Surry Mountain Lake Beach
Surry
Canoe, Hike, Kayak, and Swim
Surry Mountain Lake Beach is the day-use swimming area at Surry Mountain Lake, a flood-control reservoir on the Ashuelot River owned and run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps built the earthen dam in 1941 to protect Keene and other towns downstream, and the normal pool it holds back covers about 353 acres in the town of Surry, Cheshire County. The beach sits on the west shore of the main pool, with grassy picnic ground behind the sand and Surry Mountain rising across the water.
From downtown Keene, drive north on NH Route 12A for roughly six miles. The entrance to the Surry Mountain Lake recreation area is on the right, and a park road leads down to a parking lot right behind the beach, so there is no walk to speak of. The Corps runs it as a day-use area only. There is no overnight camping, and visitors are asked to carry their trash back out.
The swim area is a long sandy beach (local coverage puts it at about 600 feet) with a marked area for swimmers. This is a shallow reservoir, averaging around 5 feet deep with a maximum near 14 feet, so the water warms up faster than the deeper lakes in the region. There are no lifeguards; the Corps posts it as a swim-at-your-own-risk facility. Dogs are allowed on leash in the park but not on the beach. Motorboats are permitted on the lake at no-wake speed, and the Corps limits engines to 10 horsepower, so swimmers mostly share the water with paddlers and anglers.
There is no admission charge for the beach. The only fees the Corps lists are for reserving the picnic shelters through Recreation.gov. Park hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Mondays and Tuesdays are walk-in access days, when the office and some amenities may be closed but visitors can still use the park. A Recreation.gov notice also says the flush restrooms are not open and portable toilets are set out instead, so check before counting on the bathhouse.
Water quality is the main thing to watch. The Corps tests the beach weekly and posts advisories when bacteria counts top New Hampshire's swimming standard. In 2026 an advisory ran from July 9 until the beach reopened in mid-August, a stretch the Corps blamed on as many as 40 Canada geese and goslings using the lake. Short closures also happened in 2022 and 2024, usually after heavy rain. Because this is a flood-control reservoir, high water after big storms can also flood parts of the park. Call the project office at (603) 352-4130 or look for posted signs before swimming.
Beyond the beach, the park has picnic tables and grills, three picnic shelters, a playground and a boat ramp sized for small boats, canoes and kayaks. A nature trail runs through the recreation area, and the lake is a warmwater fishery with bass, pickerel, crappie and stocked trout.
More Information
Be courteous, informed, and prepared. Read trailhead guidelines, stay on the trail, and don't feed the wildlife.
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- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel & camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize campfire impacts
- Respect wildlife
- Be considerate of other visitors
Directions
From Surry
- Head southwest on Beacon Ln toward Johnny Bowman Rd (0.8 mi)
- Continue onto Johnny Bowman Rd (1.3 mi)
- Turn left onto Simpson Mill Rd (0.6 mi)
- Turn right onto Turkey Ford Rd (1.2 mi)
- Turn left onto Siloam Rd (4.0 mi)
- Turn right onto Park Dr (0.9 mi)
- Turn left to merge onto I-74 W (7.7 mi)
- Keep right to stay on I-74 W, follow signs for I-77 N/
Wytheville Entering Virginia(5.0 mi) - Continue onto I-77 N (31.9 mi)
- Take exit 32 to merge onto I-81 N toward RoanokePassing through West Virginia, MarylandEntering Pennsylvania(350 mi)
- Slight left to stay on I-81 N (signs for I-78/
Hazleton/ Allentown) (19.1 mi) - Take exit 89 for I-78 E toward Allentown (0.6 mi)
- Continue onto I-78 E (50.3 mi)
- Keep left to stay on I-78 EEntering New Jersey(56.3 mi)
- Take exit 29 to merge onto I-287 N toward US-202 N/
US-206 N/ I-80/ Morristown (39.7 mi) - Keep left to stay on I-287 NEntering New York(8.0 mi)
- Take the I-87 S/
New York State Thruway/ I-287 exit toward Gov Mario M. Cuomo Br/ New York City (0.6 mi) - Merge onto I-87 SToll road(18.0 mi)
- Keep left to continue on I-287 E, follow signs for White Plains/
Rye (7.5 mi) - Take exit 9 S-N toward Hutchinson Pkwy/
Merritt Pkwy (0.4 mi) - Merge onto Westchester Ave (0.2 mi)
- Slight right onto the ramp to Westchester Ave/
North Hutchinson Pkwy/ Merritt Pkwy (0.2 mi) - Merge onto Hutchinson Riv Pkwy NEntering Connecticut(3.1 mi)
- Continue onto CT-15 N (63.1 mi)
- Slight right (1.1 mi)
- Merge onto CT-15 N (0.2 mi)
- Take the exit toward I-91 N (0.1 mi)
- Take the ramp onto I-91 NEntering Massachusetts(46.7 mi)
- Slight left to stay on I-91 N (signs for Greenfield)Entering Vermont(58.1 mi)
- Take exit 3 for US-5/
VT-9 E toward Brattleboro/ Keene N.H (0.2 mi) - Continue onto Chesterfield Rd (266 ft)
- At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto Chesterfield Rd/
Rte 9 E Continue to follow Chesterfield Rd(0.2 mi) - Continue onto NH-9 EEntering New Hampshire(12.8 mi)
- Turn left onto Whitcombs Mill Rd (0.4 mi)
- Turn right onto Arch St (0.6 mi)
- Turn left onto Hurricane Rd (0.2 mi)
- Turn right onto Hastings Ave (0.6 mi)
- Slight right onto Maple Ave (1.3 mi)
- At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto NH-12A N/
W Surry Rd Continue to follow NH-12A N(3.0 mi) - Turn right onto Park Dr (190 ft)
- Turn left to stay on Park DrRestricted usage road(0.2 mi)
- Turn right to stay on Park DrRestricted usage roadDestination will be on the right(0.1 mi)
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