Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Pond Edge rock suggestions

Hi, new to the forum and thanks for creating it!! I have a 1/3 acre pond 11 feet deep we use for swimming, fishing for bass, and watching wild life drinking from it. The pond was created using clay and has fairly steep edges making it very Slippy to get in and out of. I was thinking of creating a rock area about 20 foot wide, 6" deep and into the pond about 10 feet to make it easier to enter and exit. Is this a good idea and what kind of rock would you recommend? And other suggestions would also be appreciated.

Special thanks,
Andy R

Andy, welcome to PB.

I would probably use concrete slabs

Thought about that but too far in the mountains to get a concrete truck and I am too old to mix it by hand. Plus I think the concrete would get slippery with algae on it.

Special thanks for the response!!

Andy R

Might not be the answer you're looking for, but it's something I've done with success. Lay an old aluminum ladder down in the water. Light and easy to move into place, has rungs for your feet, and places to grab with your hands.

Can you drain the pond and then have it easily re-filled by its source water?

Hand-laying cobble size stones would probably be a good solution to make a "stairway" out of the pond. However, that is also a lot of work.

Dumping a load of cobbles would be easier, but those stone are typically treacherous to walk over when we cross streams in Colorado. (Either way, you need to put heavy landscape fabric down first, so your stones don't sink into the clay.)

For a very steep slope would you consider just making a normal set of stair stringers with pressure treated wood? You can then also make the treads with pressure treated wood, or plastic decking material with grip strips added to combat the slippery slime. You would need anchors to hold it in place. I would also make a handrail on one side as the only portion that would stick up above the water line. That way every swimmer could find the stairs and there wouldn't be an eyesore in your pond.

Another option would be to just build a dock (either floating or on piers). You could hang a vertical steel ladder off the end of the dock. You could also make a brushpile on the side of the dock opposite the swimming area to enhance the fishing. I like putting a life jacket on small kids and fishing from a dock. They are easier to keep under proper supervision in that manner!

Have fun on your future family activities at your pond.

I think the dock idea is a good one.
If you're worried about concrete being slippery when covered in algae, I don't think you'll find rocks covered in algae offer a lot more purchase.
Docks are great, you can climb in, jump in or amble down a ladder.
Or, you can just sit on the dock of the bay and (not) watch the tide roll away....

I agree with Fishinrod and 3ponds. I put cobble around my pond and some bigger stones but a random pile of slimy stones can be treacherous. It is really hard to stand up on movable stones in 2-3' of water. Even stone steps without a rail could be iffy. We employ a dock with a ladder and a shallow sloped sandy beach area. The deep part of the beach is around 3' and the slope is 15/1 (but 10/1 should be just fine) and it drops off abruptly on the deep end. We have geo-fabric and gravel under the sand. Swimmers use both but the dock allows you to keep dry. Either approach could work but I don't trust slimy rocks.

And I Love that old Otis Redding song.

Andy, I meant pre made concrete slabs but I kinda prefer blocks.

I am thinking of doing something similar for putting in my kayak at some point. I was thinking
about using #57 gravel but have no idea how it would work?

Andy, if you could cut a lower sloped section in your bank for getting in and out, and line it with geo-fabric and 3-6" of stone, that sounds doable without draining or mucking up the pond too badly. I would use the bucket on my utility tractor and scrape back a section, but a backhoe or excavator would be better. I would also add that round stone is easier on the feet than crushed, if you can get it from your supplier in a mix similar to #57. I get in my kayak in just about 1' of water at the beach so this doesn't have to be long but you may want it to be wider than the kayak is long.

I vote for a simple dock and a ladder on the end. Many advantages besides being a place to jump from and a place to tie boats to..

I would worry that excavating a spot for gravel may create a leak if the pond was constructed with a clay liner or other feature.

I vote for a simple dock and a ladder on the end. Many advantages besides being a place to jump from and a place to tie boats to..

I would worry that excavating a spot for gravel may create a leak if the pond was constructed with a clay liner or other feature.

Liquisquid is right about docks; you might consider a floating dock. The viability of excavation depends on the soil type and pond construction, better in clay. Gravel in water is "lubricated" and more likely to move when you step into it, so the lower the slope the better. Fishinrod might have an opinion on this since he is a rock guy.

Wow!! Special thanks for all the suggestions!! All of them are great! I think the dock is propably the way to go.

Thanks again,
Andy