I love living in Southern New Hampshire. To me it offers a little bit of everything. This is Part 1 of a 2 part series
on lakes in Southern NH.
My husband and I are
Water people...we love the
ocean and the many
lakes found in our state. That's part of the reason we stay here in New Hampshire...we can drive 30 minutes and be at the ocean...
Hampton Beach is a funky little beach town and we just love it!
All summer long there are free concerts right on the beach at Hampton and every weekend boasts some pretty cool fireworks. Route 1A winds along the waterfront and is lined with every imaginable shop there is. Further south on 1A are the beach towns of Seabrook NH and Salisbury Massachusetts. North brings us to Rye, New Castle and
Portsmouth NH.
Lobsters...Steamers and Clam shacks can be found just about everywhere.
We've kayaked Portsmouth Harbor and this neat little place called
Witches Creek in Rye NH...oh the
freedom of being in a small craft exploring the nooks and crannies of our coast line...just nothing like it and in a bigger boat you'd never even see what we've seen from our kayaks. Of course we just need a few inches of water under us to move along.
We've also kayaked on many of our lakes. In southern NH within a half hour ride from us here in Hampstead there are several ponds and lakes. Some are private so you would need to know someone who lives there or in some cases just live in that town.
If you're into fishing and flat water boating...like kayaking
New Hampshire's Fish and Game department has a
pretty complete
list of public access ponds for fishing but of course boating counts as well. Need information about depths of these ponds check out the
Depth maps.
Some of our local ponds are listed below. There are many more we've been out on and love dearly. Keep an eye out for part 2 of this highlighting some of our favorites...and not so favorite ponds and lakes.
Angle Pond located in
Sandown NH...There is no public access, you would need permission to launch a boat from the
Angle Pond Camp ground. This campground offer season camping sites as well some limited transit sites.
Beaver Lake located in
Derry NH
Public access is located on route 102, Beaver lake is good sized at about 134 acres. No personal watercraft allowed.
Big Island Pond aka Island Pod and is located in
Atkinson ,
Hampstead and
Derry NH
This is a very popular private pond with day access for fishing only, a permit and key is required and can be purchased at Don's market in Hampstead. 500 acres makes a delightful kayaking pond...if you're lucky enough to know someone who lives on the pond. If you're into camping there is a Campground again mainly seasonal sites but they have a few transit sites and this is also a waterfront campground.
Lake
Massabesic located in
Auburn NH
Public access Rte 121 and Rte 28, no swimming allowed as this is the drinking water supply for the city of Manchester NH but for boating...fishing and kayaking this is absolutely awesome... 2900 acres makes for a full day of exploring.
Pow Wow Pond Located in
Kingston and East Kingston NH and is 246 acres, great for fishing...many fisherman I know call this a paradise for them and boating. Pow Wow is a weedy pond so swimming might be limited.
Great Pond Kingston NH is a very popular 204 acre lake with State park access and boat launching.
Country Pond Kingston and Newton NH 306 acres . Very limited access...we've never been out on this lake.
Sunset lake aka
Washpond Hampstead NH 151 acres pond with access for Hampstead residents only. Jay and I can kayak this lake in about an hour.
Pawtuckaway State Park Located in Nottingham NH...This is an awesome state park with an awesome campground. We love kayaking here...fishing and boating is very popular. Public access and l800 acres of lake plus boat launches make this very desirable...get here early!
Interested in reading what we've had to say about our communities:
The best of the best my Southern NH
Hampstead Happenings
Hampstead Market Info
Hampstead Tid Bits
A little bit about Hampstead
A little bit about Danville NH
A little bit about Kingston NH
A little bit about Atkinson NH
New Hampshire's Old Man
New Hampshire's White Powder
New Hampshire Kayaking Adventures
New Hampshire My Favorite State
We know that you don't care what we know ....until you know that we care!
Jay and Monika McGillicuddy
Prudential Verani Realty
Hampstead NH
603-548-7728
Very nice local blog Monika! When my husband was in the Navy, we used to travel to Portsmouth and always loved those trips!
Thanks Linda for commenting. Portsmouth is Ann Cummings back yard but we love it as well! Especially the harbor side!! Kayaking in the harbor is awesome! Thanks
Monika - NICE post! I had no idea there were that many bodies of water in your area. Pawtuckaway is bigger than I realized.
I was down at the beaches in Hampton yesterday taking some pictures, and thought of you guys. The campground right on the ocean there where I know you've stayed before was so pretty - empty, sunny and pretty. And boy was it ever cold!! Those winds we had yesterday were brutal, especially along the ocean. I meant to email you and tell you about it. The sand was whipping everywhere. Fortunately we don't get wind like that very often at all. It was such a beautifully sunny day - just felt like riding along the ocean.
I still love that picture of the two of you - very nice-looking couple!! ;-)
Ann
Love you local posts Monika...the area is beautiful...I'm going to have to go visit you soon.
Thanks Ann.
That is so funny...I wanted to head to the beach yesterday too! We changed our mind because it was so cold and windy. We've stayed at that campground many times...love it right on the beach! Nice walk from the campground to town. Just a fun place to hang out. Also love to walk to China Wok restaurant for scorpion bowls....
Moni
Thanks so much Ines...let us know when your coming!!! It is pretty nice up here :)
Monika, now that is hitting below the belt "Lobsters...Steamers and Clam shacks can be found just about everywhere." That is not fair, those are three of my favorite foods, and now I am sitting here wanting some to console me after the Pats lost.
George...That was a tough Loss!!!! We're pretty upset still. Maybe a ride to the beach will cheer us up. My favorite...food is Lobsters and Steamers YUMMY!
I love your blogs Monika! You keep up the great work! Gives me something to strive for!
-Lisa Canavan