A new accessible kayak launch was opened at Glimmerglass State Park ahead of the busy summer season Friday, May 24.
State Sen. Peter Oberacker said he was approached by local sportspeople who wanted more access to and an easier way to launch kayaks and canoes into Otsego Lake at Glimmerglass State Park. He met with Duane Owens, Central Region director at the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, in February 2021 to discuss the installation of an accessible kayak launch at the park. A spot at one of the lake’s inlets near the park’s entrance was chosen, and permits were obtained from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. “Once we got going and the weather cooperated, it was a 60-day construction period,” Owens said.
The $50,000 project provides the public, including people with mobility challenges, access to recreational kayaking and car-top size boating on Otsego Lake, a media release said. Kayaks and canoes can be difficult to get in and out of due to their instability. The new dock provides an overhead grab bar to enhance stability for people while entering and exiting the vessel. The launch includes a hinged ramp in the water to better hold the vessel in place before launching, as well as a low-scale stair that will allow wheelchair users to lower themselves into the boat.
“This is even good for beginners just learning how to launch their kayaks,” Owens said.
The kayak launch includes a gravel driveway with a few handicapped parking spots and another group of parking spots along the road to a campground. People can drive their vehicles to the launch and unload, then park in the parking spots.
“I hope the community enjoys this,” Owens said.
Before the launch was built, people using the bank to launch their kayaks had at least a one-foot drop off from the bank to their kayak and had to contend with a muddy river bottom, Shawn Wood, park manager at Glimmerglass State Park, said. Now, it’s an easy walk down a metal gangplank to the launch. “We are excited to offer this inclusive opportunity to our community,” he said.
Wood said there is a place to rent kayaks at the beach of the park, but sometimes it’s too windy at the beach to launch a kayak. In that case, people could bring the kayak to the secluded spot to launch them. In addition to the kayak launch, a picnic table has been set up at the launch site for guests of the park to use. During the unveiling of the launch Friday, two bald eagles flew over the site and other local wildlife could be seen and heard.
“This is an amazing project,” Oberacker said. “Even nature agrees.”