A Kayaker's Guide to Lake Champlain: Exploring the New York, Vermont & Quebec Shores

50 different watery paths of adventure divided into eight sections covering the Champlain Islands, the Inland Sea, Missisquoi Bay, Broad Lake North, Malletts Bay, Broad Lake East, Broad Lake West, and South Bay, provide an intimate, cove by cove, island by island exploration of America s other great lake, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain s epochal journey of discovery in 1609. The routes are described, paddle stoke by paddle stroke, augmented with maps and photographs and enlivened with essays on early Native Americans, the pivotal naval battles of Plattsburgh and Valcour Island, lighthouses and shipwrecks, the French & Indian wars, the Revolution and the War of 1812, smugglers, the fascinating geology of this fossil-rich one-time arm of the sea, and up-to-date environmental issues like algae bloom, urban and farm runoff, milfoil, zebra mussels, fish hatcheries and endangered species. The result is a well-rounded overview of a remarkable natural resource. Appendices include information on Lake Champlain environmental organizations, museums & historical places, wildlife areas, state parks, and launch sites. Includes 54 maps, 93 photographs, and 9 original drawings.