Taconic State Park

What to do

• Copake Falls

  Hiking, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, and the Copake Iron Works. Brace Mountain is the high point the page names in Dutchess County. Bash Bish Falls is across the line in a Massachusetts park, with its own rules.

• Swimming

  At Copake Falls, weekend swimming starts the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, expands at the end of June, and runs through Labor Day, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. The Ore Pit is lifeguarded and 8 to 40 feet deep. Rudd Pond's swim is unguarded, Memorial Day to Labor Day, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, in the designated area only.

• Rudd Pond

  The southern area. Kayaks and rowboats rent for $10 an hour between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Gas motors are not allowed.

A quieter time

The page does not say either lot fills. Copake Falls collects its car fee from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm during the season. Rudd Pond collects its fee on weekends only, Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Parking

Copake Falls is $8 a passenger car. Rudd Pond is $7 a car, weekends only in that summer window. Both list a bus at $35. Check parks.ny.gov for whether a fee is being collected on the day you go.

Dogs

Up to two pets in campsites and day-use areas, crated or on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Not in guarded swim areas or beaches, or in playgrounds, buildings, golf courses, boardwalks, pools, or spray-grounds. The same rule is on both area pages.

Swimming

Copake Falls is the guarded swim, with a wading pool beside the Ore Pit. Floats, including life jackets, are not allowed in the Ore Pit. Rudd Pond is unguarded and only in the designated area. The 2026 season on both pages ended on Labor Day.

Empire Pass

Taconic's Copake Falls area and Rudd Pond area are both on the Empire Pass list. The pass does not waive swimming fees.

Guidelines

Nearby on Quiet Coordinates

• Hudson · town