DeForest Lake

Location & fast facts

Good for & watch for

Built only from the data on this page: official access lists, OpenStreetMap beaches and trails, campground listings, state and USGS invasive-species records. We don't rate crowds or water quality.

Lake map

DeForest Lake shoreline

Open interactive map

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 60460459, plus 1 more mapped parts), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: NYSDEC boat launch sites (data.ny.gov). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

Campgrounds near DeForest Lake

We found 7 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of DeForest Lake. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

• Beaver Pond Campsite
  Campground

  7.2 mi from the shore · Stony Point

  Get directions
• Baker Camp
  Campground

  9.4 mi from the shore · Haverstraw

  Get directions
• ACA Camp
  Campground

  9.4 mi from the shore · Haverstraw

  Get directions
• ADK Camp
  Campground

  9.4 mi from the shore · Haverstraw

  Get directions
• Cedar Pond
  Backcountry campsiteState park

  9.8 mi from the shore · Tuxedo

  Get directions
• Tiorati Plateau
  Backcountry campsite

  9.9 mi from the shore · Woodbury

  Get directions

All campgrounds & RV parks in New York

Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.

Campground data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.

Conditions right now

Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (41.1619, -73.9567). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for DeForest Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

Sun, moon & best fishing times

Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in ET (America/New_York), and accurate to within a few minutes.

Non-native/invasive species

Reported on or near DeForest Lake

• Rusty Crayfish (Faxonius rusticus): 3 USGS records, first reported 1993, latest 1994 (fact sheet).

USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database

USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.

Contact & official info

• NYSDEC Division of Fish and Wildlife: fishing rules, licenses and stocking.

Questions about DeForest Lake

Share a tip or fishing report

Know DeForest Lake? Tell us about the launch, parking, where they're biting or anything a first-time visitor should know. Tips go privately to the LakeRipple editor; nothing is posted automatically. Helpful tips may be featured on this page (we'll use your first name only if you give one).

Lakes & ponds nearby

• Swartwont Lake · Clarkstown · 40 acres · 1.5 mi
• Congers Lake · Clarkstown · 116 acres · 1.6 mi
• Rockland Lake · Clarkstown · 277 acres · 2.4 mi
• Lake Meahagh · Cortlandt · 79 acres · 6.4 mi
• Colabaugh Pond · Cortlandt · 26 acres · 7.0 mi
• Pocantico Lake · Mount Pleasant · 29 acres · 7.0 mi

Straight-line distance between lake centers. All New York lakes & ponds · All waters in Clarkstown