Rock Island Lighthouse | Park It! Explore the Outdoors

The Rock Island Lighthouse is located in the Thousand Islands, about 4.5 miles northeast of Clayton, Jefferson County, NY, off of Fisher’s Landing. Docking is available to private craft and those aboard Clayton Island Boat Tours. For private vessels, Grass Point State Park is the closest launch site (about a 5-minute boat ride to the island). The island is partially accessible to visitors with limited mobility.
Commissioned in 1847, the fifty-foot Rock Island Lighthouse was one of six lights built along the St. Lawrence River to guide traffic to and from Lake Ontario. Even after being refitted in 1855, rebuilt in 1882, and moved in 1903, the Rock Island station has been extremely well-preserved. The light was closed in 1955 after more than a century of service. New York State took ownership of the island in 1977 and began a restoration project in recent years to make the site open to public touring.