Old Forge Public Beach is the Town of Webb's municipal swimming beach, part of the Town of Webb Lakefront on Lakeview Avenue in the hamlet of Old Forge, Herkimer County. The Town of Webb runs it through its recreation department. The water is Old Forge Pond, the small pond at the head of the Fulton Chain of Lakes, not First Lake itself; First Lake begins just east of the pond through a short channel, and the Old Forge dam on the Middle Branch Moose River sits a few hundred feet north of the sand.

The beach is in the middle of town, off State Route 28 next to the Town of Webb Visitor Information Center at 3140 Route 28. Turn onto Lakeview Avenue and look for the public tennis and pickleball courts; the town says parking and beach access are by those courts and Lakefront Park. Shops, the library and places to eat are a short walk away, so it works well as a stop between other things in Old Forge.

The swim area is a roped section of the pond off a wide sand beach, with buoy lines marking shallow and deep water and a floating dock at the edge of the deep section. Old Forge Pond is shallow overall (about 4 feet on average and roughly 11 feet at its deepest), so the water warms faster than the big lakes up the chain, but at about 1,700 feet of elevation in the Adirondacks it still runs cool early in the season. There is no current to speak of inside the ropes, though boats use the rest of the pond and the channel to First Lake.

Swimming is free. The town lists the beach as open seven days a week from mid-June through Labor Day, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with lifeguards on duty during those hours. Outside the season and outside those hours there is no lifeguard. The posted rules are strict and worth reading before you go: no glass, alcohol, pets, fishing, smoking, vaping or grilling; no rafts, floats, balls, fins or snorkels past the first buoy line; flotation devices must be Coast Guard approved; anyone swimming in the deep end needs a buddy; and children 14 and younger must pass a lifeguard's swim test before using the deep end.

The main things to watch are boat traffic beyond the swim lines, cold water early in summer, and the drop into the deep section, which is why the swim test rule exists. The pond sits just upstream of the dam, so stay well away from the outlet. Conditions change, and the town posts updates on its recreation site and Facebook page.

Next to the beach the lakefront has two tennis courts, four pickleball courts and a public playground with swings, slides, climbing equipment and a beach toy box, all open sunrise to sunset. There is a grassy lawn along the water with benches, and the Visitor Information Center next door has maps and local information.