Colgate Lake
At a Glance
- Area: Colgate Lake Wild Forest
- Fee: None (no gate or attendant here)
- Cell service: Spotty. Download your trail map before you go.
What You're Actually Going to See
Colgate Lake is the low-key alternative to North-South Lake, closer to the shop and a fraction of the crowd. It's a small, hand-carry-only lake under the Windham Blackhead Range, and people genuinely swim here on a hot day, along with fishing and paddling, just off a raw, natural shoreline rather than a groomed beach. There's no lifeguard and no sand, so it's swim-at-your-own-judgment, not the supervised, sandy setup at North-South Lake, bring your own gear either way, nothing to rent on site.
There are some first-come, first-served primitive campsites near the main lot, plus one built to be wheelchair accessible near the smaller Accessible lot further down the road, with its own privy and fire ring. There's also a wheelchair-accessible fishing/viewing platform near the Accessible lot, on the other side of the road from the campsite, not right next to it.
Further down Colgate Road, past the lake lots, the yellow-marked Colgate Lake Trail runs just over 4 miles to Dutcher Notch, where it meets the Escarpment Trail — a long walk more than a hard one, mostly flat with minimal elevation gain, and a genuinely different undertaking than a lake day for anyone who wants to turn the trip into a real hike. Most people don't push all the way to the Notch, there's no obligation to, turn around whenever you've had enough.
Ways to Get There
Colgate Lake (Lower parking lot)
Short walk from parking · easy · however long you stay
From Route 23A in Tannersville, turn onto County Route 23C toward East Jewett, then turn onto Colgate Road (County Route 78). The Lower parking lot is the first one you'll reach — it's the main lot for the lake itself and the primitive campsites nearby. About 9 minutes / 4.8 miles from the shop.
A smaller Accessible parking lot sits a short distance further down Colgate Road, closer to the wheelchair-accessible campsite and fishing/viewing platform. Get Directions →
Colgate Lake Trail to Dutcher Notch (Trail Head parking lot)
~8+ miles round trip to Dutcher Notch (many turn around before reaching it) · moderate, long but not steep
Further still down Colgate Road, past both lake lots — this is the trailhead for the Colgate Lake Trail into the Windham Blackhead Range, not lake access. Small lot, room for about 8-10 cars. Heading for Dutcher Notch? Keep going past the lake lots to this Trail Head lot, parking at the lake lots puts you in the wrong spot for this trail.
Get Directions → · View on AllTrails → (heads up: AllTrails' tracked route continues past Dutcher Notch to Round Top and back, 12 mi total — the ~8-mile round-trip figure above is just to the Notch, per NYSDEC)
What to Expect
For the lake: water shoes or sandals that can handle a natural, rocky-in-spots shoreline, since there's no groomed beach here. If you're paddling, bring your own hand-carry boat, no motors allowed and nothing to rent on site.
For the trail to Dutcher Notch: it's mostly flat, but it's real mileage, not a lakeside stroll, and once you're a couple miles in you're genuinely in the woods. Waterproof boots and trekking poles are worth having over that kind of distance.
This is real backcountry, not a well-trafficked, hard-to-lose loop like Boulder Rock, so we'd point people to a real physical map here, not just a phone screen. AllTrails is a great tool for finding a route, but the track isn't always precise, even on popular trails — the NY-NJ Trail Conference Catskill Trails Map is the more exact reference (printed on Tyvek, waterproof and tear-resistant), and we carry it. Stop in before you go if you want help reading the route off the real thing.
From the shop
When to Go
Quieter than North-South Lake most of the year, but it's still a popular fishing and paddling spot, so early is still the better call on summer weekends. No official swim season or fee schedule to post here, unlike North-South Lake's managed beaches, this is a no-facility access point with no lifeguard hours to work around.
Good to Know
- Free, no fee or gate, and no on-site staff, not a developed day-use area like North-South Lake, no facilities beyond what's described here.
- No lifeguards, no sandy beach. This is a natural shoreline, swim at your own judgment.
- No motorboats. Hand-carry boats only, and New York's statewide Clean, Drain, Dry rule applies here like any DEC launch, rinse mud, plants, and debris off your boat and gear before launching and before you leave.
- Primitive camping is first-come, first-served: 6 sites (one wheelchair-accessible), with a permit required for stays past 3 nights or groups of 10+.
- No restrooms or running water on site. Pack out what you bring in.
- This is black bear country. Don't leave food or coolers unattended.
- Wrong for: anyone wanting a lifeguarded beach with sand and amenities, that's North-South Lake, not here.
While you're out here
North-South Lake is about 15 minutes away if you want the fuller day-use setup (trails, beaches and boat rentals).
If you want to know what else is worth seeing while you're up here, or want to talk through what to bring before you go, stop into the shop. We're a few miles down the road in Tannersville.