Keystone Lake — Attraction in Derry Township

We’ve stayed in the park in cottages and yurts and for tent camping many times. But the lake is also great for summer day trips, especially with kids. The beach is clean and the roped off swimming area is sizable. Their showering and changing facilities are clean and big. Although the beach itself isn’t massive it’s backed up to a large grassy field and this is where you leave your blanket, etc. Shade tents / umbrellas are allowed here.

The playground is also in this area so it’s easy to spend a whole day here. They lend out beach toys/games from a small office on-site which is something I’ve never seen at another state park. There is a snack bar with limited operating hours; I can’t attest to the quality of the hot foods but the ice cream is great.

The few picnic tables under trees get taken fast so if you require a shaded table and plan to spend the day, you’ll want to arrive early to claim one (they are not reservable and people tend to leave their stuff even if they’re not eating). Smoking and dogs are not allowed on the beach or the field immediately adjacent so it’s a clean air beach. This is allowed on the parking lot side of the restroom building though.

During summer weekdays, it’s usually very empty in the morning. After lunch it does fill up though so if you’ve got littles, I suggest going early. I’ve never actually experienced cold water here in the morning during summer. I’m not sure about weekends but I would guess that’s when it’s most crowded.

Besides the beach in summer, the lake is great year-round for fishing and canoeing/ kayaking. The cottages directly across the lake from the beach are our favorite place to stay in the park. They have heat and electricity, two bunks and a table/chairs. While very family-friendly the lake is also a trip worth taking even if you don’t need to...

This park is pretty clean and the restrooms are much nicer than the county parks like Twin Lakes and Mammoth. Those do not even have running water.

The lake itself is good to fish from a kayak or small boat but there is limited shoreline. The boat ramp area gets backed up because people are generally rude and will pull their yak off their vehicle and leave it on the ramp while they go park. Anyone needing to use the ramp has to wait. Boaters are much better because they understand the needs and protocols at boatramps.

The 3 stars is mainly due to the crowds. Shore fishing is almost impossible here due to limited spots and they get taken. You really do need a yak or small boat (no gas engine).

They rent yaks and paddleboards so even the middle of the lake gets crowded with people doing annoying things. Kids jump off their paddleboards and splash around. That does not make for the best fishing. Also I have seen people on their with huge boats that are designed for Olympic rowing events that fly up and down the lake. There are just too many people there for that.

The crowds make the fishing challenging but there is a nice loop leading to the boat ramp and the kayaks do not need to be moved too far. We will still go here often because of the convenience but a ton of other folks will do the same so be ready to be packed...

Nice area to spend a day outdoors. There is a small boat launch next to a kayak launch. I think you can rent a space and leave your kayak, canoe, small boat there. There is a walk all around the lake that is very popular so you'll likely encounter many people. This walk connects the different areas of the lake: boat/kayak launch, beach and the camping area. All along the walk there are picnic tables scattered everywhere. Near the camping area there are a few cabins and a couple of large tents that you can rent. The camping can be busy so you might want to plan in advance and the spaces to set up a tent or park your RV are very close to one another. There are a few trails in the woods but they are short easy ones. There is plenty of parking and bathrooms as well. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach so there aren't any other areas where you could let your dogs play in the water except maybe at the boat launch. Overall it's really nice and camping isn't bad if you don't mind having a lot of people around you. I wouldn't say this is the nicest lake to swim into but I've seen kids having fun and also large gatherings grilling and enjoy...