Blue Mountain Lake Public Beach is the town swimming beach on the east shore of Blue Mountain Lake, a 1,334-acre lake in the central Adirondacks of Hamilton County. It sits in the small hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake, which belongs to the Town of Indian Lake, and the town lists the beach among its own departments alongside Chain Lakes Beach and Byron Park. At roughly 1,790 feet above sea level, the lake is one of the highest in the Adirondacks with a public beach, and the view west takes in a scatter of wooded islands with Blue Mountain rising behind the hamlet.

The beach is on NYS Route 28, about a quarter mile from the Route 28 and Route 30 intersection in the middle of the hamlet, heading toward Raquette Lake. Look for it across the road from the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, beside the hamlet's fire station. Parking is limited to what fits along this short stretch of shoreline, so on a hot July weekend you may have to park a little way off and walk in. The same spot doubles as the lake's only public boat launch, a shallow shoreline put-in where canoes and kayaks are carried roughly 100 feet over grass and sand.

The swim area is small and roped off, with a swimming dock and a strip of sand and grass to spread out on. Red Cross certified lifeguards are on duty in summer from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, according to Hamilton County's tourism office. There are changing rooms and restrooms at the beach, plus more public restrooms across the street. Neither the town nor the county lists an admission or parking fee. Because the lake sits so high, the water tends to stay cool well into summer, and the open lake beyond the ropes is deep, averaging about 46 feet and reaching around 100 feet in places.

Swim only inside the ropes and during guarded hours if you have children with you, since nobody is watching the water before 11 a.m., after 5 p.m. or outside the summer season. Blue Mountain Lake is a big lake shared with motorboats, and wind can kick up a real chop quickly, which matters for anyone paddling out from the launch. Much of the shoreline and many of the islands are private property, so do not plan on landing just anywhere. Hours and staffing can change from year to year; the town lists a beach phone number, 518-352-7768, for current information.

The hamlet is compact enough to make a day of it on foot. The arts center across the road runs exhibits, workshops and summer performances, and a taproom and a couple of shops are a short walk up Route 30. The Adirondack Experience museum is just outside the hamlet, and Lake Durant, a state campground, is a few minutes east on Route 28. Paddlers can follow the lake south to Eagle Lake and Utowana Lake, or stop near Castle Rock for a short hike up to a rock outcrop that looks out over the lake.

Summit Lake County Park is a small day-use park run by the Langlade County Forestry, Parks and Recreation Department on the east shore of Summit Lake, in the unincorporated community of Summit Lake in northern Langlade County. The park's sandy beach is the public swimming spot on the lake. Summit Lake covers 279 acres and reaches 29 feet at its deepest point. It is a drainage lake, and its water has the tea-brown, tannin-stained color common to northern Wisconsin lakes, which the county's tourism office describes as root beer colored. The lake takes its name from its high elevation, roughly 1,690 feet above sea level.

The park sits right off U.S. Highway 45, about 20 miles north of Antigo and 5 miles south of Elcho, on the west side of the highway as it passes through Summit Lake. Parking is in the park's designated lot, and county rules require every motor vehicle to stay in that lot. The walk from the car to the sand is short, and the county lists ADA accessible pathways among the park's features. Summit Lake's paved public boat landing is a separate site on Forest Road at the southwest corner of the lake, about half a mile away by water, so trailers should head there rather than to the beach.

The swim area is marked off with ropes and buoys in front of the beach. The bottom is sand and drops off gradually, which is why the county promotes the lake as a good choice for families with small children. There is no lifeguard on duty at any time, and the county's posted rule is that you swim at your own risk. Fishing is not allowed inside the roped swim area, and smoking is not allowed on the beach. The county does not publish water temperatures or a set swim season, and the lake freezes over in winter.

Entry is free. The county's park policy states there is no charge for entering the park, and there is no day-use or parking fee for the beach. Park hours are 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. The one paid item is the open-air pavilion, which has electricity, a grill and six to eight picnic tables. It can be used first come, first served, or reserved for $75 per day by calling the department at 715-627-6300. A shelter marked with a yellow reserve tag is off limits to anyone without the booking.

Several rules here are stricter than at many beaches. Pets are banned from the entire park, not only the beach, including the picnic areas, pavilion, playground and restrooms. Overnight camping is not permitted, fireworks and firearms are prohibited, and fires are allowed only in a designated fire pit or a park grill. Grills are allowed but you need to bring your own. With no lifeguard, adults need to watch children in the water themselves, and swimmers should keep inside the buoys because boats and anglers use the rest of the lake. Read the signs at the beach for any closure or water quality advisory before going in.

Besides the beach, the park has picnic areas, vault restrooms, changing rooms, a playground and an ATV and UTV trail access point with its own parking. The lake holds musky, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish, and shore fishing is allowed outside the swim area with a Wisconsin license. In winter the park serves as a snowmobile trail access and parking area, and anglers use it to reach the ice.

Freeman Lake Beach is the public swimming beach on Freeman Lake in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts. It sits on the edge of Varney Playground, and the Town of Chelmsford lists the two together as Varney Playground/Freeman Lake Beach. Freeman Lake, shown on older maps as Newfield Pond, is a dammed pond beside Route 40 a few blocks west of Vinal Square. It took its current name in 1986 in honor of Bruce Freeman, who paid to rebuild the dam after it failed in 1970 and drained the pond. The beach itself is a short strip of sand on the north shore, with the playground, courts and ball field right behind it.

The park is at Adams Street and Sherman Street. From Vinal Square, where Route 3A meets Route 40, follow Newfield Street or Adams Street south a couple of blocks to the water. There is a small lot at the end of Adams Street beside the courts. A local family guide reports that some of those spaces are held for Chelmsford residents, and there is more parking on the surrounding streets. This is a quiet residential neighborhood, so keep driveways clear. LRTA buses stop at Vinal Square and at the Chelmsford Senior Center, both a short walk away.

Swimming is allowed only in the designated area off the beach. The town stopped posting lifeguards on June 29, 2024, and its beach page says there are no lifeguards and visitors swim at their own risk, so keep a close eye on children. The bath house is closed, and portable toilets are set up from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Canoes, kayaks and other small boats can be hand launched from the beach. Motorized boats are banned on the lake, which keeps the water by the beach calm.

Admission is free. The park is open from dawn to dusk to residents and non-residents alike, with no beach sticker or day pass. Town rules prohibit fishing from the beach, grills, cooking or open flames of any kind, alcohol, smoking and glass bottles, and ask visitors not to feed the ducks or geese. Dogs are allowed on a leash, and owners must clean up after them. Commercial use needs written approval from the town, and camps and other large groups are strongly discouraged.

The Chelmsford Health Department tests the water for E. coli each week from Memorial Day through Labor Day. It closes the beach to all water activities when a sample goes over 235 per 100 ml, or for harmful algal blooms, heavy animal waste, or weeds thick enough to make wading dangerous. Freeman Lake tends to test higher than the town's other beach at Heart Pond. The lake has closed for bacteria in past summers, including 2016 and twice in July 2020, and officials have blamed the geese. Testing can't be done within 24 hours of rain, so a closure that starts before a storm can drag on. Check the town's beach status page or call the Health Department at 978-250-5241 before you go.

Varney Playground was renovated in recent years and now has a modern play structure and swings, along with a basketball court, tennis courts and a baseball diamond. The town schedules the field through the School Department. The MacKay Branch Library is a few minutes' walk away on Newfield Street, and the Chelmsford Senior Center also sits on the lake.

Dexter Beach is the City of Crescent City's swimming area on Lake Stella, the smaller of the two lakes that frame this Putnam County town. The beach sits inside Thomas A. Dexter Bicentennial Park, a narrow strip of city parkland along Grand Rondo East on the lake's eastern shore that also goes by the name Lake Stella Park. A 1973 marker at the site records its dedication as Florida's first bicentennial park, named for Thomas A. Dexter. The city's Parks and Recreation page lists Dexter Beach at 325 E. Grand Rondo with picnic tables and a Lake Stella swimming area.

Crescent City lies on US 17 roughly 20 miles south of Palatka. From US 17 (Summit Street) downtown, head west a few blocks on Central Avenue to Grand Rondo East, which runs right along the lakeshore. The beach and playground are at the north end of the park strip, roughly a tenth of a mile south of Palmetto Avenue. Parking is along the roadside pull-offs and the small lot by the park. The public boat ramp, gazebo and dock are at the south end of the same strip where Central Avenue meets the water.

The swim area is a small sand beach with a short floating pier next to a playground. Lake Stella is a small, sheltered lake with marshy edges, so the water is usually calm, with no current to speak of, and it warms into the 80s F through a Florida summer. The city posts no depth or bottom information, so wade in and check before swimming, and watch for vegetation beyond the sand. The city does not list lifeguards for the beach; the one time a guarded swim area was advertised here was during a one-day Putnam County Sheriff's Office paddling event in June 2023. Swim at your own risk and keep children within reach.

There is no entry fee. The city's park rules set the same hours for all city parks: 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. from April through September, and 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from October through March, unless a special events permit says otherwise. The city code allows use of boat ramps, docks and shorelines outside those hours only for boating and fishing.

Lake Stella is a Florida freshwater lake, and alligators can turn up anywhere in it. Do not swim at dusk or after dark, keep pets out of the water, and leave the area if you see a large gator nearby. The Florida Department of Health in Putnam County has issued blue-green algae alerts for nearby Crescent Lake, including the Sunrise boat ramp a few blocks east of this beach. Stay out of water that looks green, scummy or smells off, and check the county health alert page before a summer visit.

The rest of the park strip has a gazebo, picnic spots and the public boat ramp, and the city has used the gazebo for sunset concerts. Kayaks and canoes can launch from the ramp to explore the lake's coves and marsh edges, where wading birds, wood ducks and the occasional bald eagle turn up. The Crescent City Historic District, with more than 200 late 19th and early 20th century buildings, starts just east of the lake, and Crescent Lake's waterfront parks are a short drive across town.

Ashfield Lake is a town-owned pond near the center of Ashfield, a hilltown in western Franklin County, Massachusetts. The town's rules call it Great Pond, and its swimming beach is part of Belding Memorial Park. Milo and Annie Kirk Belding gave the land to Ashfield for $1 in 1928. An earthen dam at the southeast corner holds the lake back. The present dam dates to about 1897 and was rebuilt in 2022. Water leaves over the spillway into the South River, which flows on through Conway toward the Deerfield River.

The park sits on Main Street (Route 116), a short way east of the Route 112 junction and within walking distance of the village. The beach is at the southeast end of the lake, next to the tennis courts. It has its own small lot, and there is overflow parking across Main Street. A separate drive off Route 116 leads to the boat ramp and the upper picnic area. Parking is tight on summer weekends, and the town has asked visitors not to park along the road. Arrive early or come on a weekday.

The swim area is marked with buoys, and a dock is popular for diving. Beach season starts Memorial Day weekend. Lifeguards work weekends at first and then every day once school lets out. Guards watch only the swimmers inside the buoys, so anyone who wants to swim farther out should go in outside the roped area. Inflatables, noodles and boats must launch from the boat ramp and stay out of the buoyed area. Life jackets are allowed inside the buoys when a parent or guardian supervises. The beach has restrooms and a floating wheelchair, but you need to bring your own helper because guards on duty can't assist with it. When thunder is heard, guards clear the water until 30 minutes after the last rumble.

Swimming is free. The town lists no admission or parking fee. In July 2022 the Select Board and Parks Commission confirmed the beach is open to anyone, not just Ashfield residents, after a few residents argued the 1928 deed limited it to townspeople. Some older guides still say the beach is residents-only. That is out of date. The park's 2023 rules are headed "Where all are Welcome." Smoking, vaping, alcohol and glass are banned in the park. Dogs must be leashed and are not allowed on the beach, except service dogs. Fishing from the beach and the dock is prohibited.

The town has the water tested during the season. In August 2020 the beach closed for a week after a sample showed 608 E. coli colony-forming units per 100 milliliters, well above the state swimming limit of 235. It reopened once a retest came back clean. The town health agent said heavy rain after a dry spell washes sediment into the lake and can push bacteria up. The town has also checked the lake for blue-green algae. After a big storm, look for posted notices at the beach before you swim. The lake sits at about 1,250 feet, so expect cool water early in the season.

Beyond the beach, the park has picnic tables and grills both above the beach and in the upper park. Fires are allowed only in those grills. Canoes and kayaks put in at the boat ramp, and motors on the lake are limited to 5 horsepower, so the water stays quiet. Overnight parking and camping are not allowed. Ashfield residents get first priority for group reservations, which go through the Parks Commission.