FULL: Valcour Island & Bluff Point Lighthouse
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
This program is full – please contact us at info@aarch.org or 518-834-9328 ext. 9 to be added to the waitlist.
Today a National Historic Landmark, Lake Champlain’s Valcour Bay was the site of the first naval engagement between the American Continental forces’ fledgling navy and a British fleet during the Revolutionary War. In October 1776, a small naval flotilla under the command of Benedict Arnold engaged a larger British fleet near this notable island at the Battle of Valcour Bay, which delayed a deeper incursion into the newly united colonies. Beyond its rich military history, Valcour Island has featured grazing pastures, summer camps, a 19th-century utopian community, and once had the largest rookery of great blue herons in the state. Although the island itself is part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, the restored 1874 Bluff Point lighthouse is managed and interpreted by the Clinton County Historical Association (CCHA). AARCH has been granted special permission to enter and explore the lighthouse for this experience.
This tour is led by AARCH Educational Programs Director Nolan Cool and naturalist David Thomas-Train. The tour begins at 9:30 AM and ends around 3:30 PM.
The fee is $65 for AARCH and CCHA members and $80 for non-members.
Please note that this tour includes a short boat ride plus a four-mile interpretive hike over rough trails and difficult terrain.