Updated July 2026
Wakesurfing on Greenwood Lake
Depth unrated · Room Good · limited data
About the water
Long, narrow lake with mountains on both sides; Greenwood Lake Water Sports and several charter operators run wakesurf/wakeboard lessons here. Busiest summer weekends; calmer mornings preferred for clean wakes. Spans NY (Orange County) and NJ (West Milford, Passaic County).
New York wake-sport rules
New York has no statewide wakesurfing-specific law. State law limits vessels to 5 mph (no wake) within 100 feet of shore, docks, piers, rafts, floats or anchored boats. Many individual lakes adopt stricter towed-watersports setbacks (e.g., Friends Lake and others require 200 feet from shoreline/docks for wakesurfing/wakeboarding), so wake-surf limits are effectively local.
This rating classifies measured depth and surface area against published wake-sport guidance. It is not a safety clearance and not permission to ride: local no-wake zones, hours, and horsepower limits are set by the county, lake district, or land manager, and they take precedence. Lake measurements from Greenwood Lake Water Sports.
Where to stay near Greenwood Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Greenwood Lake
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Frequently Asked Questions
Greenwood Lake rates Good for wakesurf suitability. Comfortably deep and sized for wakesurfing. The rating is based on its measured surface area of 1,920 acres. This is a read of the water's dimensions, not legal permission — check the New York rules and the local authority for this lake before you launch.
No maximum-depth measurement is on record for Greenwood Lake in the state agency data we use, so its depth factor is unrated. We do not estimate depth.
Greenwood Lake carries a LakeQuality water-quality grade of F, computed from EPA and state monitoring data — Secchi clarity, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a. That is a separate question from wakesurf suitability: a lake can be excellent to ride and mediocre to swim in, or the reverse. See the full lake page for the grade breakdown.
New York has no statewide wakesurfing-specific law. State law limits vessels to 5 mph (no wake) within 100 feet of shore, docks, piers, rafts, floats or anchored boats. Many individual lakes adopt stricter towed-watersports setbacks (e.g., Friends Lake and others require 200 feet from shoreline/docks for wakesurfing/wakeboarding), so wake-surf limits are effectively local. Individual lakes often add stricter local limits on top of the statewide rule — no-wake zones, operating hours, and horsepower caps are all common — so confirm with the local authority for Greenwood Lake.
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