The largest lake within the borders of New York State (NYS), Oneida Lake, lies less than 30 minutes northeast of Syracuse, New York. Syracuse, a frontier town, grew up around the building of the Erie Canal, but Oneida Lake is a natural glacial remnant lake. The Oneida Indians named Oneida Lake “Tsioqui”, which means “white water”.
What is Oneida Lake Known For?
Archeologists report that the Oneida Indians were the first humans to inhabit the Oneida Lake region. The Oneidas knew the lake for huge yields of Atlantic salmon, and catfish, eel, and northern pike fisheries, plus water fowl and wild game. Until the 1820s, when thousands of New Englanders left their farms (the Yankee Invasion), the Oneida Lake area was remotely settled.
Today, locals and visitors prize Oneida Lake as a recreational paradise with the Sylvan-Verona Beach resort area on its eastern shores and its yellow perch and walleye fisheries. Oneida Lake is also infamous for storms that roil up with great waves.
Humans have fallen in love with Oneida Lake for centuries because its landscape elicits fervent emotions from those who venture to its shores. Lakeside forests roll into meadows that gently slope into the lake’s waters. The salmon and eel are gone now, but there are over 75 species of warm and cool water fish in Oneida Lake today.
Is Oneida Part of the Finger Lakes?
Oneida Lake lies east of New York’s Finger Lakes region. Oneida Lake is a tiny leftover from the enormous Lake Iroquois, which formed around 10,000 B.C. Back then, a glacier blocked the St. Lawrence River and flooded a large area of northern New York State. When the earth warmed again, Lake Iroquois drained into the Atlantic Ocean and left behind what is now Oneida Lake.
Oneida Lake is not officially a part of the Finger Lakes. Although glaciers also formed the Finger Lakes, the Finger Lakes are more abysmal at 300 to 400-feet deep. People think of Oneida Lake as the “thumb” of the Finger Lakes. From the air, looking south from Lake Erie, a thumb is what Lake Oneida Lake looks like next to the finger-shaped lakes.
Water Quality at Oneida Lake
Cornell University extensively studies Oneida Lake. Cornell established the Cornell University Biological Field Station (CUBFS) in the late 1950s. Early research focused on walleye and yellow perch fisheries. The CUBFS research expanded to include Oneida Lake’s ecosystem.
Sometimes Oneida Lake’s water is toxic. Over 120 species of algae survive in Oneida Lake, and they can produce algae blooms. Not all algae blooms in Oneida Lake are cyanobacteria, aka blue-green algae, the algae harmful to animals, birds, humans, and marine life.
Excess nutrients from agricultural, suburban, and urban runoff power algal blooms in the Oneida Lake, with phosphorous being a primary runoff nutrient feeding the algal blooms. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) added Oneida Lake to its list of impaired waters under the Clean Water Act in 1998.
The New York DEC applied for the delistment of Oneida Lake in 2008. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported the reason for delistment as, “…because data show steady declines in nutrient enrichment (phosphorus levels) and indicate that the lake supports designated uses related to nutrient enrichment.”
Can You Swim in Lake Oneida?
Yesteryear, the French Canadians called Oneida Lake the “le Lac Vert”, which means “the Green Lake” in English. Sometimes, you can see the algae blooms on the lake’s surface. Cornell Scientists track Oneida Lake’s blue-green algae, the toxic cyanobacteria type, which are labeled Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs).
Yes, you can swim in Lake Oneida unless there are HAB warnings. The NYS Department of Health (NYSDH) issues warnings at state regulated bathing beaches on Lake Oneida if blue-green algal blooms are present. These blooms occur more often in warm, dry weather and may break up or move in windy weather.
Sometimes, you can see the algae blooms during warm weather on the lake. The NYSDH will close and reopen beaches that NYS owns if there are toxic HABs active in Oneida Lake. It will reopen beaches when the water is clear and testing confirms toxin levels are below a level of concern.
How Deep Is Oneida Lake?
Lake Oneida and the Finger Lakes formed around 10,000 B.C. from glaciers retreating at the end of the most recent Ice Age. Oneida Lake is not too deep. The Pleistocene Epoch (last ice age), began about 2.6 million years ago and lasted until approximately 11,000 years ago. This Ice Age dug out these NYS lakebeds.
Oneida Lake is 55 feet at its deepest point, with an average depth of 22 feet, about 21-miles long and five-miles wide, and covers 50,894 surface acres. It is warmer at Oneida Lake in the summer than at the Finger Lakes, and Oneida Lake usually freezes over in the winter.
Things to Do at Oneida Lake
Summertime at Oneida Lake brings warm sandy beaches, picnics, hiking, boating, an old-timey amusement park, outstanding camping facilities, marinas, super productive fishing, and beautiful sunsets to Oneida Lake.
Wintertime delivers sparkling snow, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. All four seasons entice people to cherish Lake Oneida’s picturesque allure.
Oneida Lake Camping, Fishing, Hiking
Over 14 campgrounds and RV Parks ring around and are nearby Oneida Lake. For boaters, Oneida Lake hosts 17 public and private marinas, plus a dozen public and private boat ramps. Oneida Lake’s cross-country ski trails become hiking trails in warm weather. Fishing tourneys and derbies occur year-round.
Oneida Lake is famous for its walleye and yellow perch fisheries. Other game species at Oneida Lake include, largemouth, rock, and smallmouth bass, bluegill, bowfin, burbot, black common carp, crappie, freshwater drum, longnose gar, tiger muskellunge, yellow perch, chain pickerel, northern pike, lake sturgeon, and pumpkinseed sunfish.
Off the Water
If you want to take a break from the beaches, boating, camping, fishing, swimming, water sports, etc. on Oneida Lake, its towns and communities offer more than history and charm. Attractions, dining, gambling, golfing, hotels, museums, resorts, shopping, spas, and a few more outdoor adventures await Oneida Lake visitors. Quite a few towns and villages surround Oneida Lake.
Brewerton
- Restaurants: Four waterfront restaurants
- Oneida Shores Park Campground: Weekend campsites open sometime in, April, and daily sometime in May, It accommodates RV’s, tents, pop-ups, and small trailers.
- Fort Brewerton, New York: Fort Brewerton was constructed in 1759 to protect the passage from Albany to the Port of Oswego on Lake Erie, is home to the Oliver Stevens Blockhouse Museum, and features 10,000 years of local history.
Bridgeport
- Fisher Bay Restaurant
- Point Palace Casino: Five restaurants and nightclubs, slots and table games, DJ entertainment, and sports betting.
Cicero
- Northern Pines Golf Club: Public course, 18 holes, and banquet facilities.
Constantia
- Grace Tyler Estate Winery: Accessible by the Vanderbilt snowmobile trail and features locally produced craft beer, hard cider, cheese, popcorn, and dipping sauces, plus live music on Fridays in the summer.
- Sand Bar and Grill
South Bay
Kanon Valley Country Club: A private, 72-par 18-hole golf course with four sets of tees, driving range, and pro shop.
Sylvan Beach
- Five restaurants.
- Bikes at the Beach: Motorcyclists meet on Tuesdays beginning in June.
- Classic Car Cruise: Every Thursday at Sunset Beach beginning in May.
- The Lake House at Sylvan Beach: Casino with slots, dining, and entertainment.
- Sylvan Beach Amusement Park: Historic park with midway rides, carnival games, food, ghost tours, concerts, free beach access, special events, and ticket packages.
- Vienna’s Farmer’s Market: Every Thursday. Vendors from across the region provide the highest quality locally-sourced fruits, vegetables, and delicious homemade foods.
- Sylvan Beach Supply Co.: Water fun outfitters and rentals.
Verona
- Verona Beach State Park: Camping and picnicking at one of the most diverse aquatic habitats in New York’s Central Region with13-miles of hiking trails, and open year round.
- South Shore Nautical LLC-south of Verona Beach State Park: Buy a boat or dock, get an ice cream cone or BBQ, boat products, and unique gifts, or rent a kayak or paddle board.
- Turning Stone Resort Casino: Dining, gambling, golf, four nightclubs/lounges, hotel, spa, 14 restaurants, showroom, and entertainment/events.
Towns Close to Oneida Lake
Central Square: Four miles north of Brewerton
- Central Square Railroad Museum: Features indoor and outdoor displays, a railroad library, and the look of the original station with life size mannequins dressed in period clothing on the lower level. The station that stands today was completed in 1909.
Rome: Five miles east of Sylvan Beach
- Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo: Is home to a variety of native and exotic animals and offers engaging animal interactions, like fun activities for kids, daily hands-on educational presentations, and a petting zoo where guests can feed and mingle with tame deer in a large scenic enclosure.
- Fort Stanwix National Monument: The British built Fort Stanwix during the French and Indian War in 1758. Its monument is a historically accurate reconstruction of the fort featuring historic reenactors and national park guides who narrate the history of the fort.
- Erie Canal Village: A historic recreation of the golden age of the Erie Canal, before the railroads. It is slowly being restored by new ownership and currently reopens to the public at times. Call or email before visiting.
- Alley Oop Soldier: If you happen to be in the neighborhood, this statue is a 10-foot-tall concrete statue in the Griffiss International Sculpture Garden. This statue was a mascot for the Griffiss Airforce Base In the 1940s.
Canastota: Six miles south of South Bay
- International Boxing Hall of Fame: This museum originated in the 1980s as a memorial to two local Canastota world boxing champions, Carmen Basilio and Billy Backus, and grew to become a large shrine to the sport of boxing beginning in 1989.
Oneida: 10 miles east of Sylvan Beach
- Oneida Community Mansion House: A historical hotel that houses its own museum and nature grounds on 33 acres of landscaped lawns, gardens, trails, and a historic golf course. It was the shared home of a utopian commune that practiced “free love” a century before the 1960s hippies. Since 1987, the Oneida Community Mansion House’s mission is to tell the story of America’s most successful experimental community and the joint stock company that emerged after its breakup.
- Cross Island Chapel: This chapel is under 30-square-feet and floats in the middle of the Mason family pond in Oneida, Madison County. It is on a floating jetty large enough to moor one rowboat, and barely big enough for a bride, a groom, and someone to marry them.
Chittenango: Six miles South of Lakeport on the Southern Shores
- Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum: This museum features the restoration of a three-bay dry dock where workers built and repaired the 90-foot long canal cargo boats on the ”Enlarged” Erie Canal from 1855 to 1920. It showcases the only remaining boatyard on the historic Erie Canal and includes a reconstructed canal-side store, walk-on canal boat exhibit, sawmill, blacksmith, woodworking shops, a mule stable, and visitor education center.
- The Wild Animal Park: This zoo is home to a wide range of domestic and exotics animals from all over the world, like great big cats, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and many more exotic mammals. It also has a drive-through-safari for visitors to learn about wild animals in their vehicles or on a guided tour. Paved paths allow wheelchair accessibility throughout entire park.It is usually open from April to December.
