New Hampshire Lakes
The following lakes are listed below:
Great East Lake
Massabesic Lake
Merrymeeting Lake
Ossipee Lake
Pleasant Lake
Lake Umbagog
Lake Winnisquam
Great East Lake
1835 acres
102’ maximum depth
35’ average depth
2560 acres
50’ maximum depth
17’ average depth
Wakefield, NH and Acton, ME
Massabesic Lake
Manchester & Auburn, NH
Merrymeeting Lake
New Durham, NH
Ossipee Lake
3257 acres
73’ maximum depth
27’ average depth
602 acres
100’ maximum depth
Elkins / New London, NH
One of New Hampshire’s deepest lakes in terms of average depth - as well as one of the windiest - Pleasant Lake offers a stunning view of 2700-foot Mount Kearsarge. But the lake often exhibits fickle freezing patterns due to its depth, strong winds, and large flocks of ducks. Occasionally the center of the lake stays unfrozen until March. When the lake does freeze, it’s the location of a machine-groomed skating trail accessible from behind the Elkins Post Office. The trail can be anywhere from 1 to 3 miles long depending on ice conditions.
See also Machine-Groomed Ice
Lake Umbagog
These lakes are linked separately:
Mascoma Lake
Moore & Comerford Reservoirs
Newfound Lake
Squam Lake
Lake Sunapee
Lake Wentworth
Lake Winnipesaukee
7642 acres
45’ maximum depth
10’ average depth
Errol and Cambridge, NH
Upton and Magalloway Plantation, ME
Lake Winnisquam
Laconia, Belmont,
Sanbornton and Meredith, NH
4214 acres
173’ maximum depth
49’ average depth
It’s rare to find good ice on Winnisquam. This can be attributed to three factors:
1. It’s a big lake, and it’s one of the deepest in the state, both in terms of average depth and maximum depth.
2. It has a lot of current, especially at the south end, where it receives all of the outflow from Lake Winnipesaukee, as well as treated sewage from the city of Laconia.
3. It’s surrounded not by mountains but by rolling hills and suburban development, so the climate tends to be warmer.
Lake access points in Belmont and downtown Laconia are not recommended due to strong currents and thin ice. Safe access is sometimes possible at Ahern State Park in Laconia or the Sanbornton Town Beach on Dr. True Road.
If the lake you’re looking for isn’t listed on the left, you can find it in this
Alphabetical List of New Hampshire Lakes
and in this
Digital Map of New Hampshire Lakes
Ossipee and Freedom, NH
Pleasant Lake
1233 acres
120’ maximum depth
29’ average depth