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Things to Do > Activities & Facilities > NYC Water Trail

New York City Water Trail

People posed in canoes and kayaks and with paddles

New York City is rich in water. If you're looking for a few hours of tranquil paddling or a full-day expedition, you'll find it here. The New York City Water Trail connects 160 square miles of rivers, bays, creeks, inlets and ocean in the five boroughs suitable for kayaks, canoes, and openwater rowing craft. Novice and experienced paddlers alike can enjoy skyline panoramas, riverside parks, bird sanctuaries, tidal marshlands, and boundless vistas of one of the world's premier harbors, all from a prime sea-level vantage.

For more information, including news, safety tips, and recommended best practices, please visit the New York City Watertrail Association.

While visiting the Watertrail Association site, we encourage all boaters to watch the 26-minute safety video. This instructional video series includes interviews, live on-water footage, and demonstrations, and is recommended for all vessels operating in our port.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, group paddling events are currently prohibited. Kayak, canoe and boat launch permits are not required for solo paddling for the 2020 season. Please maintain social distancing of at least six feet when using a boat launch and wear a face covering where social distancing is not possible.

Water Trail Launch Application and Recommendations and Rules

Help us keep our water trail safe for New Yorkers and visitors alike. If you have your own kayak, canoe or boat, read up on these rules and suggestions and apply for your permit before heading out on the water trail. The charge for the permit is only $15.

Learn More about Kayak, Canoe and Boat Launch Application and Recommendations and Rules

Click on a colored marker on the map below for launch site details.

Parks Kayak Site

Non Parks Kayak Site

Launch Sites

  • Lemon Creek Marina

    Hylan Boulevard & Seguine Avenue View Details

  • Midland Beach

    Father Capodanno Boulevard & Lincoln Avenue (Parking Lot) View Details

  • Conference House

    Hylan Blvd & Satterlee Street View Details

  • Great Kills Park

    Hylan Blvd & Buffalo Street View Details

  • Alice Austen House/Buono Beach

    Hylan Boulevard & Edgewater Street View Details

  • South Beach

    Father Capodanno Boulevard & Sand Lane View Details

  • Cedar Grove Beach

    Foot of New Dorp Lane View Details

  • Inwood Hill Park

    Dyckman Street & Hudson River View Details

  • Riverside Park (79th Street)

    79th Street Boat Basin & Hudson River View Details

  • Riverside Park (72nd Street)

    View Details

  • Hudson River Park (Pier 40)

    Houston Street, Pier 40 View Details

  • Hudson River Park (Pier 96)

    56th Street, Pier 96 View Details

  • Hudson River Park (Pier 84)

    44th Street, Pier 84 View Details

  • Sherman Creek

    W.202nd Street View Details

  • Hudson River Park (Pier 66)

    W. 26th Street View Details

  • West Harlem Piers

    130th Street & Marginal Street, Harlem View Details

  • Governors Island

    Pier 101, near the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel Vent View Details

  • Hudson River Park (Pier 25)

    West Street, between Moore Street and Harrison Street View Details

  • Muscota Marsh

    View Details

  • Hudson River Park (Pier 26)

    Hudson River Park at Hubert Street View Details

  • Hudson River Park (Pier 26)

    View Details

  • Randall's Island Park

    Northwestern Randall's Island and Bronx Kill View Details

  • Louis J. Valentino Park

    Coffey Street View Details

  • Sebago Canoe Club (Paerdegat Basin)

    Paerdegat Avenue North View Details

  • Mill Basin Marina

    Avenue Y & East 69th Street View Details

  • Salt Marsh Nature Center (Gerritsen Inlet)

    Avenue U between Burnett Street & East 33 Street View Details

  • Newtown Creek

    Provost Street and Paige Avenue, Greenpoint View Details

  • Floyd Bennett Field

    Floyd Bennett Field View Details

  • Gowanus Canal

    Foot of 2nd Street View Details

  • Manhattan Avenue

    Manhattan Avenue Street-end, Greenpoint View Details

  • Brooklyn Bridge Park

    Between Piers 1 and 2 View Details

  • Plumb Beach

    East bound Belt Parkway, just east of Exit 9 Knapp Street View Details

  • Mill Basin Outlet

    View Details

  • Canarsie Pier

    End of Rockaway Parkway at Aviation Road View Details

  • Pier One at Brooklyn Bridge Park

    Brooklyn Bridge Park Greenway View Details

  • Clason Point Park

    Foot of Soundview Avenue & East River View Details

  • Hunts Point Riverside Park

    Lafayette Ave & Edgewater Rd View Details

  • Barretto Point Park

    E/S Barretto Street & N/O Randall Ave View Details

  • Pelham Bay Park (Orchard Beach Lagoon)

    Orchard Beach Rd & Lagoon View Details

  • Shoelace Park

    Bronx Park & 219th Street View Details

  • Concrete Plant Park

    Westchester Avenue or Bruckner Boulevard View Details

  • Soundview Park

    O'Brien Avenue at Leland Avenue, Soundview View Details

  • Kazimiroff Blvd at Bronx River Parkway

    Kazimiroff Blvd at Bronx River Parkway View Details

  • Fort Knox

    View Details

  • Starlight Park

    View Details

  • World's Fair Marina

    Grand Central Parkway & Northern Blvd View Details

  • Bayside Marina

    Cross Island Pkwy & Little Neck Bay View Details

  • Francis Lewis Park

    3rd Avenue and Parson's Blvd View Details

  • Little Bay Park (Fort Totten)

    Little Bay View Details

  • Idlewild

    Craft Avenue & Huxley Street View Details

  • Bayswater

    Beach 35 St & Norton Ave View Details

  • Hallet's Cove

    Vernon Blvd View Details

  • North Channel Beach (Gateway National Parks)

    Cross Bay Boulevard, south end of Addabbo Bridge, Broad Channel View Details

  • Riis Landing

    Rockaway Boulevard and Heinzelman Road View Details

  • Riis Landing, Kayak/Canoe Launch

    201 Rockaway Point Road View Details

  • MacNeil Park

    Poppenhusen Ave. bet. 115 St. and College Pl. View Details

  • Bay Breeze Park Kayak/Canoe Launch

    Beach 88th Street and Beach Channel Drive View Details

Explore the Water Trail

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