Orange Lake is a hamlet in the Town of Newburgh whose development centered on the lake as a defining geographical feature. Water, landscape and local history are connected here: the lake is a focal point for wetlands, a weather-dependent winter tradition and the industrial past along Quassaick Creek. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether nature and the water, winter ice sailing or historical traces are the main draw.
Lake, Wetlands and Watershed
Wetlands are found especially around Orange Lake and are considered valuable ecological resources. The lake is also one of the important bodies of water in the Quassaick Creek watershed. Quassaick Creek flows out of the lake. This means the area can be understood both through its wetlands and through the larger water system: the wetlands provide an ecological focus, while the creek connects to the history of milling.
Ice Sailing and Rules on the Water
Orange Lake is a center for ice sailing in the Hudson Valley. When the lake freezes, iceboats appear there every winter, so this tradition depends on winter conditions. Parts of the lake offer private recreational opportunities. For motorized boats, the maximum speed is 5 miles per hour in the zone extending from the shore to a line running parallel to the shore at a distance of 300 feet. Moorings for sailboats and motorboats must generally be within 100 feet of the shore; in the areas exempted by the regulation, the limit extends to 150 feet from the high-water line. Motorboat races and regattas are prohibited on Orange Lake.
Mills, Amusement Park and Trolley
More than twenty mills were established along Quassaick Creek, which flows out of Orange Lake. The lake’s water powered early mills, including Thomas Machin’s mint. The area’s history also includes a former amusement park: Benjamin B. Odell built a 30-acre park at Orange Lake. It included a Ferris wheel, a 1,200-seat theater, a bandstand, a dance pavilion, a roller-skating rink and a restaurant. Orange Lake Park closed in 1941 and was demolished. The trolley connection is also part of local history: in 1906, the line between Newburgh and Walden had a stop at Orange Lake.
A View from Nearby
In nearby Newburgh, the Lakeview House displays its original sign, picture postcards of the amusement park and New York State’s first liquor license issued. The house also offers guests a scenic view of 440-acre Orange Lake. The lake can thus also be experienced through a view from nearby and mementos of the former park.
Choose a Focus for Your Trip
If you’re looking for vacation rentals in Orange Lake, it helps to decide what brings you there. Those who want to focus on the iceboat tradition can look to the wintertime requirement that the lake freeze; mills and the amusement park, on the other hand, offer insight into the area’s historical development. These different interests can help you choose when to travel.
Discover more destinations: West Point, Florida, New Hampton, Fort Montgomery, Unionville, New Windsor, Highland Falls, Greenwood Lake.
View the main travel guide: Orange.
