Oak Orchard Creek, NY

Oak Orchard Creek is a tributary of Lake Ontario in Orleans County, New York in the United States.

Oak Orchard Creek rises south of Oak Orchard Creek Marsh (also called the Alabama Swamp) at the border of Orleans and Genesee Counties. The swamp contains a state reserve, Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, and a national reserve, the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, both of which are known as major stopover points for migratory birds. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in May 1973. The swamp is a result of a partial blockage of the river by glacial drift and an outcrop of limestone and dolostone known as the Lockport Formation which forms the Niagara Escarpment.

After flowing through the swamp, it flows northward, across the escarpment in a series of waterfalls and rapids at Shelby Center, thence passing through the Village of Medina to the small Glenwood Lake north of the village. The creek departs the town of Ridgeway at its northeast corner, cuts through the northwest corner of the town of Gaines, and widens before entering the town of Carlton. The widest part is now known as Waterport Pond (Lake Alice), and the hamlet of Waterport is on the south bank. A dam at the northeast end of the pond controls water flow.

Oak Orchard Creek narrows again and passes underneath Route 18 and the Lake Ontario State Parkway before entering Lake Ontario at Point Breeze where Oak Orchard State Marine Park is located.

The state fish hatcheries release brown trout, salmon and steelhead each year into the river. Fishing may be done from boat in the lower part, or by wading in the upper parts, and, of course, from the shore along its length.