Squam Lake

Squam Lake is one of the most beautiful and pristine lakes in New England — a large, island-dotted lake of clear, cold water ringed by forested hills and small mountains in the heart of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. It is cherished for its exceptional natural beauty, its healthy loon population (whose haunting calls echo across the water) and its model of conservation-minded stewardship.

Squam became famous as the filming location for the 1981 film ‘On Golden Pond,’ with its quintessential New England lake scenery. The Squam Lakes Association has long protected the lake and its watershed, and the surrounding shores remain largely undeveloped. Hiking the hills of Squam (including Mount Squam and West Rattlesnake), paddling its quiet coves, and listening to the loons are the hallmark experiences. A serene, pristine mountain lake, Squam is a treasured natural icon of New Hampshire.

Summer (June through August) is the prime season, when the water is warm enough for swimming and the loons are nesting and raising chicks (spring and summer are prime for loon-watching on the guided science center cruises), while fall brings spectacular foliage around the lake seen from the hilltops, and the fishing for trout is excellent in spring and fall. Winter brings ice fishing and a quiet, snowy beauty. Summer for loons and lake recreation, and fall for the foliage panoramas from West Rattlesnake, are the highlights.

Squam Lake is famous for its loons — a healthy, well-studied population whose haunting calls are the sound of the lake — along with bald eagles and ospreys nesting in the tall pines, great blue herons, ducks and other waterfowl, white-tailed deer, beavers and otters along the shore, and a fishery of lake trout, landlocked salmon, bass and other species. The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center runs expert loon and wildlife cruises. The loons are the star attraction: Squam is one of the best lakes in New England to observe loons up close on a guided wildlife cruise.

Squam Lake has many islands, shoals and coves — navigate carefully with a chart, watch for rocks and submerged hazards, wear life jackets, and check the forecast (sudden winds raise waves). The water is cold even in summer. Watch children at the water. Be acutely careful near nesting loons and loon chicks (boat wakes can drown chicks; slow way down and stay 150 feet away). In winter, ice conditions vary and can be dangerous. Respect the cold water, the shoals and islands, the boat traffic and the loon family groups.

Squam Lake offers hiking on trails in the surrounding hills (West Rattlesnake is the most popular, with an outstanding lake panorama; other peaks include East Rattlesnake and Mount Morgan), boating and paddling on the clear, island-dotted water (by kayak, canoe or powerboat), guided wildlife cruises by the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (famous for up-close loon watching), swimming, fishing for trout and bass, and exploring the lake’s islands and coves. Hiking West Rattlesnake for the view, paddling the quiet coves and watching the loons are the signature draws of this serene and beautiful lake.

Squam Lake and its shores were home to Native peoples for thousands of years. The lake became a beloved summer destination in the 19th century, with camps and cottages on its shores, and the Squam Lakes Association was founded in 1904 to protect the lake’s character — one of the earliest lake-conservation organizations in New England. The filming of ‘On Golden Pond’ (1981, with Henry and Jane Fonda and Katharine Hepburn) brought the lake global fame. Squam Lake preserves this beautiful, pristine lake, its loons and its conservation heritage, a treasured icon of New Hampshire.

Squam Lake fills a basin carved and shaped by the Ice Age glaciers that sculpted the New Hampshire landscape, leaving the irregular, island-studded shoreline, the clear cold water, and the surrounding granite and metamorphic hills. The lake is relatively shallow in places and deep in others, with a complex bottom and many islands that are glacially polished bedrock. The hills around the lake (including the Rattlesnakes and Squam Range) are ancient granite and metamorphic rock. The glacial carving and deposition created the lake’s beautiful, island-dotted form, set among the forested hills.

Squam Lake is an exceptionally clear, cold, oligotrophic lake — low in nutrients, high in clarity — supporting cold-water fish, a healthy loon population and abundant wildlife, set within a largely undeveloped watershed of forested hills protected by the Squam Lakes Association and conservation easements. The lake’s excellent water quality is the result of decades of careful stewardship. The loons, the cold-water fishery and the clear water are sensitive to development and invasive species. Protecting the water quality, the forested watershed and the loon habitat sustains both the ecology and the legendary beauty of Squam Lake.

Squam Lake is one of the most beloved lakes in New England — ‘Golden Pond,’ a serene, mountain-ringed lake of loons and quiet coves, famous for the film that brought its beauty to the world and a model for lake conservation in New Hampshire. Its pristine water and haunting loon calls embody the New England lake at its finest. Squam Lake is a cherished natural icon of New Hampshire and a landmark of American lake stewardship.

Squam Lake is in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, straddling the towns of Holderness, Sandwich and Moultonborough, reached via U.S. Route 3 and Route 113 (the ‘Squam Lakes Scenic Byway’), about two hours north of Boston and adjacent to Interstate 93. Public access is limited by the lake’s largely private shoreline; the main public launch is in Holderness. The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness offers guided lake cruises and wildlife programs (fee). Hiking the Rattlesnakes is accessed from trailheads on Route 113. Check the Squam Lakes Association and the Science Center for access points, cruises and conditions.

The Squam Lakes Association (founded 1904) and partners protect Squam Lake’s water quality and character. Visitors help by cleaning, draining and drying watercraft to prevent aquatic invasive species, preventing pollution, respecting loons (staying at least 150 feet from nesting loons and chicks, and never approaching loon rafts at high speed), protecting the forested shoreline, packing out everything, and following all boating rules. The loons, the clear water and the undeveloped shoreline are sensitive to heavy use. Protecting them sustains the legendary clarity and beauty of Squam Lake.

Clean, drain and dry watercraft before launching to prevent invasive species (required). Follow New Hampshire boating rules, speed limits and no-wake zones. Maintain at least 150 feet from loons and nesting sites. Use only designated public launches; respect the largely private shoreline. Fishing requires a New Hampshire license. Pets must be leashed at public access areas. Pack out all trash. Check the Squam Lakes Association, NH Fish and Game and NH Marine Patrol for boating rules, invasive-species rules and conditions before visiting.

The town of Holderness (with the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and Squam Lake gateway), the larger Lake Winnipesaukee to the south, the White Mountains to the north, Meredith and the Lakes Region towns, and the scenic Squam Lakes Scenic Byway (Route 113) lie near the lake. Squam Lake is the serene, pristine heart of the New Hampshire Lakes Region, a centerpiece of a Lakes Region adventure, easily combined with Lake Winnipesaukee, the White Mountains and the Science Center’s wildlife cruises.

Book a guided loon cruise with the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness for the best chance of seeing loons up close (an unforgettable experience on a clear summer morning). Hike West Rattlesnake (a moderate 1.8-mile trail to a rocky summit with a sweeping lake panorama — one of the finest short hikes in New Hampshire) and paddle the lake’s quiet coves by kayak or canoe. Come in summer for loons and swimming, or fall for the foliage reflected in the still water. Clean your boat, stay 150 feet from the loons, and savor this legendary lake.