Which New Hampshire Lake Is Right for You? A Guide to Boating, Fishing & Lake Life in the Lakes Region

One of the things I love about New Hampshire’s Lakes Region is that no two lakes offer exactly the same experience.

If you’re looking for a home on or near the water, it’s easy to start by searching for a certain number of bedrooms, a dock, waterfrontage, or a particular price point. But before you narrow down the house, I think there’s an even more important question:

What do you actually want to do when you get out on the water?

Someone looking for big-water boating, tubing with the kids, and the ability to cruise to dinner has a very different wish list than someone who wants to launch a fishing boat early in the morning, kayak along a quiet shoreline, or spend an afternoon anchored somewhere away from the activity.

There really isn’t one “best” lake in the Lakes Region. There are lakes that are better suited to different lifestyles.

Here are some of the lakes I’d have on my list depending on how you want to use the water.

For Big-Water Boating, Watersports and Exploring: Lake Winnipesaukee

If boating itself is going to be a major part of your lifestyle, Lake Winnipesaukee is difficult to beat.

This is the lake for someone who likes having room to go somewhere. You can leave the dock in the morning, spend hours exploring different parts of the lake, stop in a town such as Meredith, Wolfeboro or Alton, find a place to eat, and still have plenty of water left to explore.

There are large open sections of water that make Winnipesaukee a natural fit for cruising, tubing, waterskiing and other watersports. It also has an enormous variety of shoreline, islands, bays and coves.

That variety is important because Winnipesaukee isn't one single boating experience.

Being exposed to the Broads is very different from owning property deep inside a protected bay or cove. Some areas can feel busy and energetic during a summer weekend, while other sections can feel surprisingly removed from it.

That is something I think buyers sometimes miss when looking at a map. Two Winnipesaukee properties can both technically be “on the Big Lake” and offer completely different experiences.

Winnipesaukee is also a major coldwater fishery, including lake trout and landlocked salmon, while also offering warmwater fishing opportunities.

Winnipesaukee may be a good fit if you want:

• Bigger water and longer boat rides
• Tubing, skiing and watersports
• Islands, coves and a lot of water to explore
• Towns, marinas and destinations accessible from the lake
• Both coldwater and warmwater fishing opportunities
• A lake where boating can be a major part of your summer lifestyle

If you want complete solitude every time you leave your dock, however, you may prefer one of the region’s quieter alternatives.

For Watersports and Everyday Boating Without the Scale of Winnipesaukee: Lake Winnisquam

I think Lake Winnisquam deserves more attention from people who want a true boating lake but don't necessarily need everything that comes with Winnipesaukee.

You still have enough water to really use a boat. Tubing, waterskiing, cruising, fishing and spending an afternoon on the water all make sense here, but the lake is much easier to learn and navigate than Winnipesaukee.

For someone who wants to walk down to the dock after work, take the boat out for a couple of hours and come home, that can be a big advantage.

Winnisquam also has a nice mixture of open water and shoreline that feels more protected. It can still get active on beautiful summer weekends—this is the Lakes Region, after all—but it generally offers a different pace than the busiest sections of Winnipesaukee.

For fishing, Winnisquam offers both coldwater and warmwater species, so it works for someone who enjoys trolling for trout and salmon as well as someone who would rather fish bass and other warmwater species.

Winnisquam may be a good fit if you want:

• Tubing and watersports
• A lake large enough to really enjoy a powerboat
• Fishing variety
• A somewhat simpler boating experience than Winnipesaukee
• Easy access to the Tilton, Belmont, Sanbornton and Laconia area
• A balance between recreation and relaxing lake life

For a buyer who tells me, “I want a real lake where I can use my boat, but I don't necessarily need the biggest lake in New Hampshire,” Winnisquam is one of the first places I’d consider.

For Quiet Water, Scenery and Nature: Squam Lake

Squam Lake is a completely different experience.

This is where I'd look if scenery, wildlife, paddling and the natural environment are higher priorities than having restaurants and entertainment around the lake.

Squam has a reputation for being peaceful and relatively undeveloped, and that character is a big part of its appeal. The surrounding community has also placed a strong emphasis on conservation and protecting the watershed.

That doesn't mean you can't have a powerboat or enjoy the lake. You absolutely can. It simply has a different personality.

A morning kayak, canoe ride, fishing trip or slow cruise around Squam feels very different from running across Winnipesaukee on a busy July afternoon.

There are also boating restrictions worth knowing. New Hampshire law prohibits waterskiing in Rattlesnake Cove and Inner and Outer Squaw Coves on Squam, for example.

Fishing is another reason people love Squam. The lake supports coldwater species such as lake trout and landlocked salmon as well as bass and other warmwater species.

Squam may be a good fit if you want:

• Kayaking, canoeing and paddling
• Wildlife and natural shoreline
• Quiet cruising
• Fishing
• Less commercial activity around the water
• A lake experience centered more around nature than destinations

If your perfect morning is coffee on the dock followed by a kayak or fishing trip while the lake is still glassy, Squam deserves a serious look.

For Clear Water, Swimming, Boating and Fishing: Newfound Lake

West of the heart of the Lakes Region, Newfound Lake is another lake I think should be on more buyers’ radar.

Newfound gives you enough size for real boating and watersports while still offering a different atmosphere from Winnipesaukee. It is especially appealing to people who value clear water, swimming, fishing and scenery.

There are several islands and interesting shoreline areas to explore, and the lake supports coldwater fishing. Newfound is also one of the New Hampshire waters where cusk fishing devices are specifically permitted under state fishing regulations.

Boaters should also know that several portions of Newfound have special operating restrictions. The state designates low-speed areas around channels near Cliff and Belle Islands and Mayhew Island, along with no-wake areas in Hebron Bay and Pop's Cove.

To me, those aren't negatives—they're examples of why it's important to understand the particular lake you're buying on rather than simply looking at acreage.

Newfound may be a good fit if you want:

• Clear water and swimming
• Powerboating and watersports
• Fishing
• Beautiful scenery
• Enough lake to explore without choosing Winnipesaukee
• A somewhat quieter overall lake experience

There is also state-controlled public boating access in Bristol, and Wellington State Park sits directly on Newfound Lake.

For a Smaller-Lake Feel Near Wolfeboro: Lake Wentworth

If you love the Wolfeboro area but don't necessarily need to be directly on Winnipesaukee, Lake Wentworth is worth knowing.

Wentworth gives you enough water for boating, fishing, swimming and exploring, but it has a distinctly different feel from its much larger neighbor.

This is the kind of lake I would consider for someone who says, “I want to have a boat, but I don't need to spend all day traveling from one end of the lake to the other.”

It also makes sense for anglers. Wentworth is among the lakes specifically recognized in New Hampshire fishing regulations for certain coldwater fishing opportunities, including cusk.

The appeal here is really the combination: a more manageable lake experience while remaining close to everything people love about Wolfeboro and the eastern side of the Lakes Region.

For Boating, Sandbars and a More Eastern Lakes Region Feel: Ossipee Lake

Go a little farther north and east and Ossipee Lake offers another alternative.

Ossipee is a good example of why I don't like simply ranking lakes from “best” to “worst.” Someone who wants Winnipesaukee's restaurants and destinations might not choose Ossipee. Someone who wants boating, fishing, mountains and a slightly more removed setting might love it.

Ossipee's main lake connects with additional bays and waterways, giving boaters plenty to explore.

It also has popular gathering areas around its coves and sandbars. Those areas are popular enough that New Hampshire actually has specific rafting regulations for portions of Cassie and Turtle Coves and the adjacent sandbar, including limits on raft size and requirements to keep the navigational channel open.

That tells you something about the lake itself: there can be a social side to boating here, but you're also surrounded by a much more rural setting than you would find in some of the central Lakes Region's busiest destinations.

If Fishing Is Your Priority, Don't Only Look at One Lake

One of the mistakes I think people make is asking, “What's the best fishing lake?”

The better question is: What do you like to fish for?

If you're interested in lake trout and landlocked salmon, you're going to look at the Lakes Region differently than someone whose ideal morning is throwing a lure along rocky shoreline for smallmouth bass.

Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam and Squam all offer a mixture of coldwater and warmwater fisheries.

And even within the same lake, fishing changes dramatically depending on depth, structure, season and where you are on the water.

So if fishing is an important part of your home search, I'd treat it the same way I would treat boating: figure out how you want to use the lake first, then choose the location.

If You Want Peace and Quiet, You Don't Necessarily Need a Smaller Lake

This might be the most important point in the whole discussion.

A smaller lake isn't automatically quiet, and a large lake isn't automatically busy.

Where you are on the lake matters.

A protected cove on Winnipesaukee can offer a completely different atmosphere from an exposed property near a major boating route. A smaller lake with a popular launch or recreation area can become surprisingly active on a Saturday afternoon.

When I'm looking at waterfront property, I want to know more than the name of the lake.

I'd want to know:

Where is the property in relation to the main boating traffic?

How exposed is the waterfront?

How deep is the water at the dock?

Is there a sandy swimming area or does the shoreline drop quickly?

How difficult is it to get a larger boat in and out?

Are there rocks, shallow areas or narrow channels nearby?

Are there no-wake zones?

Where is the nearest public launch or marina?

And most importantly: does the way this section of the lake feels match how you're actually going to use it?

Those questions can matter just as much as the house itself.

Don't Forget Public Access

You also don't need to own waterfront property to build your life around one of these lakes.

New Hampshire maintains public boating access around the state, including state-controlled access on Lake Winnipesaukee at Downing's Landing in Alton and Newfound Lake in Bristol. There are also municipal, state park and other access points around many of the Lakes Region's waterways.

Access varies considerably from lake to lake, though. Parking, trailer capacity, launch conditions and local rules can all affect how practical a particular lake is if you're planning to trailer your boat rather than keep it at a dock or marina.

That's something I would research before buying a home specifically because it's “five minutes from the lake.”

Five minutes from the shoreline and five minutes from a launch you can actually use with your boat aren't always the same thing.

So, Which Lakes Region Lake Is Best?

There isn't one.

If I wanted big-water boating, watersports and destinations, I'd be looking hard at Winnipesaukee.

If I wanted powerboating and watersports on a lake that feels more manageable, I'd put Winnisquam high on the list.

If I cared most about nature, paddling, scenery and a quieter atmosphere, I'd look closely at Squam.

If I wanted clear water, swimming, fishing and plenty of room to boat, Newfound would deserve serious consideration.

If I wanted a somewhat smaller lake close to Wolfeboro, I'd look at Wentworth.

And if I wanted boating and fishing in a more rural setting toward the eastern side of the region, I'd consider Ossipee.

But those are starting points.

The Lakes Region has dozens of lakes and ponds, and sometimes the lake that fits someone best isn't the famous one they originally came here searching for.

That's one of my favorite parts about helping people explore this area. Once I know whether someone pictures themselves pulling the kids on a tube, trolling for salmon at sunrise, paddling along a quiet shoreline, running the boat to dinner, or just sitting on the dock with a view, it becomes much easier to narrow down where they should actually be looking.

If you're considering a home on or near the water in New Hampshire's Lakes Region and aren't sure which lake fits the way you want to live, feel free to reach out. I'm always happy to talk through the different areas, lakes and town and help you figure out where to start.

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Tim Champagne
Realtor with The Dow Group
Keller Williams Coastal and Lakes & Mountains Realty
Cell: 603.520.4955
Office: 603.285.9121
Email: tim@thedowgroup.com
Website: https://tim.thedowgroup.com
Serving Laconia, Tilton, Gilford, Belmont, Franklin, Meredith, Sanbornton, Alton, Wolfeboro, Belknap County, and the greater Lakes Region of New Hampshire.