Historical Tours
3–4 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 93% of travelers
93% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$32
per adult
Clayton Island Tours
Clayton Island Tours
4.5
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Full view
About
Welcome to Clayton Island Tours! Experience the grandeur and beauty of the 1000 Islands Region the Clayton Island Tours way. Clayton Island Tour’s professional tour guides will share the legends and lore behind the Thousand Islands region on a 1.5 or 3 hour scenic tour. You will enjoy magnificent views of premier sights with opportunities to view giant Great Lakes freighters, lighthouses, magnificent island homes and the Thousand Islands International Bridge up close. Daily stops to Boldt Castle are available. All tours have many photo opportunities and cruise areas of the 1000 Islands not seen on other cruise. From Memorial Day through September, Clayton Island Tours offers narrated tours for the general public. If you’re looking for a fun group outing or private party we will create a custom private charter to suit your needs and make sure it’s a success. Check our ever changing special events including the Clayton Fireworks Cruises.
Clayton, New York
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Improve this listingTours and Tickets by Clayton Island Tours
Historical Tours
5 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 98% of travelers
98% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$81
per adult
Historical Tours
2 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 100% of travelers
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$28
per adult
Travelers talk about
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,147 reviews
Excellent
941
Very good
150
Average
32
Poor
13
Terrible
13
caribbeantraveler91
Pennsylvania1,290 contributions
Jul 2020 • Couples
Since we were interested in touring Boldt Castle, we decided to use Clayton Island Tours. It was only a little over a mile from our hotel. When we arrived, the captain could be seen wiping down the seats, which was welcomed, due to COVID. There is a roof on the boat, so you’re not in full sun or inclement weather during the tour. The young man who was our “guide”, was very informative. He gave us a lot of interesting information regarding the islands and homes we passed throughout our tour.
They gave us ample time to see the castle, and returned a different route, so we could see other islands and homes along the way. Overall, great service, and worth the money.
They gave us ample time to see the castle, and returned a different route, so we could see other islands and homes along the way. Overall, great service, and worth the money.
Written August 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for choosing Clayton Island Tours!
Written September 5, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
EllenLS
Brockport, NY39 contributions
Aug 2020
On August 27, in the pouring rain, we board our boat for a 2.75 hour tour. The boat was clean, the captain friendly, the first mate/tour guide was knowledgeable. Even in the rain, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, learning about a part of the river I've never really traveled. We stopped at Rock Island Lighthouse for about 45 minutes, to tour, walk the island and ate the delicious lunch we ordered from Kay's Kitchen. There were families traveling with children and my advise would be that children ages 4 and under may get board. The child who was about 10 asked some really great questions. If you've only done an Uncle Sam Boat tour, you really need to give this a try.
Written August 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to give a great review!
Written September 5, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mary anne cody
54 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
We spent yesterday on the Rock Island tour on one of the glass bottom tour boats, and had a ball. The staff is very professional and the guide informative and entertaining. I felt we learned a number of things about the area that we did know before. The tour included an hour on the Island which was just enough to climb the lighthouse, see little museum and enjoy our picnic lunch. Lunch btw was a great deal, $10 each for fresh grilled chicken wrap, mac salad, chips, cold drink and 2 homemade cookies, all orders with tickets and waiting in cooler for us in a bag with our name. A great way to spend an afternoon
Written June 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review, we are so happy to hear you enjoyed your tour with us!
Written June 10, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Camper_Imagine
Reading, PA41 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
We did the 1:30 tour to the Boldt Castle and they were supposed to be running the tours at 50% capacity due to COVID-19 but the boat was at 70-80% capacity and they didn’t require anyone to wear masks even though they had a sign saying to wear face masks. They did ask you to sanitize your hands before boarding. The tour guy appeared to be very knowledgeable but you couldn’t barely hear him. I did ask him to turn up the volume but it didn’t help. We have done a lot of tours and this has to be one of the worst. It didn’t help that there was a bunch of people on the boat that didn’t really care about wearing a mask or listening to the tour with their kids running around the boat but the captain or the tour guide didn’t attempt to bring order to the boat. We did enjoy our time on Boldt Island and 1 1/2 hours was plenty of time.
Written July 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffrey T
1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Couples
This was supposed to be a fireworks cruise. The boats provided have enclosed passenger areas. If you happened to be seated next to a window facing the correct direction you could see the fireworks. Otherwise you saw nothing. The cruise left at 8 pm and sailed around until the fireworks were due to begin at 10 pm. It felt like the object was to increase your bar bill.
Written July 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NYNorthcoasters
Rochester, NY39 contributions
Jul 2020
This was a ten!!
We were very surprised at the quality of this tour during this time.
Captain Brian was excellent and a Peter Hopper was on of the best ambassadors of a destination that we have ever met.
It’s hard to convey his knowledge, enthusiasm, love for THE river, and ability to covey it all to the 18 guests onboard.
Thanks to all that made this experience so positive.
We were very surprised at the quality of this tour during this time.
Captain Brian was excellent and a Peter Hopper was on of the best ambassadors of a destination that we have ever met.
It’s hard to convey his knowledge, enthusiasm, love for THE river, and ability to covey it all to the 18 guests onboard.
Thanks to all that made this experience so positive.
Written July 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gary L
6 contributions
Sep 2022
We recently toured with Clayton Boat Tours. The tour was excellent and would recommend anyone traveling to 1000 island to stay in Clayton rather than Alexandra Bay. The captain and his navigator were amazing and gave very informed and detailed information and history on the area
Written September 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer R
Orchard Park, NY12 contributions
Sep 2020
It was a pretty windy day and I can’t believe how much I enjoyed the trip. My daughter and I get pretty motion sick. We had no issues at all, the Captain did a fantastic job of keeping the boat steady. Even as the wind picked up more and the wind was so hard the people with open windows were getting wet. They did a pretty good job with COVID on the boat but off the boat people all crowded together waiting in lines.
Written September 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for choosing to tour with us!
Written September 10, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
2lisalisa2
75 contributions
Aug 2019
I went on a karaoke cruise and enjoyed every minute of it. We sang, we laughed, we even serenaded people on Grindstone Island. The crew is friendly and that makes it such a great time on the river. I wouldn't wanna go on a tour of the River without Clayton Island Tours~
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the great review!
Written June 28, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Wayne M
Albany, NY4 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
We went on the Rock Island Glass Boat Tour as our vacation excursion and enjoyed the tour very much! We completely recommend this tour! Fantastic and very knowledgeable tour guys and captain. The Rock Island Lighthouse tour inside of the lighthouse was absolutely wonderful from the history of it to the incredible views. We will definitely go on this tour again in the fall time next to see the foliage!
Written June 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are thrilled you enjoyed your Rock Island Lighthouse Tour with us. Thank you for the awesome review, we hope to see you again in the fall!
Written June 20, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi, I want to know from where the tour departs (city ?)? And arrive
Written July 19, 2022
Hello whats the difference between uncle sam tours and clayton tours other then leaving from different areas.
Any differences?
I wanted to see as much as i can
Written August 25, 2020
I have done both numerous times- Uncle Sam Boat Tours is a larger company(as stated) - larger boats, less personalized. That being said - if you are going to Boldt Castle (which is a quick trip by boat from where you board) or any specific destination - go with whatever company is the most cost effective because you are just using them as transport to go to the island. You get dropped off at Boldt Castle and can easily spend a good portion of the day exploring the castle and the grounds at your leisure. It's an amazing trip for the day. It is self guided and a beautiful point of interest and a must-see when in the Thousand Islands - you have to see Boldt Castle at least once. If you are taking a 3 hour tour or a longer tour that explores various landmarks i think that Clayton Island Tours can offer a more personalized one on one experience - you are within ear shot of your tour guide, they are extremely knowledgeable, give countless unique stories of the area and the super informational cruise is an intimate history lesson of the area with plenty of opportunity to ask questions while cruising a broad range of the area and waters. If you just want to go to Boldt Castle or Singer Castle or both - probably Uncle Sams - if you want to leisurely cruise the waters and learn about the history of the area - Clayton Island Boat Tours is the way to go(and you can pack your own lunch/bring your own food and drinks to enjoy along the way). On Clayton Island Tours every seat is a window seat because its a single level and has a table in front of you (kind of like a school desk lol but there is plenty of room for 2 at each seat/window) so its very relaxing - This is the difference between a double decker like Uncle Sams that's more of a people mover.
Written August 26, 2020
I have seen a rough review of the glass bottom boat tour. Can anyone who has been on it say if it was any good? Can you see fish and plant life or is it pretty limited in what you can see? Is it a small area that is glass or a large area? Would you take that tour again? Thanks!
Written August 29, 2018
You can see little through the glass. The captain of the boat will stop over certain areas and talk about what we were looking at but you can't really see fish swimming or a clear bottom. The area is in the middle of the boat. Hope that helps . The tour was interesting as we stopped on Rock Island. We were hoping you could see more, however, through the glass bottom boat area.
Written August 30, 2018
Hi. I am currently using a knee scooter due to ankle injury. Will I be able to board the boat?
Written September 18, 2016
David K
Clayton, New York
Hello Louise, We do have parking available for those who need to be close to our dock. There are two steps up to the boat, but a ramp is available. The "Night Heron" our glass bottom boat has rows of seating up both sides with the glass in the center, surrounded by a railing. There are a few seats in the rear of the boat that set behind the railing. Rock Island Lighthouse State Park has paved walkways and a ramp to get into the keepers cottage. At Boldt Castle they offer carts from the entrance up to the castle for those who need a ride up or down the hill. Once up to the castle there is a ramp to the main level and an elevator inside to travel to the upper floors. There are also paved walkways around the island.
I hope this helps and thank you for the question. Feel free to give us a call if you need further assistance!
Written September 20, 2016
ptravl
Potomac, Maryland
Did you have enough time to tour Boldt castle with the audio tour and also see the grounds or were you rushed?
Written August 4, 2016
Uncle Sam's boat tours run a shuttle to Boldt castle from all of their tours (which are similar to Clayton Island tours) so you can get dropped off there in the morning from your tour and spend the whole day there and hop back on a different tour from Uncle Sam's boat tours when you are ready to leave (or when they run the last tour boat).
Written September 8, 2016
Debbie A
Rochester, New York
On the Bolt Castle tour is there one side or other of the boat that is preferable for viewing?
Written July 5, 2015
David K
Clayton, New York
Thank you for your inquiry about our Boldt Castle Tour! Our boats typically hold between 43 and 55 passengers, which allows for a good view of the castle from any seat. The boats also have room in the center where passengers may stand to see!
Written July 6, 2015
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