Lake Taghkanic State Park is a 1,569-acre New York State park in southern Columbia County, run by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (Taconic Region). It sits on the line between the towns of Gallatin and Taghkanic, right beside the Taconic State Parkway, and its mailing address is 1528 Route 82, Ancram. The park was built around Lake Taghkanic, a 168-acre lake about 1.5 miles long, and the public swim area is West Beach, a sand beach on the lake's west shore next to the park office and the stone bathhouse. The land was donated to the state in 1929, and a Civilian Conservation Corps crew built the original beach, bathhouse, water tower and cabins in the 1930s.

Getting there is easy from the Taconic State Parkway, which has its own entrance into the park near the Route 82 (Hudson/Ancram) interchange. That parkway entrance is for cars only. Campers, trailers, buses and commercial vehicles have to use the Route 82 entrance instead. West Beach has its own parking lot just west of the sand, so the walk from the car to the water is short. The park opens year round from 8 am to sunset.

The beach itself is wide and sandy, with lifeguards on duty during posted hours. The lake averages about 19 feet deep and reaches roughly 40 feet at its deepest, so the water gets deep quickly once you leave the shallows. It's a still lake with no current, and the water is usually clear and calm. For 2026 the state listed West Beach as open from May 23 to June 28 on weekends and holidays (including Memorial Day and Juneteenth) from 10 am to 7 pm, then daily from June 29 to September 7, 10 am to 6 pm. Those are the only dates and hours with lifeguards, so plan a swim inside that window. The bathhouse has showers, and a snack and souvenir stand serves food in season.

This is not a free beach in summer. The park charges a $10 vehicle entrance fee, collected on weekends and holidays from late May to late June and every day from June 29 through September 7. Outside those collection dates the park is free to enter, though the beach is closed to swimming then. The New York State Empire Pass ($80) covers the vehicle fee for the whole season. Older guides list an $8 fee, which is out of date.

A few things to know before you go. The park's older East Beach is closed, and West Beach is the only place swimming is allowed. Pets are not allowed on the beach, in the playgrounds or in the picnic areas. State Parks posts beach water quality results on the park's page, and a state park beach can be closed to swimming for a day after a poor sample, so check that page or call the park office at (518) 851-3631 if you're driving a long way.

There's plenty to do besides swimming. The boat shop rents rowboats, paddleboats and kayaks, and there are boat launches if you bring your own (a weekly or season boat permit is required). About eight miles of trails circle the lake and the surrounding woods, and the park also has a disc golf course, playgrounds on both the west and east sides of the lake, sports fields, picnic areas and a rentable pavilion. For overnight stays there are tent and trailer campsites, cabins and cottages with porches facing the water, open from mid-May to late October and booked through Reserve America.