Raquette Lake Navigation

Main Street in Raquette Lake hamlet, with the W.W. Durant tied up at the village dock. The Durant is the working vessel, a Victorian-style replica steamer named for William West Durant, the architect-developer behind the original Great Camps on Raquette and the surrounding lakes. That history is the lake itself, and the cruise is the way to see it from the water. The public calendar runs four cruise products. Luncheon cruises do a midday meal-and-narration loop. Dinner cruises run the evening with a fuller menu and the late light on the islands. Sunday brunch cruises are the booking that fills earliest in summer. Dedicated scenic excursions are for guests who want the lake and the narration without the full meal, and run shorter. Private charters are the other side of the business. The W.W. Durant works as a venue for family reunions, micro-weddings, group tours, and corporate parties, with the meal and bar service to match. The operation is family-owned and -operated, in business since 1991. Season runs June through October. Best for visitors who want to see the Great Camp coastline of Raquette Lake from the water rather than the road.