Land & Sea Eco-tour on the St. Lawrence River

Join us for a family-friendly, land and sea nature tour with a NYS licensed hiking guide.

Bring your coffee and come aboard “Goose,” our 23′ Penn Yan for a land and sea eco-tour in the 1000 Islands near Clayton, New York. Don’t worry if you left your binoculars behind; we have you covered. As we explore the river less traveled we may spot a variety of different birds and small mammals. Common Loons, Osprey, Muskrats, Mink, Beaver, Red Tailed Hawk, Great Blue Heron, and Common Tern are just a few of the species we may encounter during our excursion.

Our eco-tour includes a private boat ride where Captain Matt will draw from his 25 years of experience as an Environmental Science and Biology teacher as he touches on various aspects of the ecology of the St. Lawrence River. This engaging boat tour will stop for wildlife, photo-ops and questions.

The eco-tour will make a stop on Grindstone Island, the second largest island on the US side of the 1000 Islands. Grindstone island houses two, of only a handful of state parks accessible by boat in New York State. Guests have the option of joining Captain Matt on a short, scenic hike along an a portion of the Grindstone Island Nature Trail. On the hike, enjoy beautiful views of St. Lawrence Wetlands while identifying some of the many local birds. If you prefer not to hike, you can relax and take in the sweeping views of the river from the shores of the State Park.

After exploring Grindstone Island, we’ll continue our boat tour through the islands. The tour will cruise along the shores of Wellesley Island, the largest U.S. Island in the 1000 Islands. Wellesley is home to Minna Anthony Nature Center which sits on 600 acres of land within the Wellesley Island State Park. Captain Matt will lead you along the shoreline, listening for Kingfishers and Great Blue Herons.

The tour wraps up near Rock Island Lighthouse and the main shipping channel.