Rock Island Lighthouse Clayton Island Tours » Attractions

Board the Night Heron, our incredible glass-bottomed boat, and get an unparalleled view of underwater life in the clean waters of the St. Lawrence River.

Travel to Rock Island and spend one hour visiting the island where you can climb up in the lighthouse tower and look over the St. Lawrence River. Visit the lighthouse keeper’s home that is now a museum and gift shop.

Walk the island and see the building once used to store whale oil for burning in the lighthouse. Peer through the unique glass bottom boat to see native fish of the St. Lawrence, as well as countless other natural wonders beneath the waves of the Saint Lawrence River. The tour is guided by our historical and naturalist narrators with unique knowledge of the Thousand Islands.

Rock Island Lighthouse is located in the Thousand Islands about 4.5 miles northeast of Clayton, Jefferson County, New York, off of Fisher’s Landing. Originally commissioned in 1847, it is one of six lights put up along the St. Lawrence River to guide traffic to and from Lake Ontario through the waterway.

The Rock Island station is the best preserved, as all of its structures still survive. It was refitted in 1855, rebuilt in 1882, and moved in 1903. The light was closed in 1955 after more a century of service. Today, the lighthouse and island are maintained by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation.

In 2010, restoration of Rock Island and its structures began, using federal and state funds. The goal of the work is to make Rock Island a tourist destination that describes the station and its keepers and gives a glimpse into life on the St. Lawrence.