East Arm Mixed 8+ enjoys the annual Row for the Cure; Thomas Ranavaro

“If you row early, it’s like glass out there--just a beautiful venue, and the fall colors are amazing,” says Katy Glover, one of the 30-some competitive rowers in this scenic New York village’s 85 member-strong East Arm Rowing Club.

Located approximately 50 miles west of Manhattan, the small village (part of the town of Warwick) sits at the north end of Greenwood Lake, which measures six and a half miles long by just over a half-mile wide, and straddles the New York-New Jersey border. And as the largest freshwater lake in the New York metropolitan area, Greenwood Lake’s vibrant rowing community reflects a little of the Big Apple’s cosmopolitan nature, as Glover notes an international mix of members.

The club is open to all skill levels, has programs and open row sessions for juniors through masters, and also sponsors an annual Learn-to-Row Regatta and a “Row for the Cure” event benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

While proximity to New York City does result in heavy weekend and summer use, local rowers revel in the weekday morning calm. Wind can be a factor, but the lake’s setting, ringed by hills and small mountains, offers some protection, especially in the narrow 2,000-meter arm of the lake where the boathouse is located.

A Warwick Valley H. S. Junior Men's 4+ at practice; Louise Hutchison

Outside of Greenwood Lake, a number of small bedroom and vacation home hamlets, beaches and six marinas

surround the lake. With no shortage of restaurants and shops in town, plenty of other recreational opportunities also exist in the surrounding mountains, especially hiking

The Village of Greenwood Lake’s Thomas P. Morahan Waterfront Park, as seen from atop the Village Vista Trail, hosts several regattas during the year. The park also hosts a summer concert series. Show here is Windermere Point where the lake steamers once dropped off hotel guests summering in Greenwood Lake. The waterfront park is also the staging area for the annual American Memorial Triathlon and is popular with summer beachgoers.; Copyright Ron Nowak/Greenwood Lake and West Milford News

(the Appalachian Trail rims the lake’s west side) in nearby state parks and forests, apple picking (the annual October AppleFest is a big draw), six nearby golf courses and even skiing at a couple of local resorts. And when you hanker for a Broadway show or a five-star meal, there’s always Manhattan.

Top 10 Best Places to
Retire & Row

Home >>>