Squaw Island (Canandaigua Lake)

Squaw Island

Squaw Island from Canandaigua City Pier
Squaw Island Location within New York
Geography
Coordinates	42°52′12″N 77°16′32″W / 42.87000°N 77.27556°W / 42.87000; -77.27556Coordinates: 42°52′12″N 77°16′32″W / 42.87000°N 77.27556°W / 42.87000; -77.27556
Adjacent bodies of water	Canandaigua Lake
Area	8,000 sq ft (740 m2)
Length	145 ft (44.2 m)
Width	55 ft (16.8 m)
Administration
United States
State	New York
County	Ontario
Town	Canandaigua

Squaw Island is located at the north end of Canandaigua Lake, near the city of Canandaigua, New York, United States. It is one of two islands in the 11 Finger Lakes. Frequently it is described as New York's smallest state park; however, while it is one of the state's smallest protected areas, it is not formally designated as a state park, but rather it is a "unique area" managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

It formed from the alluvial deposits of nearby Sucker Brook. Limestone from the brook's bedrock dissolved in its waters forms rare lime carbonate oncolites, known locally as "water biscuits", on its shores. Rises in the lake level following the damming of Canandaigua Outlet have reduced the island to a small portion of its former land. The state and local activists have worked together to shore it up against erosion and prevent it from disappearing.

The island is located roughly 500 feet (150 m) south of the mouth of Sucker Brook and 600 feet (180 m) southwest of the end of the docks at the north end of the lake in Canandaigua. Although both those locations are in the city, the island itself is outside its boundaries, in the town of Canandaigua. The surrounding waters, like much of the shallow north end of the lake, are no deeper than 25 feet (7.6 m) it is sometimes possible to wade to it from shore.