Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain is a unique and fascinating body of water. Bounded by the Green Mountains to the east and the Adirondack Mountains to the west, it has both the intimate character of an alpine lake and the vigor of a great body of water. Its waters are clear and deep; there are secluded anchorages, and magnificent mountain vistas. Much of the shoreline has seen limited development; there are many parks and wildlife reserves. The lake is great cruising territory, with many first-class marinas, well-marked channels, and sufficient civilization to satisfy all needs ashore. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Lake Champlain was the scene of naval battles between the U.S. and British navies; modern-day cruisers are able to retrace these historic events both on the water and on shore.

As one of the largest freshwater lakes in the United States (sixth after the Great Lakes), Lake Champlain is a major body of water. Over 120 miles long, it is 10 miles wide at its widest point (Burlington, VT, to Port Douglas, NY). It has a surface area of 490 square miles and a shoreline of over 500 miles. Over 70 islands ranging from more than 13 miles in length to oversized rocks are located between its shores. Its greatest depths are found in a midlake trench located between Charlotte, VT, and Essex, NY, with a maximum charted depth of 399 feet.

The lake's several regions present a wide variety of possibilities to boaters. From Whitehall north to the Crown Point Bridge the Lower Lake is river-like: shallow and narrow. These waters tend to be cloudy, the shores are lined with marshes, and fishing is the most popular boating activity. At Crown Point the lake begins to widen and deepen, only to narrow again as it passes the Palisades and Split Rock before widening again into the Broad Lake between Burlington and Plattsburgh. The Broad Lake contains the lake's greatest depths and its greatest width (10 miles at Burlington). This is also the most exposed region of the lake, open to the prevailing north-south winds and home to its most ocean-like conditions. North of the Broad Lake, the lake's largest islands (South Hero, North Hero, and Isle La Motte) divide the lake on a north-south axis. The main channel continues west of these islands, in the Upper Lake, gradually narrowing and becoming more shallow until it reaches the Richelieu River, 4 to 5 miles north of the U.S. & Canadian boundary. Here the shores are a river’s width apart and depths of 8-10 feet are common.