My hiking guide to Onteora Lake is super popular. But most of the people who visit Onteora Lake never set foot on the trails, they are there to enjoy the lake! If I want to cool down on a summer day, I will head to the lake and get on my stand-up paddle board. This summer-themed guide to Onteora Lake swimming will help you make the most out of the lake.
Need to Know
Three things: Poison ivy, lake snakes, and crowds.
While Hudson Valley locals guard their favorite Hudson Valley swimming holes from the vacation rental crowds who all too often trash their favorite wild swim spots, Lake Onteora is no secret.
Being halfway between Kingston and Woodstock it draw crowds from both cities.
I’m talking there is no place to park and you cannot even sit at the lakeshore because people have been parked there all day kind of crowds.
Just so you are prepared.
The crowds are most of what keeps me away from Onteora Lake in summer. I don’t want to drive out there if I can’t park. The lower parking lot has maybe 10 spaces, but people get desperate and park along the road, which is narrow enough as it is.
Lake snakes are the other dealbreaker for me. I saw them on the one and only time I went actually swimming at Onteora Lake.
Snakes on a trail are fine. Sure, they startle me but I can get out of the way. Snakes in the lake that surprise me, that I can’t see in the muddy brown water – thank you, no.
This brings us to poison ivy. If you are super sensitive like I am pay close attention to the lake shorelines. Poison ivy grows very close to the trails and beach areas so just make sure you’re not putting your towel down there.
This is a photo of poison ivy, in case you do not know what it looks like. It is everywhere at Onteora! Please, wash yourself with Tecnu if you think you came into contact with it.
If this sounds like I don’t enjoy Onteora in the summer – that’s not true.
I don’t like crowds, and so I try to avoid it during peak times. That’s weekends.
I don’t kayak at Onteora Lake. One, my kayak is heavy and lugging it to the shore is a challenge. Two, the lake it too small. If I’m going to schlep my kayak somewhere, I want a long paddle – 3 to 6 miles. I shared some of my favorite Hudson Valley paddles if you, too, prefer longer kayak trips.
But I do use my stand up paddle board at Onteora.
Lake Onteora SUP Guide
While I don’t kayak or swim in the lake, you do you. The guide below is written based on my SUP experience there but you can follow the same general instructions for swimming, kayaking, or even canoeing!
Whatever your preferred water sport, you’ll pretty much be guaranteed to have the far end of the lake to yourself. On my most recent paddle, it was me and one open water swimmer.
Onteora Lake has no changing facilities. There is a porta potty if you have to go, but I wouldn’t use it to change. Get your swimsuit on before you head to the lake.
I can carry my paddleboard to the shore line and put in without exposing myself to the poison ivy or the crowds.
The lake is kind of annoying right by the beach area, but go to the far end and it is extremely peaceful and filled with wildlife – just a 15 minute drive from Kingston. A few minutes of lazy paddling and all I can hear are the sound of voices in the distance.
Once I’m out on the quiet part of the lake, there’s only me and nature.
So much nature.
On my most recent SUP, I saw beavers slapping the water with their tails, swimming back and forth. I saw turtles tucked up on mossy banks and exposed logs. I saw multicolored dragonflies everywhere I looked. Fish jumping in the air. I could go on, but you get the point.
Lake Onteora is about a mile and a quarter to circumnavigate. That took me 43 minutes on my last paddle, with a 1.29 mile per Runkeeper. I paused a few times to take videos of beavers.
You might be able to stretch that distance out if you get super close to shore, but not by much. Point being, some days we want a lazy outdoor activity where we don’t have to work too hard and we can still enjoy nature, and that’s Onteora.
When you finish your paddle, you can enjoy a picnic at the picnic area.
There are a couple of picnic tables set near the lake. These may be taken by people fishing on Onteora Lake or families enjoying the lake, but I’ve had good luck getting a picnic table when I go.
Or you can head off on one of those trails (I’d be surprised if you saw more than 5 people) and keep your eyes peeled for blueberries! Onteora Lake trails are shaded, and they tend to stay pretty cool during the summer.
Did you enjoy this post? Check out other Hudson Valley Day trips to make the most of your stay!
