Lake & Water Activities: October 26-November 1 Week

The best water activities near Merced this week are at Lake Yosemite, Lake McSwain, Lake McClure, the Merced River at Briceburg, and Hensley Lake. For water activities in the Central Valley in the last week of October, that means fall-hours kayak and paddleboard rentals on Lake Yosemite's sandy beach, a calm no-wake swim beach at Lake McSwain, the Barrett Cove swim lagoon at Lake McClure, free river swimming holes near Mariposa, and a small day-use lake with a designated swim area near Chowchilla. All five spots are open this week, and the lakefront Monster Mash Dash family races return to Lake Yosemite on Halloween, Saturday October 31. Each pick is listed below with hours, costs, and an official link.

The season is officially winding down in the foothills: swimming lakes stay open, but rental shops narrow their hours, floating water parks have closed for the year, and seasonal visitor centers are shuttered until next summer. This week's picks run from Merced east to McSwain and Mariposa, with Chowchilla covered too, and everything below is verified against the official park, district, and agency pages. Last week's edition, our Lake & Water Activities guide for October 19-25, covered the same lakes as McClure Point began to close down, and our weekend guide for October 30 to November 1 has the full Halloween calendar, including the race at Lake Yosemite and the final pumpkin patch nights in Turlock.

Central Valley Water Activities: This Week's Five Picks

Between them, the five picks below cover a swim beach with rentals and a lakeside race (Lake Yosemite), a calm no-wake paddling and swimming lake (Lake McSwain), the biggest lake in the area with one open swim lagoon and several launch options (Lake McClure), a free river swimming area (the Merced River at Briceburg), and an inexpensive Corps lake with a designated swim area (Hensley Lake). The Merced Irrigation District manages the first three, so the entry rules and fees line up, which makes a multi-lake day trip easy to plan.

At a glance

• Lake Yosemite (Merced): swim beach, kayak and paddleboard rentals on reduced fall hours, lakeside races Saturday October 31, $10 per vehicle, park open 7:30 AM to 11:30 PM.
• Lake McSwain (Snelling): swim beach, no-wake paddling, marina store on limited seasonal hours, $10 per vehicle.
• Lake McClure (Snelling): Barrett Cove Swim Lagoon open; McClure Point, Horseshoe Bend, and Bagby facilities closed for the season.
• Merced River at Briceburg (Mariposa County): free day use, Cable Rock swimming beach, no entry fee; visitor center closed until next summer.
• Hensley Lake (near Chowchilla, Madera County): $4 per vehicle, sunrise to sunset, designated swim area open, bring your own boat.

Things To Do at Lake Yosemite in Merced: Swim Beach, Rentals, and a Halloween Race

Lake Yosemite is the go-to lake for Merced, sitting about 10 minutes northeast of downtown on North Lake Road at 5714 North Lake Road. The Merced Irrigation District manages recreation at the lake, running the swim beach, boat launch, and picnic grounds. What it offers: sandy swimming beaches, boat launch ramps with parking, beach volleyball courts, playgrounds, picnic tables with grills, restrooms, and on-site kayak and paddleboard rentals from The Padyak Shack. Fishing is popular from shore and small boats, and the lake makes a relaxed half-day outing with kids. The lake is open year-round.

Hours: the park opens at 7:30 AM daily, with day-use gates closing at 11:30 PM and visitors clear by 11 PM. Cost: day use is $10 per vehicle per day, $9 for military, disabled visitors, and seniors. Rentals: The Padyak Shack rents kayaks and paddleboards on-site; solo kayaks run $15 for one hour, $25 for two hours, $35 for a half day, and $60 for a full day, and tandem kayaks run $20, $30, $40, and $65 on the same blocks. Stand-up paddleboards are also available. Fall hours are reduced, roughly Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 4 to 7 PM and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 7 PM, and the shop posts that hours change, so call (209) 777-7947 before heading out.

This week's lakefront event: on Halloween, Saturday October 31, Lake Yosemite hosts the Monster Mash Dash and Zombie Zoom family races from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM, with a 400-meter kids run plus 5K and 10K courses and registration from about $22, run alongside the lake. Details are in our Halloween weekend guide. For everything else, the official Lake Yosemite page posts current hours, fees, and closures. If you just want the walking loop, our Trail or Park of the Week on Lake Yosemite Regional Park has the 3.5-mile lakeside loop and parking details.

Lake McSwain near Snelling: A Calm No-Wake Lake for Paddling and Swimming

Lake McSwain, about 6 miles from Snelling in the Sierra foothills east of Merced, is the family-friendly water spot in the McSwain community. It is a small, calm reservoir with a 10 MPH no-wake limit, which makes it ideal for kayaks, paddleboards, canoes, and small fishing boats, with none of the ski-boat chop you get on bigger lakes. The McSwain Recreation Area has a swimming beach, picnic tables, showers, a boat launch, a playground, and the Lake McSwain Marina, where the Reel Deal Market & Cafe operates watercraft rentals and a store and cafe at the lake.

Hours: gates open 7:30 AM and close one hour after sunset on the standard MID parks schedule; campsites and cabins have their own check-in and check-out times. Cost: $10 per vehicle per day. Marina: summer rentals begin around 9 AM on a first-come, first-served basis during the season; late-October hours are limited and seasonal, so call the marina at (209) 378-2219 to confirm the day you plan to visit. The Splash-N-Dash floating inflatable water park operates Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, so it is closed for the season, but the beach itself is open, and dogs are welcome in campsites and day-use areas but not on the swim beach.

The lake is stocked with rainbow and brown trout, the fall trout-derby season draws anglers to the eastern shore, and shore fishing is easy from the grassy banks and the marina dock. Lake McSwain carries a long-standing state fish-consumption advisory based on mercury, so follow the posted eating limits. Full details, including campsite and cabin availability, are on the official Lake McSwain page.

Lake McClure: Barrett Cove Lagoon Open, McClure Point Now Closed for the Season

Lake McClure is the big water in the region, a 7,000-acre reservoir on the Merced River behind Exchequer Dam, about 35 to 40 minutes east of Merced by way of Snelling. It is the place for watersports with your own boat, waterskiing, and long lake days. The big change this week: the season has started to close down. The Barrett Cove Swim Lagoon remains open, but the McClure Point swim lagoon and the McClure Point North launch ramp are now closed, joining the Horseshoe Bend swim lagoon, the Horseshoe Bend main ramp, and the Bagby launch ramp on the closed list.

Hours: day-use passes are valid all day at all three MID parks, with gates at McClure opening 7:30 AM and closing one hour after sunset. Cost: $10 per vehicle per day, plus about $9 per day for a boat or trailer, and annual passes around $125 that also work at Lake McSwain and Lake Yosemite. Know before you go: at Horseshoe Bend, vessels can still use the low-water dirt extension ramp to the right of the main ramp, which keeps private-boat access possible even as ramps close elsewhere. Lake conditions shift with the water level and the calendar, so double-check the status banner before the drive. Camping is available at Barrett Cove and other campgrounds if you want to make a weekend of it, and wood campfires are not allowed, though propane and charcoal grills are fine.

The official Lake McClure and Lake McSwain site posts the current ramp and facility status at the top of the page, plus the full MID fee schedule for all three lakes.

Merced River at Briceburg: Free Swimming Holes Near Mariposa

For a free water day in the foothills, head up Highway 140 to the Merced River Recreation Management Area east of Mariposa. The Briceburg Visitor Center sits about 12 miles east of town, and Cable Rock Day Use Site, about 1.4 miles downstream on the old Yosemite road, is the most popular swimming stop: a river beach with a jumping rock for adventurous swimmers and a vault toilet on site. More swimming holes line the Briceburg Campground Road behind the visitor center, and the Merced River Trail leads to quiet river access. Day use and swimming at the Briceburg area are free; only the campgrounds (McCabe Flat, Willow Placer, and Railroad Flat) charge, at about $20 per night, reservable on Recreation.gov.

Hours: day use is open daylight hours at no charge; the visitor center building itself is seasonal, open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, so it is closed right now and reopens next May. Cost: free to enter; the only fees are the campgrounds. Know before you go: this week's river flows have dropped after the summer snowmelt, the water is cold, there are no lifeguards, and the BLM posts a safety warning at Cable Rock because the beach sits above rapids, so treat swimming as at-your-own-risk and check the current river flow before getting in. The area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and the official BLM Merced River page has maps, campground details, and alerts. It is also a beautiful fall drive, with the oaks turning gold along the river canyon.

Hensley Lake near Chowchilla: A Small Day-Use Lake With a Designated Swim Area

For a fifth pick on the other side of the county, Hensley Lake is a US Army Corps of Engineers lake on the Fresno River behind Hidden Dam, in Madera County near Raymond, about 25 minutes northeast of Chowchilla. What it offers: a designated swim beach, picnic areas, a boat launch ramp, and easy shore fishing. Swimming is allowed only in the designated area, there is no lifeguard, so swimming is at your own risk, and there is no on-site rental operation, so bring your own boat and gear.

Hours: day-use areas are open year-round, roughly sunrise to sunset, with the campground gate closing at 10 PM. Cost: day use is $4 per vehicle per the Corps' official park guide. Know before you go: the current official update reports all day-use facilities, including the swim area and campgrounds, open to the public; call the project office at (559) 673-5151 to confirm the current status on the day you plan to visit. The official US Army Corps of Engineers Hensley Lake page posts current hours, fees, and conditions.

Water Quality and Beach Advisories This Week

As of this writing, no current algae blooms, beach closures, or water-quality advisories are posted for any of the five featured spots: Lake Yosemite, Lake McSwain, Lake McClure, the Merced River at Briceburg, and Hensley Lake. The advisory to keep on your radar is Eastman Lake, about 23 miles northeast of Chowchilla near Raymond. The state's harmful algae program logged an advisory for H.V. Eastman Lake on May 14, 2026, and posted a fresh notice August 27, 2026, with Madera County officials urging visitors to avoid water contact after a toxic bloom was detected near the boat ramps. Treat Eastman as fish-and-boat-only for now, do not swim or let pets in the water, and confirm the current status on the California HAB Reports Map at mywaterquality.ca.gov before any visit.

Two standing notes for nearby water: Woodward Reservoir near Turlock and Oakdale prohibits all body-to-water contact after Labor Day each year to protect the drinking-water supply (the 2026 restriction began September 8), and it stays in effect through the winter, so it is boating, fishing, and picnicking only until next Memorial Day weekend. Stanislaus County's recreation operations at Woodward ended October 15, 2026, and the South San Joaquin Irrigation District has temporarily suspended the remaining recreation services while it works to bring in a new operator, so confirm the current status at stancountyparks.com/woodward-reservoir before counting on it as an outing. Lake McSwain and Lake McClure also carry long-standing state fish-consumption advisories based on mercury, so follow the posted eating limits for fish taken from either lake. At every reservoir, watch posted signs, keep kids within reach at swim beaches, and never swim near boat ramps or dam structures. These public spots are open to everyone, and Monica offers equal service to all.

Why a Full Water Season Matters for Home Sellers

A community with a swim beach 10 minutes from downtown, a no-wake lake for kayaking, a 7,000-acre boating reservoir, a free river canyon in the foothills, and a cheap day-use lake with a designated swim area near Chowchilla is a community with a strong quality of life, and that is exactly what buyers experience when they tour neighborhoods across Merced County. Whether you are renting a kayak at Lake Yosemite, cheering on the racers at the Monster Mash Dash, fishing the McSwain marina dock, or jumping off Cable Rock, you are living the local story that sells homes. When it is time to list, having an agent who knows these communities from the inside out makes the difference between a for-sale sign and a sold sign.

Enjoy the water season, and when you are ready to talk about selling, Monica is here: schedule a free consultation with Monica Franks, The Seller's Agent, and learn more about Monica's approach on her about page.