| Chocorua Lake | |
|---|---|
 The lake with the summit ofMount Chocorua casting a reflection | |
  Chocorua Lake  Chocorua Lake | |
| Location | Carroll County, New Hampshire |
| Coordinates | 43°54′02″N71°14′14″W / 43.90056°N 71.23722°W /43.90056; -71.23722[1] |
| Primary inflows | Chocorua River, Stratton Brook |
| Primary outflows | Chocorua River |
| Catchment area | 13.2 sq mi (34 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 1.1 mi (1.8 km) |
| Max. width | 3,500 ft (1,100 m) |
| Surface area | 222 acres (90 ha)[2] |
| Average depth | 12 ft (3.7 m)[2] |
| Max. depth | 27 ft (8.2 m)[2] |
| Surface elevation | 574 ft (175 m)[2] |
| Settlements | Chocorua (town ofTamworth) |
| References | [1][2] |
Chocorua Lake is a picturesquelake in northeastNew Hampshire, United States, with commanding views of the summit ofMount Chocorua. It is approximately 1.1 miles (1.8 km) long (north-south) with a maximum width of 3,500 feet (1.1 km) (east-west), covering 222 acres (90 ha),[2] and a maximum depth of 27 feet (8.2 m).[2]
The lake is most noted for its calm, serene setting. There is little to nodevelopment surrounding it, and its views of the bald summit of Mount Chocorua are unblemished byradio antennas.
Chocorua Lake, also commonly called Lake Chocorua, is located in east-central New Hampshire in the town ofTamworth, New Hampshire. It is located in theOssipee Lakewatershed south of theWhite Mountains region. The watershed is 13.2 square miles (34 km2) of mostly protected forest under the management of theUnited States Forest Service.[3] The maininflow into the lake is theChocorua River from the north, which drains the south side of Mount Chocorua.[4] Stratton Brook flows into the west side of the lake. The lake'soutflow is to the south, through Little Chocorua Lake, then through adam outfall into the Chocorua River.[4] (Though the lake has a dammed outlet, it is a natural lake, not areservoir, with the dam serving to maintain the water level of the lake at precisely 574 feet (175 m) abovesea level.) The water from the Chocorua Lake outfall and the Chocorua River eventually reaches theBearcamp River and entersOssipee Lake, then theSaco River and finally theAtlantic Ocean on the coast ofMaine.
Swimming,canoeing,kayaking, andfishing are popular recreation activities on the lake.Outboard motors of any kind are prohibited from using the lake.[5] In addition,campfires and cooking fires of any kind are prohibited from the shore of the lake.[6]Canoe andkayak access is available from The Grove off ofNew Hampshire Route 16 on the east side of the lake, and from the road near the bridge on the south end of the lake.[2] There are beaches accessible from Route 16 on the east side of the lake. In addition, there are many hiking trails around the lake; most notable are the trails leading to the summit of Mount Chocorua just north of the lake.
Fish species that live in Chocorua Lake includebrook trout,smallmouth bass,black bullhead,yellow perch,rainbow trout[7] andcatfish.[8]
Bird species that live in or migrate through the vicinity include thebald eagle,loon, andosprey.[9]
Chocorua Lake is a fragile lake due to how shallow it is. It has an average depth of 12 feet (3.7 m) and a maximum depth of 27 feet (8.2 m). Because of the lake's shallowness, sunlight reaches most of thewater column.[3] Therefore, even low concentrations ofnutrients can cause plant life and algae to grow quickly, obscuring the sunlight needed for their growth, leading to a loss ofoxygen in the water. Due to overdevelopment of the region andrunoff from New Hampshire Route 16,phosphorus and other nutrients started showing up in the lake in higher concentrations.[3]Algae,lily pads, and other plant life grew at a rapid rate and caused theclarity of the lake to decline. This can increase the risk ofdead zones to occur in the lake. The Chocorua Lake Association (CLA), theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), theNew Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), and the Town of Tamworth began what was called the "Berms and Swales Project" in September 2000 to buildberms,swales, and other filtering devices to control runoff and to filtersediments and nutrients. This critical work with the partnership among the various agencies has caused an 82% percent decline in phosphorus nutrients since 2000.[3] This has been noted on the EPA website as one of itssuccess stories.
The lake is surrounded by forests with very little visible human development. This provides a very natural setting that is rare to find around most lakes today due to houses, restaurants, hotels, and docks that surround most lakes. This is mostly due to theconservation easements written into theproperty deeds of about 60 landowners that preserved the forested buffers that surround the lake.[3]
Visible to the north of the lake is the view of the bald summit ofMount Chocorua, which tops out at an elevation above 3,480 feet (1,060 m).[10]
