Some attendants say they have been offered all sorts of things to open the gate for unexpected visitors and the curious. Because the houses within Smoke Rise are relatively far apart, people tend to meet either through their children or through common interests. One of the best parts of living in Smoke Rise, residents say, is that people can be as active as they want or can guard their privacy in the seclusion the neighborhood affords. In the summer, the heart of the community is Lake Kinnelon. On one side, a swimming area is roped off.
Children can take swim lessons, join swim teams, or just frolic as four trained lifeguards look on.
There is also a pier for fishing. It's not uncommon to see children running around with fishing poles twice as tall as they are, trying to find the best spot. Looking like a modern-day Huck Finn, Matt Mudd, who will be 10 in July, tells a visitor with little prompting all about the community's fishing rules and the regulations for the lake. For instance, only the lifeguards and Fire Department are allowed to have gas-powered motorboats on Lake Kinnelon. Most people have either Sail Fish canoes or metal rowboats they can paddle or power with an electric motor.