(Bob Barnett/ The New Pine Plains Herald)
Public swimming across the cool clean waters of Stissing Lake is coming back this summer.
The town of Pine Plains is moving forward with a plan to create a swim-at-your-own-risk access point, just north of the town beach. There will also be a walkable path from the beach parking lot down to the water, and possibly a place to rent and keep kayaks.
“We’re still in the planning process, but we just need a fence, and a little grooming of the property, to make it look nicer and easier to access,” said Town Supervisor Brian Walsh.
There has always been access to the lake from the public beach, but it comes with limitations. It’s cordoned off, preventing swimmers from venturing too far without being called back by a lifeguard. Floats are prohibited. Dogs are not allowed. And when there’s no lifeguard on duty, there’s no swimming.
For years, residents looking for a more relaxed experience entered the lake from an unofficial point on the south side. It wasn’t sandy — pebbles could sting your feet, and swimmers often had to wade through reeds before reaching open water — but it offered freedom. Locals would dip in for quick swims in the morning, on lunch breaks, or after work. Serious swimmers, some with personal buoys for safety, wade in then swam the length of the lake. Families brought their dogs and kids. Kayakers parked along Lake Road and launched from the shore.
The spot became known well beyond Pine Plains. Visitors came from Stanford, Millerton, and even Poughkeepsie. Many assumed it was town land — especially given the sign affixed to a tree outlining lake rules.
But it wasn’t.
In 2022, the owners of the property, Jim and Pat Murphy, subdivided the parcel. The following year, they sold a portion of it — including the rocky entry point to the lake — to Padraic and Beth Boyle, who live in Larchmont.
The Boyles had fallen in love with the region while staying at a friend’s cabin in Ancram. They kayaked Stissing Lake, climbed Stissing Mountain, and began thinking seriously about retiring in the area. They eventually purchased seven acres of mostly wetland — including two acres on the lake itself — and began laying the foundation for a new home, scheduled for completion this summer. They often camp on the site, sometimes with their four adult children in a yurt.
The old “swimming hole” on the south side of Stissing Lake. (Bob Barnett/ The New Pine Plains Herald)
“We’re up every other weekend,” said Padraic Boyle. “We love the area, the birds, the wildlife, the people. It’s my happy place.”
Their land includes the spot everyone used to go swimming. That brings legal liability.
“It’s eroded, and easy to slip and fall, crack your head,” said Boyle. He’s seen a dad drop his kid off to swim alone and take a walk. As the property owners, the Boyles might be responsible for accidents. “We live in a litigious society,” he said. “My friends who are lawyers told me, ‘You’ve got to shut that down.’”
Last summer, the Boyles posted a “private property” sign by the lakefront. It was moved across the road — and eventually disappeared. Boyle said he’s granted permission to a few swimmers and kayakers on a case-by-case basis.
“She’s asked, so I said yes,” he said of one woman who wanted to help her dog, who couldn’t use its hind legs, float in the water.
But he encourages people with kayaks or canoes to use the town’s boat launch. “I feel like the bad guy saying you can’t do this anymore, but we have to wean people away from using this spot,” he said, adding that he hopes to install a dock eventually.
Gail Mellow, chair of the town’s Conservation Advisory Council (CAC), said she understands the community’s sense of loss.
“For me it was magical, our own swimming hole — it felt wild,” she said. “People would come up to me, sometimes still wearing bathing caps, and ask, ‘Is there anything we can do?’”
Her response: “It really is private property. When you look at the maps of property, they own the lakefront and into the water. Many people are sad to lose that, but we want to be respectful for people who’ve plunked down change for that land.”
But she had an idea.
“What about the town land next to the beach area?”
She brought the idea to Recreation Director Brian Coons.
“He’s been extraordinarily helpful,” she said. “He told me he’s wanted to do this for a long time.”
When Mellow met with Walsh, “he was very supportive, and he drew what a fence might look like there,” she said. The CAC, for its part, has volunteered to help clear out invasive vegetation such as milfoil to improve access. “We want to find an easy way for people who want to swim deep in the lake,” Mellow said.
While some details need to be ironed out, Walsh is confident that the new swimming spot will be available for this summer.
“Recreation Director Brian Coons should have pricing for a fence available to be discussed and approved by the next town board meeting on May 15th,” he said. After that, said Walsh, “those fencing companies can move quickly. It only takes them half a day to put up a fence.”
In addition to swimming, the town also plans to move the kayak rental stand to the new area. The town is also exploring providing rack space that can be rented to individuals who own their own kayaks and wish to keep them by the lake. Walsh expects dogs will be welcome there, too, something that is not allowed on the town beach.
“We want it to be user-friendly,” he said. “It’s a beautiful lake, and more people will have access to it. That just makes sense.”