What prompted this note
We just published a town guide for Windham, Hunter, and Tannersville, and writing it drove home a point worth its own note: the four mountaintop lakes look similar on a map and paddle very differently in person. Picking by whichever is closest works, but picking by what you actually want works better.
What we know so far
All four are small, calm mountain lakes, a different world from the tidal Hudson - and each has a personality:
- Rip Van Winkle Lake in Tannersville is the no-gear pick, with seasonal Tanners Boathouse rentals reported.
- C.D. Lane Park in Maplecrest is the family pick: a no-motor town park with a beach launch, swimming beach, restrooms, and rentals reported in one place.
- Colgate Lake near Jewett is the quiet pick: no motors, no facilities, undeveloped shoreline. Bring everything, including your boat.
- North-South Lake near Haines Falls is the full-outing pick: a scenic lake inside a state campground, with day-use facilities and rentals reported, and the most company in season.
Every one of these guides is still Desk-researched with Medium confidence - built from public sources, not yet from an in-person Paddle Greene visit.
What still needs checking
The same items on every lake: current rental seasons, hours, and pricing (Tanners Boathouse, C.D. Lane, North-South), the exact motor and personal-boat rules, and parking capacity and seasonal access. Each guide lists its specific verification items. Several of these lakes are in the summer 2026 field review queue.
How readers can help
If you have paddled or rented on the mountaintop recently, a two-minute launch update with what you saw - rental hours, parking, rules signs - is exactly the kind of firsthand detail that upgrades a desk-researched guide. Photos of posted signs are gold.
Related guides
The full side-by-side lives at mountaintop lake paddles, and all four lakes are on the map.