The Lake Champlain Transportation Company (LCTC or just LCT) provides car and passenger ferry service at three points on Lake Champlain in the United States.

Lake Champlain is the sixth-largest lake in the United States, reaching a maximum width of 12 miles and depths of more than 300 feet, making the bridging of the "broad lake" impractical north of Crown Point, New York and south of the border with Canada. The ferry service allows convenient transport across the lake between New York and Vermont. Approximately one million passengers cross the lake by ferry each year.

Service is provided at three points, listed from south to north:

• Charlotte, VT to Essex, NY
• Burlington, VT to Port Kent , NY
• Grand Isle, VT to Plattsburg, NY

The Charlotte-Essex ferry is run year-round, but may not operate if there is heavy icing on the lake.

The Burlington-Port Kent ferry crosses the maximum width of the lake and does not operate in the winter. This crossing takes approximately one hour.

The Grand Isle-Plattsburg ferry is an ice-breaking route and provides 24-hour service year-round. The crossing on this route takes approximately 12 minutes.

Each run employs at least two double-ended diesel ferries, making the crossings in opposite directions. All ferries are capable of carrying large trucks as well as cars, bicycles, and foot passengers and are of a roll-on, roll-off design (although they can operate single-ended in the event of an engine failure).

During the summer, the company also provides dinner cruises and charters from Burlington as well as special runs that allow the watching of the Independence Day fireworks display at the Burlington waterfront.

The boats used by the LCTC

Some of the ferries used by the Lake Champlain Transportation Company include:

• The Adirondack (the oldest, in-service, double-ended ferryboat of all time)
• The Essex (named after Essex, Vermont)
• The Evans Waddams Wolcott (the "EWW", pronounced "E, double-U, double-U" and named after Lewis P. Evans, Jr., Richard H. Wadhams and James G. Wolcott, the founders of the modern company)
• The Plattsburg (named after Plattsburg, New York)
• The Valcour (named after Valcour Island, site of a military battle)
• The Vermont (one of the newest ferries on the line)

References

• Lake Champlain Ferryboats, ISBN 0962377201

External links

• Official website