Located just minutes off of Northway exit 17S is Moreau Lake State Park. I remember coming here as a kid, but hadn't been back in years until last week. Our main attraction for going was the beach and unforunately that's about all we did in the park, although there are wonderful picnic areas, a playground, hiking trails, camp sites, boating, fishing and so on. Admission to the park is by car and costs $8 per car. Best bet is to carpool with friends if you can. I know that can be tricky with kids in carseats though. You can also purchase an Empire Passport which gets you into just about any NYS park including Saratoga Spa State Park for free. The pass costs $65 but is good until March 2010. Now back to the beach!
We arrived at about 10am on a weekday and found parking in the front row closest to the beach. There were a handful of people there at that time, but it really started filling up closer to 11am. The beach is definitely big enough to accommodate a crowd but certainly it's best to go on a weekday if you can. I imagine a weekend could be quite busy. The water was surprisingly warm and the beach was sandy and as as relaxing as any. There are lifeguards who are no-joke when it comes to their job. We witnessed a lifeguard checking the 'squishy-ness' of a football to make sure no one got hurt! No floaties or swimmies are allowed, but the water is shallow and very gradually gets deeper. We brought tons of food and snacks for the kids, but there's also a snack bar that sells food. The french fries were quite good for just $2! I will definitely be going back to Moreau Lake. Maybe next time we'll try out some of the other ammenities like the playground or hiking trails. I recently complained on Facebook that we have three lakes, Ballston Lake, Round Lake, and Saratoga Lake surrounding us but NO BEACH! Moreau Lake is beautiful and has a beach. It's a bit further away, but really only takes 25-30 minutes from Malta. Take Exit 17S on the Northway and the park entrance will be immediately on your right.
We arrived at about 10am on a weekday and found parking in the front row closest to the beach. There were a handful of people there at that time, but it really started filling up closer to 11am. The beach is definitely big enough to accommodate a crowd but certainly it's best to go on a weekday if you can. I imagine a weekend could be quite busy. The water was surprisingly warm and the beach was sandy and as as relaxing as any. There are lifeguards who are no-joke when it comes to their job. We witnessed a lifeguard checking the 'squishy-ness' of a football to make sure no one got hurt! No floaties or swimmies are allowed, but the water is shallow and very gradually gets deeper. We brought tons of food and snacks for the kids, but there's also a snack bar that sells food. The french fries were quite good for just $2! I will definitely be going back to Moreau Lake. Maybe next time we'll try out some of the other ammenities like the playground or hiking trails. I recently complained on Facebook that we have three lakes, Ballston Lake, Round Lake, and Saratoga Lake surrounding us but NO BEACH! Moreau Lake is beautiful and has a beach. It's a bit further away, but really only takes 25-30 minutes from Malta. Take Exit 17S on the Northway and the park entrance will be immediately on your right.
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