Pinnacle Hill & Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse Cams in Rochester

If you were hoping to drop into some breathtaking views of Rochester, you may well find what you can see on these cams leaves a little to be desired. It’s not entirely the fault of the cam focus as Rochester, even from a blurry distance, doesn’t have the most exciting skyline ever. In fact, the cloud formation hovering over this city in New York state can prove to be a lot more eye-catching and so is the boat traffic chugging up and down the river.

Rochester was founded in the late 18th century where the meandering Genesee River joins the waters of Lake Ontario. Since its founding days, the city has expanded to cover almost a hundred square kilometres and is home to approximately a quarter of a million people. It’s prosperity and growth was, and still is, centred around the river which back in the day powered flour mills and provided a constant source of water for flower growers in the surrounding area. These days, as you’ll notice if you watch the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse live feed long enough, it also provides an aquatic playground for local boat owners.

While you can’t see the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse, because that cam is located on it rather than facing it, it’s one of Rochester’s biggest historical attractions. The twelve metre high, octagonal stone lighthouse dates from the early 19th century, 1822 to be exact and while decommissioned in the 1980, still stands as a reminder of the city’s past and serves as a museum. Guaranteed, the view of the lake and the river from the top is a lot more interesting than the view of Rochester from Pinnacle Hill. But only those who brave the steep spiral stairs and ladder to get to the lantern room will ever know as this cam is pointing in a different direction.