Beach State ParkFort Niagara State ParkFour Mile Creek State ParkGolden Hill State ParkGrass Point State ParkHamlin Beach State ParkIrondequoit Bay State Marine ParkJoseph Davis State ParkKeewaydin State ParkKring Point State ParkLakeside Beach State ParkLong Point State Park – Thousand IslandsMary Island State ParkMexico Point State ParkOak Orchard State Marine ParkRobert G. Wehle State ParkSandy Island Beach State ParkSandy Pond Beach Unique AreaSelkirk Shores State ParkSouthwick Beach State ParkSt. Lawrence ReservationWaterson Point State ParkWellesley Island State ParkWestcott Beach State ParkWhirlpool State ParkWilson-Tuscarora State Park
New York · 36

Room to roam

The biggest state parks on Ontario

By recorded area. Big parks often run well inland from the beach.

2,636 acres (4.1 sq mi) · Jefferson Co., NY

Wellesley Island State Park

Established 1951, near Alexandria Bay, on the St. Lawrence River.

1,287 acres (2.0 sq mi) · Monroe Co., NY

Hamlin Beach State Park

Established 1938, near Hamlin.

1,141 acres (1.8 sq mi) · Cayuga Co., NY

Fair Haven Beach State Park

1,067 acres (1.7 sq mi) · Jefferson Co., NY

Robert G. Wehle State Park

Established 2004, near Watertown.

980 acres (1.5 sq mi) · Oswego Co., NY

Selkirk Shores State Park

near Pulaski.

744 acres (1.2 sq mi) · Orleans Co., NY

Lakeside Beach State Park

Lake Ontario state parks in New York 36

Many New York state parks charge a vehicle use fee in season; an annual Empire Pass covers it. New York State Parks

Cayuga County 1

Jefferson County 15

Monroe County 2

Niagara County 9

Orleans County 2

Oswego County 4

St. Lawrence County 1

Wayne County 2

All New York Great Lakes state parks

Beyond the parks

More on Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario field guide24 Ontario beaches19 Ontario lighthousesOntario boat launchesRip currents and where to swim
How many state parks are on Lake Ontario?

This directory lists 36 state parks and recreation areas on or beside the U.S. shore of Lake Ontario in New York, counting the St. Lawrence River and Niagara River parks that belong to the Ontario system. Together they cover about 12,402 acres where an area is recorded. Canadian provincial parks are not included. County, city and national parks are not counted here.

What is the biggest state park on Lake Ontario?

Wellesley Island State Park, at 2,636 acres (4.1 sq mi). Next come Hamlin Beach State Park (1,287 acres) and Fair Haven Beach State Park (1,141 acres). Areas are as the park's record gives them; some include inland tracts well back from the water.

What is the oldest state park on Lake Ontario?

By the year each park's record gives as its founding: Canoe-Picnic Point State Park (1897), Mary Island State Park (1897), Burnham Point State Park (1898). Some parks grew out of older federal or city land, so "established" means the year it became a park, not the year the land was first protected.

Do I need a pass to visit a Lake Ontario state park?

Many New York state parks charge a vehicle use fee in season; an annual Empire Pass covers it. A few parks are run by towns, counties or commissions and set their own rules; each park page says so.

Parks from Wikipedia's state park categories, facts from each article's infobox and its Wikidata record, retrieved 2026-10-11. A park is listed when it sits on or beside the shore. Shoreline from Natural Earth (public domain). Charts are not for navigation. Corrections to contact@greatamericanlakes.com.