Lake Taghkanic State Park in Gallatin offers 1,569 acres around a glacial lake for swimming and fishing, with a sandy beach, camping, and boat rentals.
Lake Taghkanic spreads across the hills of southern Columbia County: a 168-acre glacial lake ringed by 1,569 acres of park. The water is up to 40 feet deep and cold enough in early June that you ease in rather than dive. It was called Lake Charlotte before the state renamed it, and it's still the reason people come.
Swimming season runs late May through early September, with West Beach taking the summer load now that East Beach has closed.
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