Musquacook Stream facts for kids

First Musquacook Lake
First Musquacook Lake Location in Maine
Coordinates	46°40′N 69°11′W / 46.667°N 69.183°W / 46.667; -69.183
Max. length	3 mi (4.8 km)
Surface area	644 acres (261 ha)
Max. depth	48 feet (15 m)
Water volume	12,160 acre⋅ft (15,000,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,066 ft (325 m)

Second Musquacook Lake
Second Musquacook Lake Location in Maine
Coordinates	46°38′N 69°10′W / 46.633°N 69.167°W / 46.633; -69.167
Max. length	3 mi (4.8 km)
Surface area	758 acres (307 ha)
Max. depth	62 feet (19 m)
Water volume	21,391 acre⋅ft (26,385,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,066 ft (325 m)

Third Musquacook Lake
Third Musquacook Lake Location in Maine
Coordinates	46°36′N 69°09′W / 46.600°N 69.150°W / 46.600; -69.150
Max. length	1.4 mi (2.3 km)
Surface area	390 acres (160 ha)
Max. depth	64 feet (20 m)
Water volume	8,735 acre⋅ft (10,774,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,096 ft (334 m)

Fourth Musquacook Lake
Fourth Musquacook Lake Location in Maine
Coordinates	46°34′N 69°09′W / 46.567°N 69.150°W / 46.567; -69.150
Max. length	3 mi (4.8 km)
Surface area	729 acres (295 ha)
Max. depth	40 feet (12 m)
Water volume	12,114 acre⋅ft (14,942,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,119 ft (341 m)

Fifth Musquacook Lake
Fifth Musquacook Lake Location in Maine
Coordinates	46°33′N 69°06′W / 46.550°N 69.100°W / 46.550; -69.100
Max. length	2 mi (3.2 km)
Surface area	436 acres (176 ha)
Max. depth	5 feet (1.5 m)
Water volume	921 acre⋅ft (1,136,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,135 ft (346 m)

Clear Lake
Clear Lake Location in Maine
Coordinates	46°31′N 69°08′W / 46.517°N 69.133°W / 46.517; -69.133
Max. length	1.8 mi (2.9 km)
Max. width	1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Surface area	626 acres (253 ha)
Max. depth	86 feet (26 m)
Water volume	16,205 acre⋅ft (19,989,000 m3)
Surface elevation	1,194 ft (364 m)

Musquacook Stream is a cool waterway located in the North Maine Woods. It's a branch, or tributary, of the larger Allagash River. This stream starts from a series of lakes in Maine.

The water flows from the highest lake, Clear Lake, down through Fifth, Fourth, Third, Second, and finally First Musquacook Lake. These lakes are found in both Piscataquis County and Aroostook County. After passing through all these lakes, the stream joins the Allagash River in a section called Musquacook Deadwater.

Musquacook Lake Chain

The Musquacook Stream is fed by a chain of five lakes and one larger lake, Clear Lake. Each lake has its own unique features and supports different kinds of fish. Let's explore them!

First Musquacook Lake

First Musquacook Lake is connected to Second Musquacook Lake by a short, wide channel. This channel helps keep both lakes at the same water level. The lake stretches north and then overflows into Musquacook Stream, just before an area known as Horse Race Rapids.

Searway Brook flows into the east side of this lake. During summer, the deeper parts of the lake, below about 7 meters (23 feet), might not have enough oxygen for some fish. However, fish like lake trout and brook trout can still reach this lake from the channel during cooler times.

Second Musquacook Lake

Second Musquacook Lake is the biggest lake in the Musquacook chain. It's a great home for fish like lake trout and brook trout. Water from Third Musquacook Lake flows into its southern end.

Other smaller streams also feed into this lake. Squirrel Brook brings water from Squirrel Pond into the east side. Conner Brook and Hesse Brook flow into the north end of the lake.

Third Musquacook Lake

Third Musquacook Lake is the smallest lake in this chain. Even though it's small, it still has populations of lake trout and brook trout. Sometimes, the deeper water in late summer doesn't have enough oxygen, but the fish manage.

Water from Fourth Musquacook Lake enters the west side of Third Lake. The northwest part of Third Lake then flows into Second Musquacook Lake, which is about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) north. Long Pond also drains into the east side of Third Lake.

Fourth Musquacook Lake

Water from Fifth Musquacook Lake flows into the east side of Fourth Musquacook Lake. Then, the northwest end of Fourth Lake overflows into Third Musquacook Lake, about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) to the north.

This lake is home to fish like horn pout and fallfish. Brook trout can also be found here, especially when they seek cooler spots where springs flow into the lake during warm summer days.

Fifth Musquacook Lake

Fifth Musquacook Lake is the most shallow lake in the chain. It's a good place for white sucker fish to live. Clear Lake drains into the south end of Fifth Lake. The north end of Fifth Lake then overflows into Fourth Musquacook Lake, about 600 yards (0.5 kilometers) to the west.

Clear Lake

Clear Lake is the deepest lake in the Musquacook chain. Its deep waters provide excellent living conditions for fish such as lake trout, brook trout, and lake whitefish. The north end of Clear Lake flows into Fifth Musquacook Lake, which is about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) to the north.