Are you planning a visit to Keewaydin State Park in Alexandria Bay, New York? In this post, learn everything you need to know to have a great time at this beautiful, unique park.
We first discovered Keewaydin State Park when we were looking for a New York State Park with access to the St. Lawrence River. Previously, we had only visited Alexandria Bay’s Scenic View Park, a municipal park with cool views of Boldt Castle.
The local park is nice, but Keewaydin State Park is amazing, and has a LOT to offer visitors. Since we first discovered it, we’ve visited several times.
Below, I’ll tell you everything that I’ve learned about the park so that you will enjoy yourself as much as possible when you visit.
Where is Keewaydin State Park NY?
Keewaydin State Park is located in Alexandria Bay, New York. This park is one of 15 state parks located in Jefferson County, NY, which is positioned in the northwest corner of the state where the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario connect.
Alexandria Bay has long been a vacation destination for New Yorkers looking to enjoy wide open spaces and beautiful river views. Keewaydin State Park offers a unique way to experience this area because it has so much to offer to those who love the outdoors.
Directions to Alexandria Bay and Keewaydin State Park
From Watertown, Keewaydin State Park is an easy 30-minute drive. Simply take Interstate 81 North to the NY-12 exit. Follow NY-12 north for 2.8 miles and the park entrance will be on the left.
For quick directions from your location in Google Maps, click the link below:
- Keewaydin State Park in Alexandria Bay, NY (link opens in Google Maps)
What is there to do at Keewaydin State Park in NY?
Keewaydin is a relatively small park in size, but it has a lot of fun activities to offer. Boating, swimming, hiking, fishing, picnicking, camping, and even cross-country skiing during winter months, are just some of the ways to enjoy the park.
There is also a fun playground near the pool and campsites that is perfect for letting the children play and have a great time.
This particular state park is located directly on the bank of the St. Lawrence River, and so it offers stunning views. If you like watching big ships and smaller boats, you will not be disappointed.
The park is also located on a historic property (more on this further down in the article), which will be of interest to those who enjoy history.
Camping at Keewaydin State Park
Keeywaydin State Park offers 48 camping spots on the St. Lawrence River with back-in access. The 2023 reservation dates for camping in the park end September 3, 2023.
What are the camping dates available for Keeywaydin State Park for 2024?
Keewaydin State Park – 2024 Season dates:
Camping: Friday, May 24, 2024 to Sunday, September 1, 2024
Marina: Monday, May 13, 2024 – Sunday, October 13, 2024
All campsites allow campfires and have a fire pit, picnic table, as well as access to picnic areas, bathrooms and showers. The playground and pool are located near the campsites.
How much does it cost to camp at Keewaydin State Park?
As of 2023, rates for one night at the park range from $15-23, with weekly rates begin at $105 for a week. There are different rates for peak vs. off-peak dates.
In order to make reservations to camp at Keewaydin State Park, you must visit the Reserve America Keewaydin State Park reservation page.
Many state parks all across the country use the Reserve America system to handle reservations, which makes it very easy to make camping or cabin reservations with the same account, no matter the location of the place where you will be camping.
I have used the Reserve America site personally multiple times for camping at different state parks in various states.
Is there hiking at Keewaydin State Park?
Yes, there are five trails at Keewaydin. Even though it isn’t a huge park, the trails are beautiful and you definitely feel like you are hiking in the wilderness – but you can still hear the big ships in the water.
The walking trails are of various difficulty, and are not paved. They are as follows:
- The Ships Bow Trail (about 1 mile)
- The Port Trail (about .5 miles)
- The Starboard Trail (about 1.25 miles)
- Port Loop (about .5 miles)
- Connector (connects the Starboard with the Port Loop)
Swimming at Keewaydin State Park NY
Swimming is a very popular activity at the Keeywaydin State Park. In fact, it is one of the top reason that people visit the park for a day, or for a longer stay in the campgrounds.
Is there a pool at Keewaydin State Park?
There is a well-maintained Olympic-sized pool at Keeywaydin State Park. It is free to use for those who have paid for day access to the park’s facilities and there is a lifeguard on duty during the hours that the pool is open.
What time does the pool close at Keewaydin?
The pool hours at Keewaydin State Park are between 11 am and 7 pm. It is a great place to take the family to swim, and it is conveniently located near the playground and campsites.
Even though the park is open year-round, swimming season at the pool is begins in late June and ends on Labor Day. The 2023 schedule has the pool open through Labor Day 2023.
Many residents of the local surrounding areas depend on access to the pool at Keewaydin State Park for teaching their kids to swim. With all of the water in North Country, including St. Lawrence County, swimming is a crucial life skill.
Fortunately, everyone who has a day pass to the park can enjoy the pool during its operating hours. We are certainly planning to visit multiple times over the course of 2023 in order to get some good swimming practice.
Can you swim in the St. Lawrence River at Keewaydin?
The St. Lawrence River is a very large river that is used for shipping and navigation between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, with many thousands of large vessels passing through each year. There are no designated places to swim in the St. Lawrence River at the Keewaydin State Park.
If you do want to swim in the St. Lawrence River, there are other locations that provide a sheltered beach swimming area, such as the beach at Wellesley Island State Park or Kring Point State Park near Alexandria Bay, or Jacques Cartier State Park in Morristown, NY.
Keewaydin State Park Marina
The marina at Keewaydin State Park is one of the best public marinas in the area. The marina can accommodate boats up to 36′ and boasts 120 slips, a boat launch, gas station, and many other amenities.
It is important to note that this is a very popular state park during peak season and it is a busy marina, so many people find that they have to use the gravel parking lot for their trucks and trailers that is located on north side of the park near the campsites.
While the park is not big, some people don’t realize that they might have to do a 5-10 minute walk to their vehicle in order to come get their boat. It’s just something to know and keep in mind.
Fishing the St. Lawrence River in Keewaydin State Park
This is my favorite part of this article, since the reason that my family visited Keewaydin State Park was to check out the fishing opportunities. The Saint Lawrence River has fantastic fishing due to its depth and prime location as a conduit between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
You can catch a variety of large and small fish which include:
- Smallmouth bass
- Largemouth bass
- Northern Pike
- Walleye
- Panfish (includes sunfish like Pumpkinseed and Bluegill, as well as plentiful Rock Bass)
- Bullhead Catchfish
- Yellow Perch
- Muskellunge (record-sized fish have been caught in this area)
There is a fishing dock with gorgeous views at the park. You can also fish near the marina.
It is important to keep safety in mind when fishing any river, but especially the St. Lawrence. The fishing spots on the north side of the park near the marina are right on the banks of the river where it is very deep, so life-jackets are crucial.
Things to do near Keewaydin State Park
While there is plenty to do in Keewaydin State Park, the location of this park is very convenient to other state parks and recreation areas. Within a 30 minute drive of the park you can visit Lake Ontario, Adirondack wilderness areas, and a dozen lakes or rivers.
The biggest towns near Keewaydin State Park are Watertown, NY (30 min) and Ogdensburg (45 min). Both cities have airports, malls, plentiful shopping, as well as places to eat.
I would be remiss to not mention that Keewaydin State Park is right on the St. Lawrence River across from Canada. If you have the time, a passport, and border restrictions permit it, you could take a trip across the border to Canada.
Ottawa, the capital of Canada and a major international city and tourist destination, is 1 hour 42 minutes away from Keewaydin State Park.
However, you don’t really even need to leave Alexandria Bay, the town where Keewaydin is located, to have a great time. There are plenty of places to see, such as the Otter Creek Preserve, that are conveniently located near to Alexandria Bay.
Places to eat in Alexandria Bay
There are many restaurants where you can grab a quick meal, or sit down to a nice breakfast, lunch, or dinner. My family and I rarely eat out (I’m married to a chef!), so I haven’t personally eaten at all of the restaurants that I listed below.
However, I know people will be super hungry after a day at the park. Or maybe you are camping and just want a break from cooking over the campfire or the camp stove.
Alexandria Bay has a long history of being a fun, relaxing place for people to vacation. This means that there are plenty of great restaurants to serve those visitors.
These are the most popular places to eat in Alexandria Bay:
- Cavallario’s Steak and Seafood
- Riverboat Bar
- Old Homestead Restaurant
- Coleman’s Dock of the Bay
- Top of the Bay Tex Mex Bar and Bistro
- Korner Pizzeria and Family Restaurant
- Jreck Subs
- The North Star Family Restaurant
- The Kitchen
Where to buy groceries near Keewaydin State Park
The closest town to Keewaydin State Park is Alexandria Bay. There are several grocery stores and other shops where you can buy supplies during your visit to the park.
You can click on any of the links below to have Google Maps open directions to the location open up automatically.
Grocery stores or markets
- Alexandria Bay Big M Supermarket (less than 1 mile from the park)
- Walton Street Market (about 1.5 miles from the park)
- Kinney Drugs (pharmacy, food, snacks, toys, etc – 1 mile from the park)
If you need gas, or other items that you might typically buy at a convenience store, you are in luck. There are two less than a mile if you make a left to go north out of the park entrance:
Can you visit Keewaydin State Park in the winter?
Yes, you can visit Keewaydin State Park in the winter. Experienced ice fishers may appreciate the great fishing in the area, but it is important to note that upstate New York, including St. Lawrence County, receives quite a bit of snow.
Other activities that are popular at Keeywaydin during winter months include cross country skiing. There is almost always ample snow for skiing beginning at the beginning of January, and sometimes even earlier.
Be sure to be prepared if you decide to visit the park in the winter.
History of Keewaydin State Park in New York
Keewaydin State Park was first established as a state park in 1962. During the decades prior to the property’s use as a New York State public recreation area, the land was private property.
The area where Keewaydin State Park now sits was once owned as a summer home by James W. Jackson. Included on the estate, which was over 100 acres in size when it was listed for sale in 1916, was a 100-room mansion.
Eventually, this property and some surrounding parcels ended up in the hands of the New York Department of Environmental Conversation. The total size of Keewaydin State Park, according to the Jefferson County GIS Property Map is more than 174 acres.
How Keewaydin State Park got its name
Keewaydin means “northwest wind” in the Ojibwe language, according to most online sources. The Ojibwe people are Anishinaabeg, a group of culturally connected indigenous peoples, also known as First Nations people in Canada.
The Ojibwe people are one of the largest groups of Native American or First Nations people, in North America. Historically, their territory extended from western Quebec to eastern British Columbia, and included lands very close to the Saint Lawrence River in New York.
This may be why the land where the park originally sits was named “Keewaydin” by the wealthy individuals who built an estate there. Alternatively, it could have been named Keewaydin by the indigenous people of that area.s
Conclusion
I hope that this article has helped you learn everything that you wanted to know about Keewaydin State Park, and that you enjoy your visit and make great memories there.
If you have any questions that you would like answered about the park, please leave a comment and I will try to find out for you.
Thanks for reading today 🙂