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There are said to be around 50 lighthouses remaining on the shores of New York.
These lighthouses are scattered along the shores of the Great Lakes and the rivers that connect the Great Lakes and the ocean.
And there are some of them that can be found along the shores of Lake Ontario, which is one of the Great Lakes.
Here below, this map and list will focus on Lake Ontario lighthouses around Western New York.
For the purposes of this mini New York lighthouse tour, these will be Lake Ontario lighthouses located between the Niagara River and Rochester.
So you can think of these as lighthouses near Niagara Falls and lighthouses near Rochester. It can be reasonable to make it a day trip from Niagara Falls or a day trip from Rochester to many (if not all) of these lighthouses.
You can also possibly make it a day trip from many areas of western New York, including Buffalo.
The waters surrounding New York state were an important part of maritime transportation.
On the western side of New York starts with Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes.
Lake Erie connects to the Niagara River, which is where you’ll find the powerful Niagara Falls.
The Niagara River connects to Lake Ontario, another one of the Great Lakes.
Lake Ontario connects to the St. Lawrence River.
The state of New York touches all of these bodies of water, and there are lighthouses across them all.
New York is on the southern side of all of these bodies of water, and Canada is on the northern side.
The St. Lawrence River continues exclusively through Canada and then connects to the Atlantic Ocean!
If you are into lighthouses, then you could make it an epic New York lighthouse tour of a week or 2 and travel along the New York shoreline along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail to visit tons of lighthouses along all of these bodies of water.
There are also more lighthouses around New York City and the waters around there.
So again, this is not an exhaustive list of Lake Ontario lighthouses.
But it does include lighthouses that can be a perfect part of a road trip around the western area of New York state, and that is what I did!
I made Lake Ontario lighthouses a part of my Western New York road trip, and these are lighthouses to know about in Western New York!
This list goes from west to east along Lake Ontario. If you’re coming Buffalo or Niagara Falls, you’ll be arriving to Lake Ontario along the western side.
Basically, this is the general driving route you can take if you want to do a Lake Ontario lighthouse tour for a great western Lake Ontario road trip!
If you’ll be arriving to Lake Ontario from the other side, start the list from the bottom up!
1. Fort Niagara lighthouse
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Fort Niagara Lighthouse is located where the Niagara River and Lake Ontario intersect.
The grounds of the lighthouse itself is rather small, but a trip to the Fort Niagara Lighthouse is more than just a trip to the lighthouse.
This is located at Old Fort Niagara, and there’s a lot of history to explore at the fort. This includes history that affected Americans, British, French, and Native Americans.
The Fort Niagara Lighthouse and Old Fort Niagara are a part of Fort Niagara State Park. If you’re camping at a New York state park, your entry fee is included in your camping permit.
Aside from the entry fee, it’s free to walk around the grounds of the Fort Niagara Lighthouse. If you want to walk around Old Fort Niagara, there is a ticket fee of around $15 per person. See current fees.
Niagara Falls to Fort Niagara Lighthouse is about a 40 minute drive one way.
See more: Trip to Old Fort Niagara
Camping near Fort Niagara Lighthouse: Four Mile Creek State Park campground
2. Olcott Beach Lighthouse
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This is a small lighthouse in a small town which can make for a quick stop at the lighthouse.
The lighthouse is located along the side of a main road in town, and it’s free to walk around the grounds of the lighthouse.
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3. Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse
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If you are only going to do one New York lighthouse on this list, and you’re not interested in spending time touring Fort Niagara, then make it a trip to the Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse!
This lighthouse is a part of Golden Hill State Park. It’s possible to go camping with views of the lighthouse… and it’s possible to go camping with views of Lake Ontario!
There is an entry fee to the state park. If you’re camping at Golden Hill State Park or any other New York state park, then once again your entry fee will be included in your camping permit.
Aside from the state park entry fee, it’s free to walk around the grounds of Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse.
It’s also possible to go inside to tour the lighthouse, including to the top of the lighthouse for vast views of Lake Ontario!
Hours to go inside the lighthouse are limited. In July 2021, Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse hours were posted as 1pm to 4pm one day and 12pm to 4pm another day when I was there.
The cost to enter the Thirty Mile Point lighthouse building is $1 per person. You can become a lighthouse “friend” annual member for $5 per person or $10 per family.
Also, if you’re camping at Golden Hill State Park, you can see the lighthouse light flashing at night! It turns on by way of a sensor at sunset.
Niagara Falls to Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse is about a 1 hour drive one way.
Rochester to Thirty Mile Point is also about a 1 hour drive one way.
Camping near Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse: Golden Hill State Park campground
4. Oak Orchard Lighthouse
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The Oak Orchard Lighthouse is another small lighthouse in a small town.
The lighthouse is in an open area along the shoreline, and it’s free to walk around the grounds of the lighthouse.
You can also walk out onto a pier, although it’s narrow and you’ll want to be careful.
Walking around the grounds of the lighthouse is free.
It’s also possible to tour inside the Oak Orchard Lighthouse for free on the weekends when volunteers are available. The posted hours in July 2021 were Friday 5:30pm to 7:30pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 12pm to 4pm.
5. Braddock Point Lighthouse
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Some time not too long ago, it seems as though the Braddock Point Lighthouse operated as a bed and breakfast.
Having gone by the lighthouse in July 2021, along with talking to a couple of people who seem to be in-the-know and live near Lake Ontario, it seems that this is no longer the case.
The grounds directly surrounding the Braddock Point Lighthouse is off-limits.
But you can get a nice view of the lighthouse along the Lake Ontario shoreline by taking the public pathway of Bogus Point Park that is located nearby.
The lighthouse is located on a residential street and there is no public parking immediately within the vicinity of Bogus Point Park.
Instead, right nearby is Lighthouse Road (you’ll turn onto this road from the main road of Lake Ontario State Parkway), and you can drive to the end of Lighthouse Road and park there. Then you’ll walk a couple of minutes to the Bogus Point Park to see Braddock Point Lighthouse.
6. Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse
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The Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse is located in Rochester near where the Genesee River and Lake Ontario intersect. The lighthouse is located along the Genesee River, but isn’t directly along the Lake Ontario shoreline.
It’s free to walk around the grounds of the lighthouse at any time.
It is possible to go inside the Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse, with the posted hours of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 1pm to 5pm. (Arrive by 4:30pm.) The cost to enter the Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse is around $5 per person. See current hours and fees.
Also around the grounds of the lighthouse free for you to visit any time is a peace garden, which is a part of the War of 1812 Heritage Trail and the international peace garden trail in New York.
7. Charlotte Pier light
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The Charlotte Pier light is also in Rochester.
This is not a traditional lighthouse, but since you’re in the neighborhood for the Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse you may want to go to the Rochester pier too!
You can walk out onto the Charlotte Pier to the end where you’ll find a small light station and vast views of Lake Ontario. This is also where the Genesee River and Rochester Harbor opens up to Lake Ontario.
From the Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse to the main Charlotte Pier parking (Ontario Beach parking lot) is around a 5 minute drive, or less. Ontario Beach has picnic tables so you can eat your picnic lunch with views of Lake Ontario.
Or, you can make it a nice leisurely walk from near the lighthouse along the Rochester Harbor. The parking at the Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse is limited, so it’d probably be best not to take up those parking spots if you’re not going to be there. Instead, you can drive along River Street and look for some parking along the side of the road there. Parking near River Street closest to the lighthouse to the end of the Charlotte Pier would be around a 20-30 minute walk one way. Less time walking the further along River Street you park closer to the pier!
And that’s a bit about planning your New York lighthouse Lake Ontario tour near Niagara Falls!
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New York heritage trails
And if you’re looking at exploring New York lighthouses, you may be interested in other area history.
As you’re driving, look out for the signs and symbols for the Great Lakes Seaway Trail and the War of 1812 Heritage Trail.
Great Lakes Seaway Trail
👆👆👆👆 Great Lakes Seaway Trail lighthouses: Map and list of lighthouses in New York and Pennsylvania that are part of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. This includes Lake Ontario lighthouses and Lake Erie Lighthouses.
War of 1812 Heritage Trail
More lighthouses around the Great Lakes
If you are interested in further exploring lighthouses around the Great Lakes, then be sure to see about making it a Lake Superior lighthouse road trip in Michigan.
More for your Western New York road trip:
HAPPY LAKE ONTARIO LIGHTHOUSE TRIP PLANNING!
