About Lake Taghkanic

Lake Taghkanic State Park is a 1,568-acre New York state park in Columbia County, run by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The lake at its center was once called Lake Charlotte. Dr. McRa Livingston gave it to the State of New York in 1929, and a Civilian Conservation Corps camp set up in 1933 built much of what visitors still use: the East Beach and its bathhouse, the camping and cabin areas, and the water tower.

How the Park Began

The park's own brochure tells the short version. The lake went by Lake Charlotte before it took the Taghkanic name, and it came to the state as a gift from Dr. McRa Livingston in 1929. The brochure does not say more about him or why he gave it, so neither does this page.

The Civilian Conservation Corps Years

In 1933 a Civilian Conservation Corps camp was set up at the park. At Lake Taghkanic, the park credits the CCC with building the East Bathhouse, the East Beach, the camping area, the cabin area and the water tower. A 1935 photograph in the park brochure shows CCC workers raising the water tank on its rock.

The East Beach the CCC built is closed today. Swimming has moved to the West Beach. The cabins in the woods at the east end of the park, beyond the campground, are the rustic ones; see cabins and cottages.

The 2024 Expansion

On November 21, 2024, New York State Parks announced it had bought 152 acres next to the park in the Towns of Taghkanic and Gallatin. The Columbia Land Conservancy bought the land first from the owner, Helene D. Jaffe, then sold it to the state with money from the Environmental Protection Fund. The parcel holds wetlands, woodlands and old farm fields at the northeast corner of the park. State Parks said it will keep that corner forever wild, buffer the park from development and allow the trail network to grow. The land is part of the Mid-Hudson Wildlife Corridor, a large unbroken forest.

The park brochure's 1,568-acre figure predates this purchase, and State Parks has not published a new total, so this site does not add the two.

The Lake

State Parks puts Lake Taghkanic at 156 acres with a maximum depth of 42 feet. The state Department of Environmental Conservation measures its shoreline at 3.7 miles, its length at 1.5 miles and its average depth at 19 feet. Gas motors are not allowed on it. Bass, pickerel, bullhead, bluegill and rock bass live in it; see fishing.

Forest and Wildlife

The park sits in the rolling hills of Columbia County, with elevations from 500 feet to 930 feet. The brochure lists Appalachian oak, hickory, maple, cedar, spruce, white birch and hemlock among its trees. Mammals in the park include deer, coyotes, beaver, rabbits, squirrels and raccoons. The Lakeview Trail South is the long way to see the woods.

Where the Park Is

Most of the park lies in the Towns of Gallatin and Taghkanic, but its mailing address is 1528 Route 82, Ancram. It is off the Taconic State Parkway, one mile south of the Hudson/Ancram exit. See parking and directions.

Who Runs It Today

New York State Parks runs the park from an office in the West Beach bathhouse, and the New York State Park Police patrol it. The park belongs to the Taconic Region, which also runs Taconic State Park, Olana and Clermont nearby.