The Paddle of Big Sandy Creek

The Battle of Big Sandy Creek occurred on May 29th 1814 between British and American forces during the War of 1812. It was an American victory that would prove inconsequential as the British retained control of the Great Lakes.

The Paddle of Big Sandy Creek occurred last weekend and was significantly less violent. Farah and I had been scoping out beaches and kayaking spots along Lake Ontario when we learned of Big Sandy Creek.

Located within the Lakeview Wildlife Management area, the paddle is a 4 mile out-and-back that takes paddlers past Goose Pond and out to the sandy beaches along Lake Ontario. It is the same route used in the battle during The War of 1812.

A small boat launch and parking lot sits along Route 3 on the North side of the creek. Farah and I unfolded our Kayaks, grabbed the cooler and launched in the early afternoon. Our goal was to make it to the beach area, hang out for a few hours and paddle back.

Heading towards the lake was made easier with the light current pushing us. We navigated the bends and turns of the creek as the tree lined banks slowly opened up to marshes and wetlands. The area is a popular birding and fishing spot, but we only passed two other paddlers on our way out.

We knew the lake was close as we could feel and hear the wind coming off the open waters. As we approached, the sand dunes guarding the beach became larger and the current slowed. Around the final bend we saw the first signs of life, as fellow paddlers and boaters shored their craft along the sandy outlet leading to the lake.

There were a good amount of kayaks and canoes lined up as kids played in the water and parents relaxed in beach chairs. We found an open spot and parked our kayaks before heading south down the beach.

About 200 yards down we found the perfect log to sit on. The beach is left all natural with driftwood buried in the sand everywhere. The dunes behind us were roped off with signs for people to respect the ecosystem and stay off.

We ate lunch and lounged around before wading out into the lake for a swim. The wind was whipping and there were pretty good sized waves coming off Lake Ontario. It felt like we were swimming in a freshwater ocean with the current pushing us along the shoreline.

Late in the afternoon we packed up the cooler and headed back upstream to our car. Now the current was noticeable as we pushed through it. Initially my shoulders were screaming, but I quickly warmed back up and got into a groove. The paddle out took about 30 minutes but the paddle back was an hour.

We made it to the launch, dried off and packed up our kayaks. On the way out my eyes caught an infographic about the battle and I couldn’t resist. I’m a big history nerd and to think 200 years ago a piece of American history occurred here is pretty cool.