By All Means, Bring The Boat

On a sun-dappled July Sunday in 2001, there were speedboats, jonboats, canoes, fly fishermen in float tubes, and kayakers in the same spot. Some launched their craft via a short portage from car or truck rack to river's edge, but up the road apiece, above Lambertville and Stockton, the canoes were put in at Bulls Island State Park on the Jersey side. Some came upriver from the Pennsylvania public launch at Yardley.

In June, up near another historic spot, Fort Ticonderoga, they were putting much larger craft into the wondrous body of water known as Lake Champlain. I drove across the bridge, coming down from Lake Placid and thought to myself, "what a wonderful campground in such a splendid setting." It was the New York State public campground at Crown Point, or thereabouts. I had just departed the Meadowbrook Campground between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake where we spent a somewhat rainy and cold week (it actually snowed) following Memorial Day weekend. We had canoes, but no launch sites there. Therein lies the joy of the boater, RVer and all-around camper who stakes his claim to a number on a campsite map, whether public or private, that also offers a boat launch.

You can do it in fresh or saltwater situations. But first you should do a little bit of research before you set out on your next camping trip.

The first step is to determine what kind of craft you're hauling. A 26-foot yacht with enough horsepower to light up Detroit and requiring a 20-inch draft isn't going to make it in the local river that you can cast to from your hookup. Neither is a 12-foot canoe of such frailty and light weight suited for Adirondack ponds, the kind of peach basket you want to be plopped in for any moving water involving rocks.

Most boaters, however, know this...one can only hope. But new money breeds new ignorance when it comes to: "Hey, I got a big boat...here I come." The best advice is to go to the pros. You want to tow or car-top your boat to your camping dream spot? Check ahead. Do your homework. Try the internet, for starters. But despite today's IM world, sometimes a good idea is to simply call the campground you are planning to stay with or any state Fish and Game or Parks department and ask the big question: "Where may I camp and launch a boat in your state?" Typically, these folks are extremely helpful, and I try them first rather than wade through a mound of information.

Also, many campgrounds rent or have businesses nearby that rent boats, canoes, paddleboats, etc... So, if you have trouble transporting your own boat, you can always rent. As a matter of fact, I'm heading up to Long Lake in the Adirondacks with my family for a few days and decided to rent a boat from a local marina rather than bring our own boat.

Some great campgrounds that offer boating facilities include:

Sea Pirate Campground
Rt 9 P.O. Box 271, West Creek, New Jersey 08092 (609)296-7400

Peters Pond Park
185 Cotuit Rd., Sandwich, Massachusetts 02563 (508) 477-1755

Bethpage Camping Resort
P.O. Box 178, Urbanna, Virginia 23157 (804) 758-4349

Ross Hill Park
170 Ross Hill Rd., Lisbon, Connecticut 06351-2824 (860) 376-9606

Again, hit your state's camping or fish and game website first, and go from there. Also, read the local outdoor columns, and don't be shy about asking around. Boaters and RVers are a fairly gregarious lot, and they're happy to pass on good info.

Happy Trails!