Deer Creek Marsh in New York

Trip Overview

This marsh is an amazing stretch of wetland along the coast of Lake Ontario. At the launch area you are only about two miles from the shore of the lake, but this is a much longer trip than you would think because of the twisting, turning maze of cattails and duckweed which you will navigate.

The animal which seems to have claimed this area as its own is the Northern Painted Turtle, as I must have seen over four hundred of the little guys sunning themselves on logs and on the bank. It also abounds in Frogs, Great Blue Herons, Muskrats, and as the name would imply, Deer.

The most amazing part of the trip comes at the end. After navigating through marshy cattails for about two miles suddenly, out of nowhere there are 30 foot high sand dunes in front of you. As any resident of the North Country will tell you, sand dunes are not a typical terrain feature of the area and I was utterly amazed as I found myself navigating my small Riot Stealth Kayak through a narrow channel between dunes.

After about half a mile of navigating the dunes, Lake Ontario will open up in front of you. Don't worry about current as the marsh does not actually connect with the lake, rather it is separated by an approximately 25 foot wide sand bar. If you wish to continue with a little wave riding action simply drag across this sandbar and enter the water of the Lake. There is a campground and a lifeguarded beach on the left near this sandbar.

Accommodations:

As mentioned, there is a campground near the mouth of the marsh where it connects with Lake Ontario.

Directions:

Depending on where you are coming from, go either north or south on Interstate 81 until you reach the Pulaski Route 13 Exit. Get off this exit and go west on RT 13 until comes to RT 3. Turn right on RT 3 and go north for about 2 miles. At this point you will see a parking lot and a sign for Deer Creek Wildlife Management Area. Pull into the parking lot. The boat launch is about a 100 yard haul down the trail.

Resources:

I didn't use a map but I would recommend a GPS so you don't get lost in the maze of cattails.