Echo Lake Beach

Echo Lake Beach is the swimming beach in Franconia Notch State Park, on a mountain lake at 1,931 feet, off Exit 34C of I-93 in Franconia. Day use costs $4 for ages 12 and up and $2 for ages 6 to 11; children 5 and under and New Hampshire residents 65 and over are free. You can swim, fish, and rent canoes, kayaks and pedal boats, with Cannon Mountain and Mount Lafayette above the water. The beach is open daily from early June to early September, with limited fall hours. Dogs are not allowed. Note: this is not Echo Lake State Park in North Conway, a different park.

Fees and How to Pay

• Ages 12 and over: $4.
• Ages 6 to 11: $2.
• Ages 5 and under: free.
• New Hampshire residents 65 and over: free. When booking online, enter them as NH senior citizens, not adults, to get the discount.

When the beach is unstaffed during the season, NH State Parks asks visitors to pay at the Iron Ranger, a self-serve pay station. Checks are payable to Treasurer, State of NH.

Reservations

Parking is limited, especially on nice weekends and holidays, so the state lets you reserve a beach pass up to 30 days before your visit through the Echo Lake Beach page. Walk-in spaces are still available first come, first served. State Parks plate and season pass holders have designated spaces, first come, first served; the state still encourages them to reserve in case the park fills, for a $1 transaction fee.

Swimming, Boating and Fishing

The beach is sandy, and the brochure describes the lake as glacially formed. NH State Parks lists swimming, fishing and boating, with canoe, kayak and pedal boat rentals at the beach. The last rental boats go out an hour before the beach closes. There is a beach store and restrooms.

Before you swim, check the state's beach advisories map, which NH State Parks links from the beach page for water quality notices.

Echo Lake's water flows west, toward the Connecticut River.

Season and Hours

NH State Parks' brochure gives the season as June through August, with the beach open daily from early June to early September and limited hours in the fall. In 2026 the beach became unstaffed from October 12. The restrooms stay open on unstaffed days. Daily opening and closing times are posted on the state's page; see also hours and fees for the whole park.

Parking

The beach lot is at Exit 34C, the north end of the Notch. It is for beachgoers only: NH State Parks says hiker parking is not permitted in the Echo Lake Beach lot. Hikers heading to Artists Bluff use the lots on Route 18 past the beach, across from Cannon Mountain Ski Area. See parking.

Dogs

Pets are prohibited at Echo Lake Beach. NH State Parks has designated dog walk areas at the Tramway and Flume parking lots, and leashed dogs are allowed on the park's hiking trails. See rules.

Cannon RV Park on Echo Lake

The park's seven-site RV park is on the north shore of Echo Lake and open year-round, for self-contained RVs only. Details are on our camping page.

Good For

• A swim after a hike: Artists Bluff and the Old Man of the Mountain site are next door.
• Families with young kids, at a few dollars a person.
• Paddling a mountain lake without bringing your own boat.

Maybe Skip If

• You have your dog. Pets are not allowed on the beach.
• It's after early September and you want a staffed beach. Hours are limited in the fall.