Lake Champlain

America's Sixth Great Lake

At 490 square miles, Lake Champlain is the largest mountain lake and the sixth largest fresh water lake in the United States. It stretches 120 miles from Whitehall, New York (birthplace of the US Navy) to Missisquoi Bay in Southern Quebec. At it's widest the Lake is 12 miles across (2 miles at Westport). It's deepest point is 400 feet, off New York's "North Shore," visible from "The Cottage."

For Naturalists

The Lake Champlain Basin is home to 81 fish species, 318 birds, 57 mammals, 21 amphibians, and 20 reptiles. Each fall Lake Champlain acts as a funnel for migrating birds from the north trying to reach the Atlantic coast. In early October alone, between 20,000 and 40,000 ducks and geese migrate along the Lake. They are preceded by uncounted multitudes of songbirds, shorebirds and raptors.

For Boaters

"From the little village of Westport, NY a person can go anywhere in the world by boat." This is one of the main reasons why our family brought the property on Lake Champlain some 40 years ago. The southern Lake feeds into the Hudson River, via the Champlain Canal. Once in the Hudson, one can travel into the Atlantic or across New York into the Great Lakes, via the Mohawk and Erie Canals. Meanwhile, the north end of the Lake is connected to the St. Lawrence River by the Richelieu River and Canal.

For the less ambitious boater, Lake Champlain offers myriad sailing and power boating opportunities. From Westport, Burlington, VT is a 45 minute jaunt up the lake. On a rough day, a quick trip across the lake will take you to the mouth of Otter Creek - navigable all the way to Vergennes, VT (about 10 miles) with plenty of nature in between - where the water will be calm and the air warm . The North Shore, which helps form Westport's Northwest Bay, is pocked with coves and sheltered anchorages for picnicking, fishing or just lying in the sun. Sailing is a most popular pasttime on the Lake, especially during most summer afternoons when the breeze is up.

For the Sports Minded

In addition to boating, Lake Champlain is a great place to fish. Strong environmental enforcement, especially along the Adirondack Park shoreline, and long successful stocking programs have made the Lake a haven for a large variety of gamefish: Landlocked Salmon, Walleye, Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. Other water activities include: waterskiing, canoeing, jetskiing, tubing, windsurfing, swimming and just floating.

For Historians

Lake Champlain is often referred to as one of the most historic bodies of water in North America. That rich history is directly related to Lake Champlain's geography. As a direct north-south waterway through heavily wooded and rugged terrain, Lake Champlain provided an easy traveling route, connecting the earliest inhabitants to the Richelieu and St. Lawrence rivers to the north, and Lake George and the Hudson River to the south. Connections to major river waterways like Otter Creek through Vermont and the Boquet River through New York provided access into the surrounding lands. The Lake was, in fact, the scene of most naval battles during the Revolutionary War.