Long Island offers person-powered boating enthusiasts a surprising bounty of natural beauty and wildlife along our waterways. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Long Island Sound, Great South and Peconic Bays, bisected by rivers, and supplemented with good-sized lakes and ponds, it’s easy to find your own serene or challenging retreat. We’ve loaded up a map with spots you may not have thought about as well as some frequented by locals. Hours and access varies, so check out your desired spot before loading up your SUP, canoe, or kayak.

 

More information

https://parks.ny.gov/publications/documents/LongIslandKayakCanoeGuide.pdf

https://www.townofbabylon.com/

https://southshoreblueway.com/

https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Parks/Things-To-Do/Canoeing-and-Kayaking

https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/

https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/349.html

https://www.shelterislandtown.us/

https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/long-island-accabonac-harbor/

Notes:

 

With few exceptions, paddlecraft, canoes, rowboats, and RIBs are classified as vessels. You are therefore the operator of a regulated vessel. As such, you must wear a life jacket, stay aware of your surroundings, obey the rules of the road, and act defensively.

 

Unsure as to what the rules of navigation are? Take a basic boating safety course. There may even be ones specially tailored for your preferred form of water fun.

 

Carry a whistle, a signaling mirror, and flashlight on you in a plastic bag. Wear bright-colored clothing and a safety harness or leash to keep you and your vessel in proximity to each other.

As your vessel is portable, you can choose new locations all the time, but you must know both the weather and the water before beginning an adventure.  Check currents and tides, and research the waterway’s layout and traffic patterns — are the channels narrow, do lots of boats drop anchor in a particular area and go full out on a certain stretch between no-wake zones, or is there a ferry crossing? Planning for known circumstances means you’ll stay far right in a channel, avoid weaving in and out of boats tossing anchors, and time your passing to elude ferries.

Before you go, let someone on shore know where you’ll be and approximately what time you expect to be back.