of these birds of prey
every spring, who use the
thermals around the edge
of the lake while migrating
further north. April is the
best month to see them
but summers mean bald
eagles, butterflies and local
breeding birds.
Beach lovers shouldn’t
miss a pit stop at
Sandy Pond, still on
your northward route.
This barrier beach has
walkovers set up so
pedestrians can enjoy
the salty sand without
disturbing fragile dunes
and adjacent wetlands.
There’s plenty of wildlife
to see, including frogs and
turtles, especially if you
arrive during the busy
sunset hours when the
night crawlers start to stir.The Drive » Rte 3, also known
as ‘The Seaway Trail,’ continues
north with a handful of ponds
and estuaries on your left
between the road and the lake.
On this 35-mile trip you’ll pass
the access road for Southwick
beach, a pretty stretch of sand
with good swimming. Turn left
on County Rd 75 about 1.5 miles
before Sackets Harbor.3 Sackets Harbor
An old fishing village
perched on a big lakeside
bluff, Sackets Harbor
was also the site of two
important battles in the
War of 1812. Swing by the
grounds of the Sackets
Harbor Battlefield
(%315-646-3634; http://www.
sacketsharborbattlefield.org;
W Main St; adult/child $3/
free; h10am-5pm Wed-Sat,from 1pm Sun; c); when
the battle reenactments
are on – performed by
history-loving locals who
enjoy wearing uniforms –
you can practically smell
the cannon smoke as old
shooters are wheeled
around to take aim at the
retreating Red Coats. You
can also learn more about
the coastal trail you’re now
driving on with a stop at
the Seaway Trail Discovery
Center (%315-646-1000; http://www.
seawaytrail.com/discoverycenter;
401 West Main St; adult/child $4/2;
h10am-5pm Wed-Sun Jul & Aug,
Fri-Sun May-Jun & Sep–mid-Oct),
comprising nine rooms full
of interactive displays and
features about life on the
St Lawrence River and the
shores of Lakes Erie and
Ontario.54 p99
The Drive » Turn left onto
NY-12E from NY-180 for a longer,
more scenic route. You’ll pass
through the village of Chaumont
before coming to the tiny Cape
Vincent (p99). Follow signs to
the white-stucco and red-roofed
Tibbetts Point Lighthouse,
now a lakeside hostel. Views
are of the headwaters of the
St Lawrence and Wolfe Island,
Canada. It’s another 15 miles to
Clayton.4 Clayton
Next up is Clayton and
the Antique Boat Museum
(%315-686-4104; http://www.abm.org;
750 Mary St; adult/child $13/free;
h9am-5pm mid-May–mid-Oct;
c), which lets you actually
sail (or sometimes row)
the boats while you learn
about them.If you get a taste for
boating, contact T.I.
Adventures (%315-686-2500;
http://www.tiadventures.com; 1011
State St) to paddle the old-
fashioned way – in a canoe
or a kayak. Clayton native
Jan Brabant leads tours
along the historic coastline
and into off-the-beaten-
path wildlife reserves, but
he saves his toughest trip- The Grinder – for those
willing to muscle their way
a mile and a half into the
river to Grindstone Island.
Back on land, Thousand
Islands Museum (%315-
686-5794; http://www.timuseum.org;
312 James St; admission $4;
h10am-4pm May-Oct) has
warehoused all kinds of
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION/ALAMY ©NEW.YORK.TRIPS.7
(^) ST LAWRENCE SEAWAY