New York City Water Trail

A paddler seated in a kayak navigating along a river.

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.

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
The kayak launch at Riverside Park (79th Street) is closed for repairs until 2028.
View Details

Riverside Park (72nd Street)

The kayak launch at Riverside Park (72nd Street) is closed indefinitely for repairs.
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
The kayak launch at West Harlem Piers is closed indefinitely for repairs.
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

Old Place Creek Park

South of Gulf Avenue between Forest Avenue and Sixth Avenue View Details

Explore the Water Trail