this place is the most dirty beach you can ever find. the grounds are filthy. people come here to be obnoxiously loud and no one respects anyones privacy. the bathrooms are grotesque. the mass population here are hispanics and being white I feel like I'm always gawked at. I'd rather go over the bridge and go to a westchester beach without question if I can't make it to montauk, asbury, or pleasant. read more

Lake Welch - so sad how disgustingly filthy this place is. - Parks Near Me - Stony Point, New York

It's really like a 2.5, but I suppose that rounds up to a 3. When you think of an afternoon on a lake I can pretty much guarantee that you are not envisioning the experience of Lake Welch Beach. We thought we were heading to a sleepy little swimming hole an hour or so outside of the city. We arrived at a very busy and very crowded lake. Be prepared for such things as heavy, heavy crowds, cookouts galore going on (GA-LORE!), some group with a radio blaring every 20-30 feet or so. Not the ideal picture. It was a bit of a shock when we stepped onto the beach. I thought I was in the twilight zone - this was not really where we had come, was it? Honestly, putting all that aside, the water was clean, the bathrooms were clean, our family had a nice time, and it was an easy drive. Undecided if we would make the effort to go back on a weekend again, but I'm curious as to what a mid-week experience would be like. read more

Jeeze, never read reviews before going today with my 3 kids (7,6&5). Glad I didn't. It did feel crowded for these times, but maybe most places do now. The people were nice. Respectful for space on the beach. The water was crowded. It was clean enough. I didn't feel grossed out, some litter on the beach. But mostly cups kids made use of playing in the sand and water. The life guards were on point, blowing whistles and calling for back up for those not complying. (As in hanging on the ropes, being on each others shoulders, entering water that wasn't with life guards etc...) We only went from car to beach, so I can't speak for the facilities. The BBQ area was full, families with families... but we like seeing people enjoy their time together. Kids playing and making friends is always nice. Music wasn't too bothersome. We had a great couple of hours. I am from the Bronx. I do wish people wore masks walking around, we did. Still 4* worthy. read more

nah cause i had a dog and the person you paying to be able to come in said the dog doesn't bother he can come we had him near us and never bother and some white employee said we weren't allowed to bring a dog and we told him they said we could and he didn't care he said 15 min he had to be gone and we saw many other people that he did not say anything to them feel like he was being a boy racist but the beach is overall good read more

Great park to go hiking in the area. Perfect little lake for kids to play. I don't recommend on weekends bc it gets overcrowded but weekdays are chill. read more

I hd a pretty good time here on a cloudy late summer Sunday, but the park rangers are a bit too vigilant on the alcohol restrictions. We escaped scrutiny because we were with some kids, but our neighbors weren't so lucky. I'd imagine a sunnier weekend day would bring heavier crowds. Another negative is the parking fee. Its proximity to most of Rockland is really its only strong suit. read more

Love it as always! Beautiful place to spend the day relaxing with family. The employees drive up to you to offer garage bags. They have a food/snack bar the food is awesome! read more

Lake Welch - Parks Near Me - Stony Point, New York

It was very crowded,there was trash in the parking lot. And it was my first time there. I didn't really like it.

Decent. Arrived at noon on a Sunday in July after a rainy weekend and parked with no issue. $10/car. Beach is very expansive and crowded but it's still a good, easy, and fun experience. Was having a great time till the group next to us started lighting up "illegal substances" and the smell ruined our experience, so we left earlier than planned. read more

This place has potential, but desperately needs attention. The grounds where the picnic tables and grills are placed is extremely neglected and covered in litter. The beach is nice and seems clean as well as the water. The beach is a great large size, plenty of room to spread out but it seems that there are never enough life guards on duty for the amount of people present during peak days to swim. There is usually always a majority of the water closed off. The state needs to take action and fund more money towards renovations and clean up at lake Welch. I think this lake could prosper if more funding and attention was given to the park. read more

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The worst! Never in my life have I seen a beach this bad. It was exactly how my boyfriend said it, "They brought Brooklyn/NYC to this beach." I was expecting to be at a quiet, relaxing beach. However, it was extremely overcrowded! The place was dirty, hundreds of families BBQ-ing everywhere, and limited water for us to play in. We literally couldn't swim anywhere in the water because there were so many people in the water. I don't understand why they restricted other parts of the lake. Ridiculous. And not to mention, the lifeguards aren't doing their job -- I saw kids trying to pull dangerous tricks in the water. Thank goodness, we only stayed there for an hour. I felt disgusting being in the water for a few minutes. read more

I've been going here for years. Yes it can get crowded. Reserve your spot early. But it has everything in one location. Water is usually good. Lifeguards usually open another section when it's too crowded. Great food. Chicken & Fries are delish if you don't want 2 bbq. I seen a lot more cleaning up. Garbage cans repeatedly emptied. $8 parking fee. Cash. read more

This place is loud, crowded and a bit dirty. There was human feces floating in the lake water. Nice for families who don't mind the noise

After reading all the reviews I thought that the lake was going to be super dirty lol. Glad it wasn't. Sunday before Memorial Day and it was great. The little stand they have has food & beer. We bought French fries until the BBQ was done. They were good. $3.00 a small batch. Not bad a little pricey but its understandable. we didn't go in the water. Sand was clean no trash picnic area was clean we had a trash bag easy access to toss our trash not really bad at all I usually go to sabego but we did lake welch and it was a great day. Enjoy and please be courteous clean up after yourselves read more

Lake Welch - Fun in the sun - Parks Near Me - Stony Point, New York

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Nice Monday thru Friday but don't go on weekends in the summer because there are bus loads of people and crazy busy

Lake Welch was always a wonderful childhood experience for me and my family. However, now it's a filthy crowded mess. People hog up all the tables and claim their spots as if they own it! They leave chicken bones and other garbage all over the grounds. The beach is disgusting and filled with floating who knows what; makes you wonder what else is lurking in the water. Honestly, I'm all for ppl/families who come up for a day of fresh air and fun but come on, clean up after yourselves. I think the park should also charge a clean-up fee per car/van/suv/truck load during the busy summer months. This way the park can hire more people/out for summer teens and pay them to clean-up. The great thing about Lake Welch is that it's NOT the only lake. Between Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain, one can find many beautiful spots to enjoy swimming, hiking, fishing, bbq, etc but make sure you have a map. read more

During the week, this place is a quick get away for those living in the area...quiet, lots of room, tractor rolling around cleaning the sand. Then Saturday rolls in and OH MY! Loud music, trash on the beach, kids peeing on the sand( yes,in front of my towel) and as you say something about said kid peeing- the parents turn away as if they don't hear you. Dogs in the water( not allowed) and thousands of people bunched together because there are not enough lifeguards. You will here a whistle every 15 seconds, really!?, they are in 3 feet of water! You may also encounter groups of people getting baptized with music and chanting...they had their own state lifeguard who would not let others in the water...What!? I won't mention the lighter fluid and charcoal fumes, smokers, and just loud, screaming people. They are ruining this place. read more

It is a great place. The lake is very clean, the sand was nice and clean. Plenty of parking space, restrooms and lockers. It costs 10$ for a car, which is a very reasonable price. It wasn't crowded, however the food at the snack bar is not in the Hughes quality I have every eaten to say the least. read more

We saw it driving down highway and really happy to know there's a beach and water so close to Nyack and Piermont.. Was pleasantly surprised by the beach and water. Met our expectations and will be back!!!:) read more

Been going here for 20+ years. Off season, I find it peaceful and enjoy taking my dogs there. Yesterday, I was walking along the waters edge with my puppy and for the first time EVER, I was told, "no dogs allowed on the beach" ?!?!?!? REALLY?!? 20+ years of taking my dogs hiking there, and have seen other dogs there and rangers..I've never been told no dogs. Also, no signs anywhere. There was debris all over the beach, but my pup was an issue? It's OFF SEASON for God's sake! 20+ years...sad! read more

Lake Welch is okay, because the bad part is that u can't do any flips in the water and there's a border the fun part is that you could eat and play games. read more

The beach itself is very nice, but the picnic area gets filled to the brim with people. If you're planning on having a picnic/BBQ, then make sure you rise before the birds because you'll need to get there VERY early to find a picnic table. They get taken up quicker than quick. You see people taking up 4 and 5 tables at a time for their party of 40+. I live in Northern Westchester county, about 20 minutes away, and as another reviewer mentioned, most of the beach goers nowadays are probably city folks making the drive north. I was just there yesterday. I arrived at 10AM and to no surprise, the picnic tables were ALL taken up. We had to leave and go to a local park for our BBQ after I had already paid the parking fee. After the BBQ, we returned to relax on the sand and enjoy the water. I'll be damned if I was gonna let my 8 bucks go to waste! read more

Would go there every summer. It's a lake so it's not salty and also cleaner than typical beaches. Also nice scenery makes it more relaxing. Well it is a beach and especially in summer time, so you would expect a lot of BBQers, and big family gatherings, which makes it more fun I think, but everyone has their own opinion. read more

can't speak for these days...but it was the best place for teens in the 60's! Lots of fond memories, sunburns, and freckles from there!

I have many wonderful childhood memories camping at Lake Welch from age 4-17. We spent the entire summer every there every year and never wanted to leave! So maybe the park has to do some cleaning, but so do the guests! read more

I live in north jersey and the closest lake to me is Hopatcong...after going there on a Friday afternoon with my family we loved it...nice, clean, and quiet. we decided to return on a Sunday thinking we would have the same experience, as we are driving up to the park we see that the entrance is closed off by police officers and we soon learn that the park is full to capacity...at 12PM ??? I was baffled lol...so the next best thing was to search for a new spot, I had heard about lake welch but never been...we drove for about 30/40 min and when we got there ohhhh boy was this placed PACKED...I could barely hear my own thoughts with all the noise going on...parking was impossible, there were no picnic areas available so we had to set up our own little spot on the side of the parking lot, which was fine but uncomfortable. as to the actual beach, I loved the water and the sand. it was crowded but I chose to make the best of it. I would definitely go again but on a week day. read more

Aweful beach. I was there for the first time on a weekday recently and it was literally cramped as heck. There were so many people especially kids in the water and only a tiny portion was sectioned off for swimming. I could not believe it. I was getting kinda pissed off sitting there because it was ridiculous how crowded the water was. You can stand anywhere in the water and just reach out and touch someone. The section was entirely roped off so if you wanted to swim further out, you can forget about it. There was also a weird stench that I couldn't figure out. Was it BO, or the sand or the water? Well no matter cuz I won't be back. read more

I completely agree with you Laura. I DO NOT like Lake Welch at all. Next time drive in the opposite direction and go to Lake Tiorati. It's also in Harriman State Park. It's smaller, clean and more diverse. We were one of two Hispanic families, couple of White families and one Black family. A few couples. The water is clean and warm. No food available other than soda vending and snack vending machine so bring some sandwiches and it'll be a more enjoyable time. read more

This was probably the dumbest excursion of my life. Never in all of my existence have I ever been to a lake with A. Rules and B. Stupid Rules. As someone from the Northwest, I have always been under the impression that lakes are for boating, fishing AND SWIMMING.... but apparently in New York.... they are not. Maybe its because of the massive amounts of people, or maybe its because the life guard staff would rather sit in their white shack and flirt with each other than actually life guard, so that people can swim in a more than a 40 yard radius. Granted I went on a Saturday, but 3 out of 10 life guard stands were being utilized.... ON A SATURDAY ....in the summer, meaning that the remaining "open and available water"... could not be touched. If you even put your toes in... you get the whistle. I don't know. All I wanted was to open water swim to prep for my upcoming sprint triathlon and have come to learn that that is not possible in the New York area. Good lord, was this a stupid trip. I understand that there are a lot of people that go out to lakes on a Saturday, but is it really necessary to keep them confined? And why are people ok with that? Also the deepest you were allowed to wade was waist deep, so you really have to be an idiot to even remotely drown. The only saving grace were my two lovely lady friends cracking jokes and making the best of something really dumb. 7 thousand thumbs down to Lake Welch. We may as well have stayed in the city and sweated. Get the eff out of NY if you want some real nature..... read more

Well, as for Michael O. who posted before, you might want to ask yourself why "some people" tend to be ghetto? "They" certainly weren't born that way and if they were raised ghetto again, why? The answer is a deteriorating NYC education system designed to keep "certain people" ghetto so, it's not completely our fault. As for the loud music, well that's not ghetto, that's just culture. However, I do agree it does interfere with folks trying to enjoy the serenity of nature and perhaps a music policy should be enforced to keep it to a decent volume. The overpricing solution to keep "certain people" out is unrealistic as it is a public park. Suburban policies to restrict outsiders may work in private institutions but not public ones. Despite the annoyance of loud music, no "ghetto persons" spoke or did anything negative to me and no fights broke out either and peace was maintained. So I had a good time. Generally, people go with the intent of having fun and relaxing. If there is conflict with people's differences, compromise and communication is a more effective solution. 3.5 stars would be my rating but I rounded off to 4. read more