St Lawrence River - Rock Island Lighthouse on a Glass Bottom Boat Tour
Overview
Available languages
2 hours 45 minutes
Mobile ticket
THIS TOUR DEPARTS FROM THE US. This amazing tour will show you the 1000 Islands like no one else can!
Board the Night Heron, our incredible glass-bottomed boat for an unparalleled view of underwater life in the clean waters of the St. Lawrence River. Experience nature as our naturalist narrators spot ospreys, eagles, blue heron, deer, muskrats, minks, and loons that inhabit the 1000 Islands. Hear the history, legends and lore of the islands we pass by and shipwrecks we pass over. Docking at Rock Island for one hour guests may climb to the top of the Lighthouse for a birds eye view of the surrounding St. Lawrence Seaway. Visit the Lighthouse keeper’s cottage which is now a museum and gift shop to learn the history of the lighthouse and keepers who kept the lights burning. Walk the island and see the building once used to store whale oil for burning in the lighthouse.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Picnic Lunches are available for all tours - $12.00 Adult/$8.00 Children - Please call ahead to pre-order
Please arrive 30 minutes prior to departure. Receive boarding pass from our blue ticket booth
What To Expect
Clayton Island Tours
Experience the grandeur and beauty of the 1000 Islands Region the Clayton Island Tours way. Clayton Island Tour’s professional tour guides will share the legends and lore behind the Thousand Islands region on a 2 or 3 hour scenic boat tour.
Rock Island Lighthouse State Park
historic Rock Island Lighthouse on the beautiful St. Lawrence Seaway. When you visit, climb the stairs of the lighthouse and enjoy a bird's eye view from the lantern room. Tour the museum in the keeper’s quarters and learn about the history of the island, its keepers, and the magnificent St. Lawrence River. Walk the island and take home a souvenir from the gift shop.
Options
10:30am Departure
What‘s Included
Sightseeing cruise by glass-bottom boat
Restroom on board
Admission to Rock Island
Local naturalist guide
Gratuities
Picnic Lunch - $12.00 Adult/$8.00 Children - Please call ahead to pre-order
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
99 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great Tour!
107nan2010,Jun 10, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Since you can only get to the Rock Island Lighthouse SP by boat, we chose the Glass Bottom Boat Tour operated by Clayton Island Tours. You board the boat in Clayton, NY. This was a great tour that took us through parts of the St. Lawrence River and then for a 45 minute stop over at the Rock Island Lighthouse. The glass bottom boat gives you another perspective of the river. The tour guide and boat captain were able to show us an underwater shipwreck, as well as underwater pillars from a historic hotel of the past. A very passionate tour guide took us up into the lighthouse and the views were fantastic. He gave us a history of the lighthouse and the area. Very interesting! The inn keepers house is set up with displays of the past and there is a gift shop inside. The complete tour was 2.75 hours.
Glass bottom fun
Susan D,Sep 13, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00The glass bottom boat tour was absolutely wonderful! It was a beautiful day and the water was smooth. The captain and the tour guide were awesome with a lot of knowledge, fun facts and even humorous at times we learned a lot about the St. Lawrence River and a lot about the history that went up and down it I would recommend it to anyone even if you’re not a boater, you will love it
Great tour of the lighthouse and awesome tour guides
P3943RIscotts,Aug 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Touring the Rock Island Lighthouse was an amazing experience and the history of the lighthouse and its keepers was very interesting. The toue guide on the boat and at the lighthouse were very knowledgeable and friendly. We have an awesome time and would highly recommend this tour.
Staff pleasant and...
Audrey H,Aug 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Staff pleasant and knowledgeable, though the guide was a bit hard to understand at moments due to the mic coming across as muffled. Noticeable, but not bad enough to detract from the tour.
Great Way to Spend Our Anniversary!
Dreamer13111200449,Aug 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a great time! Both the captain and the tour guide were wonderful! Many interesting stories, with plenty of time for questions and interaction with the guests. We wondered if an hour on the island would be too much, but it was just right. The tour guide on the island was great! We loved the view from the top of the lighthouse, and the history of the island is really interesting. We did this on our anniversary, and we are so glad we did. Would recommend it to anyone.
Great Tour
SandyGr214,Aug 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Learned so much about the islands….Maggie was our tour guide… she was friendly, well-spoken and a wealth of knowledge. It was nice to hear about so much more than Boldt Castle!
This was a wonderful tour...
scott b,Aug 12, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This was a wonderful tour and boat ride with very knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guides who made it very much fun. My wife and I have our grandchildren 14, 12, and eight with us and they enjoyed it very much.
It’s always a good day on The River
Mia R,Aug 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00I’m from the area, but had never taken one of the river cruises. Really enjoyed being on the water, and learning all the fun historical facts and commercial transport between the Atlantic and the Great Lakes. Turn off your cell phones or you will likely get international charges as service bounces off Canadian tower sites while in the area.
Great experience!!
Kim L,Aug 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We enjoyed the whole experience! Capt. Brian and Maggie told great stories! I visit Murray Isle frequently, but had never been on the backside of the isle.
1st wedding anniversary trip
George S,Jul 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00The crew was friendly and boat ride was well worth it only complaint i have is i though this boat had a bar was very disappointed in that
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Operated by Clayton Island Tours, LLC