Comments on: Summer is for swimming

Question: Summer is for swimming

chickletworks — Tue, 29 May 2007 17:46:14 -0800

Where's the best place-- within a 60 to 90 minute drive of New York City-- to go swimming in a lake, river, or stream?

Bonus points for waterfalls, tubing opportunities, or pretty scenery.
Thanks in advance!

By: invitapriore

invitapriore — Tue, 29 May 2007 17:57:10 -0800

Harriman Park has numerous locations for swimming (go to the bottom of the page). I'm familiar with Lake Tiorati, which is a beautiful drive, a beautiful lake, and a beautiful place, but I imagine that any of those listed would be fantastic.

By: caek

caek — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:08:52 -0800

Take a look at SwimmingHoles, if you haven't already.

By: alkupe

alkupe — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:14:39 -0800

i went tubing here. It was fun. quick and a little scarey. Its 60-90 minutes depending on where you're coming from in the city and of course, traffic. Its a nice area.

By: one_bean

one_bean — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:28:04 -0800

Yuck -- I've found the other two beaches at Harriman (Sebago and Welch) to be overcrowded and the water to be too warm and filled with milfoil and other plants. Some of the least pleasant swimming experiences I've had. However, I've never been to Tiorati -- sounds like a totally different experience.

By: roue

roue — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:47:07 -0800

I'm partial to Sunfish Pond in the NJ portion of the Appalachian Trail. There's parking at the trail head (Delaware Water Gap).

By: greatgefilte

greatgefilte — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:12:25 -0800

Second alkupe's suggestion. Tubing was much fun on the Esopus.

By: chickletworks

chickletworks — Tue, 29 May 2007 22:11:33 -0800

Thanks for the advice, everyone! My friends and I are excited for splishy-splashy fun this week.

By: weaponsgradecarp

weaponsgradecarp — Tue, 29 May 2007 22:45:38 -0800

My suggestion (which seems counterintutive, since summer tourists make me really annoyed mostly) is to drive two hours out to the end of LI and swim in the following bodies of water:
>LI Sound
>Peconic Bay
>Richmond Creek

Bonus points if you do a Peconic River canoe trip for an afternoon. Lots of nice scenery, lots of nice wineries, plus you can go to Splish Splash on your way home (grossest water park ever)...email is in my profile if you want more info

By: jstef

jstef — Tue, 29 May 2007 22:53:54 -0800

Hooray! A chance to look at two of my favorite maps! Haven't had much use for them in Colorado!

Harriman on the weekends is CROWDED. But I second the advice of one_bean and invitapriore: Stay on away from Sebago and Welch and hit Tiorati. It's a gorgeous lake. This time of year, the crowds might not be so bad.

Sunfish Pond, near the Delaware Water Gap, is actually in Worthington State Forest in NJ. It's across the Delaware river from, well, Delaware. It's my favorite place in NJ. I actually don't know for sure if swimming is allowed in Sunfish pond, but I know that I swam in it. Maybe roue could comment or you could contact the ranger at 973-841-9575.

Sunfish pond is a glacial lake. It's not 'beachy' like Tiorati and there isn't a ton of space to lay out. It's cold, as I remember, and it's a hike to get there. But pretty, it sure is.

I suggest you explore Worthington as much as possible, and same goes for Harriman. Check out the awesome maps for either place from the NJ Trail Conference. They usually sell these at the ranger station and cost 13 bucks. An investment that will pay off if you decide to explore off the beaten trail. The Forest Service maps are OK, but they don't compare.

By: HotPatatta

HotPatatta — Wed, 30 May 2007 00:22:51 -0800

Your question reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer takes a (toxic) swim in the East River. Hilarious.

By: shothotbot

shothotbot — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:40:39 -0800

Lake Taghkanic state park is clean, and pleasant and not crowded and is about 90 minutes north of the GWB.

By: aberrant

aberrant — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:19:33 -0800

Mohonk Mountain House. No tubing, but the scenery can't be beat, and there's lots of hiking. New Paltz is really nice.