Lake Willoughby South Beach
Orleans, Vermont
Verified · 3 independent sources
- WATER
- lake
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- Free
- SEASON
- Best in summer
About Lake Willoughby South Beach
Lake Willoughby South Beach (also known as the West Cove beach) is a public swimming beach and swimming hole at the south end of Lake Willoughby in Westmore, Vermont, within the state-owned Willoughby State Forest. Exceptionally deep and glacially carved, flanked by the granite cliffs of Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor, the designated National Natural Landmark is a dramatic lake to swim in. Vermont's Dept. of Forests, Parks & Recreation completed a parking, boardwalk, and ADA boat-ramp improvement project at this beach in 2022.
The beach sits at the south tip of a roughly 5-mile-long, glacially scoured lake often compared to a fjord, with the 2,751-ft Mount Pisgah and 2,654-ft Mount Hor rising in cliffs directly from the water on either side. The South Beach/South Shore Trail loop (about 2.1 miles, easy grade) skirts the shoreline here before climbing into forest, and a cliff overlook trail nearby stops short of an unstable talus slope that Vermont FPR keeps closed to the public.
Swimming at Lake Willoughby South Beach
Swimmers wade in from a sand-and-cobble shoreline into clear, cold, spring-fed water; the lake is one of Vermont's deepest (over 300 feet at its deepest point), so the bottom drops away quickly from shore. There is no lifeguard on duty. The spot is well-established enough to serve as the start/finish for an organized long-distance open-water swim event (the 'Willoughby Triple'), and multiple independent visitor accounts describe West Cove/South Beach as an informally clothing-optional area in summer, distinct from the more family-oriented, town-monitored North Beach at the opposite end of the lake.
How to get to this swimming hole
From Barton, VT: north on VT-16 for about 7 miles, then right onto VT-5A South for about 5.1 miles to the signed parking area/pull-off at the south end of Lake Willoughby; a short path/boardwalk leads down to the West Cove/South Beach.
Parking: Roadside pull-off/lot at VT 5A at the south end of the lake, shared with the Mount Pisgah South Trailhead; recently rebuilt with expanded parking and a boardwalk by Vermont FPR (2022); fills quickly on hot summer weekends.
The hike in
South Beach/South Shore Trail (optional loop, not required to reach the swim spot)
- To the water
- ~0.1 mi one-way (short walk/boardwalk from parking directly to the beach)
- Time on foot
- 2-3 minutes walk from car to water
Difficulty: easy
Trailhead: Shared VT-5A roadside parking pull-off at the south end of Lake Willoughby (also the Mount Pisgah South Trailhead)
The swim beach itself needs no hike, it's a short walk-in from the roadside pull-off. A separate 2.1-mile South Beach/South Shore loop trail starts at the same trailhead for hikers who want to extend their visit along the shoreline into forest.
No confirmation found of any longer approach hike being required; multiple independent sources (trailfinder.info, newenglandswimmingholes.com, Sandee) consistently describe direct roadside/short walk-in access.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
OK with supervision
Reports conflict: an aggregator (Family Destinations Guide) calls South Beach's shoreline 'sandy shores and shallow waters,' while other sources (newenglandswimmingholes.com, in the prior dossier) describe a slippery cobble entry with a bottom that drops away quickly into one of Vermont's deepest lakes (300+ ft). No lifeguard is on duty at South Beach (per Sandee), and the water is cold and spring-fed. Verdict: fine for kids with direct supervision, but not a shallow, guarded, toddler-style beach, the town-monitored North Beach at the opposite end of the lake is the more explicitly family-oriented option.
Parking
Free
Roadside pull-off/small lot on VT-5A at the south end of the lake, shared with the Mount Pisgah South Trailhead; rebuilt with expanded parking and a boardwalk by Vermont FPR in 2022. Free but limited (per Sandee) and reported to fill quickly on hot summer weekends.
Restrooms
Yes
Seasonal portable/vault-style toilets near the parking area, per prior sourcing (Sandee, newenglandswimmingholes.com); no flush restrooms confirmed.
Water clarity
Varies with season and flow
Accounts differ. Sandee.com describes the beach's water as clear over fine pale sand. A visitor-report snippet (via search engine, could not confirm exact subreddit/thread) called the water 'crystal clear.' However, another visitor comment contrasted South Beach unfavorably with North Beach, describing South Beach as 'dirty and full of dregs.' No single authoritative water-quality/clarity source was found; treat as mixed.
On the water
Restrictions: Vermont's statewide 'Use of Public Waters Rules' cap boat speed at 5 mph within 200 ft of shoreline (the 'Shoreline Safety Zone') on waterbodies this size (dec.vermont.gov). The south-end access point has an ADA-accessible car-top boat ramp (per the 2022 VT FPR site-improvement project noted in the prior dossier), suited to hand-launched craft like kayaks/canoes/paddleboards rather than trailer-launched motorboats; no dedicated large-motorboat trailer ramp was confirmed at this specific site.
No jet-ski-specific restriction or prohibition was found in available sources; general 5-mph shoreline zone rule would apply to any powered craft near the beach.
Rentals nearby
Canoe, single/tandem kayak, and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) rentals, with free delivery (orders over $100, within 45 minutes) to paddling spots including Lake Willoughby
Prices: Single kayak: $15/hr, $35/day, $120/week + tax. Canoe or tandem kayak: $25/hr, $60/day, $175/week + tax. Paddleboard: $15/hr, $35/day, $120/week + tax
2314 VT Route 105, West Charleston, VT (delivers to Lake Willoughby) · June-August: daily 8am-7pm; late May and September: daily 9am-5pm
Complimentary use of kayaks and canoes as part of its lakefront Summer Waterfront Activity Area, a lodging guest amenity, not a public rental service
793 VT Route 5A South, Westmore, VT, on the shore of Lake Willoughby · Front desk: 9am-5pm
What regulars say
Visitor reports (via search-engine snippets, exact source threads not independently confirmed) are mixed on South Beach specifically: one described the water as 'crystal clear' and beautiful for swimming, while another called it 'dirty and full of dregs' compared to the more family-oriented North Beach at the opposite end of the lake, which draws 'high school kids and toddlers in diapers.' One visitor tip suggested arriving around 4:30pm to find a spot with minimal crowding, since the beach area itself is small.
Backstory
The first vacation house on Lake Willoughby was built in 1860; the lake was referenced by Robert Frost in his 1915 poem 'A Servant to Servants'; Yankee magazine ranked it New England's third-best lake in 2010; the lake and its cliffs were designated a National Natural Landmark in 1967.
Lake Willoughby South Beach: FAQ
Does Lake Willoughby South Beach charge a fee?
No fee reported for this state-forest access point.
Is Lake Willoughby South Beach kid friendly?
Reports conflict: an aggregator (Family Destinations Guide) calls South Beach's shoreline 'sandy shores and shallow waters,' while other sources (newenglandswimmingholes.com, in the prior dossier) describe a slippery cobble entry with a bottom that drops away quickly into one of Vermont's deepest lakes (300+ ft). No lifeguard is on duty at South Beach (per Sandee), and the water is cold and spring-fed. Verdict: fine for kids with direct supervision, but not a shallow, guarded, toddler-style beach, the town-monitored North Beach at the opposite end of the lake is the more explicitly family-oriented option.
Do I need to hike to reach Lake Willoughby South Beach?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Lake Willoughby South Beach?
Roadside pull-off/small lot on VT-5A at the south end of the lake, shared with the Mount Pisgah South Trailhead; rebuilt with expanded parking and a boardwalk by Vermont FPR in 2022. Free but limited (per Sandee) and reported to fill quickly on hot summer weekends.
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Lake Willoughby South Beach?
No jet-ski-specific restriction or prohibition was found in available sources; general 5-mph shoreline zone rule would apply to any powered craft near the beach.
When is the best time to visit Lake Willoughby South Beach?
Summer, roughly June through mid-September, is the reported peak swimming season; the beach also hosts organized open-water swim events during summer.
What are the rules at Lake Willoughby South Beach?
Located within Willoughby State Forest (Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks & Recreation); the talus slope above the cliff trail is unstable and closed to public use; pets allowed on leash on the trails. South Beach/West Cove is used informally as a clothing-optional area by visitors in summer, per multiple first-hand and trail-guide sources, though this is not stated as an official town or state designation.
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