A working shoreline, watched every day
Lake Ontario (Lake America) Map and Conditions
Live water temperature, water level, and wave and wind readings for the US shore, plus a full map of beaches, marinas, boat launches, and fishing charters. Every number here traces back to a public source.
Two names, one lake
What each name actually means
New York State and Canada
Lake Ontario
From the Wendat word Ontari'io, meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big." The name is more than 400 years old, older than both the Confederation of Canada and the US Declaration of Independence.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul rejected the renaming, writing that New York will not be calling it that. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians will keep calling it Lake Ontario, then, now, and always.
US Federal Agencies
Lake America
On August 27, 2026, a presidential executive order directed the Secretary of the Interior to work with the Board on Geographic Names to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America in federal usage, agency maps, and documents.
The order gives agencies about 30 days to update the federal Geographic Names Information System. It does not bind states, Canada, or private companies.
Sources: whitehouse.gov presidential action, August 27, 2026, and public statements from Gov. Hochul and PM Carney. Full sourcing on lakeamericanews.com and /about/.
By the numbers
Maximum depth, Rochester Basin, west of Oswego
Source: Britannica, NOAA bathymetry chart
Surface area, 193 miles long, 53 miles at its widest
Source: Britannica
Protected inside the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary
Source: NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Designated June 2024
41 shipwrecks and 1 aircraft rest in the eastern basin
The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary covers 1,722 square miles off Jefferson, Oswego, Cayuga, and Wayne counties, including HMS Ontario, the oldest confirmed shipwreck in US waters.
Everywhere else on the lake
22 monitored beaches, live status
From Hamlin Beach State Park to Olcott, filterable by county, pulled from the state beach advisory feed.
Open → Shore towns12 towns, Youngstown to Cape Vincent
Every profiled town west to east, with its nearest beach, marina, and charter operators.
Open → FishingSalmon charters and the fall run
King and coho salmon centered on the Salmon River at Pulaski, plus a plain guide to charter costs.
Open → BoatingMarinas and boat launches
49 marinas and 35 public launches across the shore, map linked.
Open → Live viewPublic shoreline webcams
Grouped by town, linking out to the public cameras that allow it.
Open → AnswersFrequently asked questions
How deep it is, whether it freezes, and whether it is safe to swim today.
Open →