Port Kent

Port Kent is a very small settlement on Lake Champlain, just south of Plattsburgh, but still in the Adirondack Park. There is also ferry service to Burlington, Vermont during the season from May 25 to October 7. You go to the end of NY 373, from Ausable Chasm and US 9, and drop down the hill from the bluff, over the Delaware and Hudson Raillway tracks to the lake to the ferry landing. There are is a small gift store and snack bar across from the ferry landing and a stretch of open beach for a quick swim. But there are no lifeguards. That can be good or bad since it means you can do what you want, like snorkel or scuba dive or swim anytime. If you like trains, it's a cool place with the tracks on an embankment up from the beach. THere is a lot of train traffic including the AMTRAK train to Montreal. So it's really quiet and basic, no frills. It's right down the road from Ausable Chasm and Keeseville, off of US 9, on NY 373. Use Exits 34 NB, 35 SB.

On the hill, off of NY 373, there is the Wickham Marsh State Wildlife Management Area, a great place to hunt or hang out off season. And just north of that, on Lake Champlain, there is Ausable Marsh State Wildlife Management Area, where the Ausable River flows into the lake.

Coming Around the Bend

Port Kent RR station