| Squam Lake | |
|---|---|
 View from the cliffs of East Rattlesnake | |
  Squam Lake | |
| Location | Grafton County,Carroll County, andBelknap County, New Hampshire |
| Coordinates | 43°44′43″N71°31′34″W / 43.74528°N 71.52611°W /43.74528; -71.52611 |
| Primary outflows | Squam River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 7.0 mi (11.3 km) |
| Max. width | 4.6 mi (7.4 km) |
| Surface area | 6,791 acres (2,748 ha) |
| Max. depth | 99 ft (30 m) |
| Surface elevation | 561 ft (171 m) |
| Islands | 28 named (seelist) |
| Settlements | Holderness;Sandwich;Moultonborough;Center Harbor |
Squam Lake is alake located in theLakes Region of centralNew Hampshire, United States, south of theWhite Mountains, straddling the borders ofGrafton,Carroll, andBelknap counties. The largest town center on the lake isHolderness. The lake is located northwest of much largerLake Winnipesaukee.
It drains via a short natural channel intoLittle Squam Lake, and then through a dam at the head of the shortSquam River into thePemigewasset atAshland. Covering 6,791 acres (27.48 km2),[1] Squam is the second-largest lake located entirely in New Hampshire.
Squam Lake was originally calledKeeseenunknipee,[clarification needed] which meant "the goose lake in the highlands". The white settlers that followed shortened the name to "Casumpa", "Kusumpy" and/or "Kesumpe" around 1779. In the early 19th century, the lake was given anotherAbenaki name,Asquam, which means "water". Finally, in the early 20th century, Asquam was shortened to its present version, Squam.
Squam Lake is much less commercialized than its neighbor Lake Winnipesaukee, which has waterfront attractions inMeredith,Weirs Beach, and other locations. Unlike the numerous businesses dotting the shores of Winnipesaukee, only a few are present on Squam, and none of them are located on Squam itself (there is an ice cream shop, ageneral store/marketplace, a restaurant, twomarinas, and multiplegas stations onLittle Squam). The Squam Lakes Association maintains only four boat-launching sites on the entire lake in order to keep it as quiet and private as possible.
The 1981 filmOn Golden Pond was filmed in the town ofCenter Harbor on Squam Lake.[2] There are two tour boat services on the lake, both based in Holderness. One is Experience Squam, a private charter, and the other is theSquam Lakes Natural Science Center. Both services show filming locations and items of natural significance.
Squam Lake is a nesting site forcommon loons and is a good place to see them in breeding plumage during the summer months.Bald eagles andgreat blue herons are also known to nest on the lake.
The lake is classified as a cold- and warmwater fishery, with observed species includingrainbow trout,landlocked salmon,lake trout,lake whitefish,smallmouth andlargemouth bass,chain pickerel,horned pout, andwhite perch.[3]
Squam Lake has about 30 named islands and numerous smaller, unnamed islets. The named islands are:
On June 26, 1932, while vacationing on Squam Lake, astronomerAdelaide Ames was taking a canoe tour with a friend on the lake when the boat capsized. She was presumed to have drowned and her body was found after a ten-day search on July 5, 1932. She died at the age of 32.[5]
