Squam Lake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Squam Lake
View from the cliffs of East Rattlesnake
Squam Lake Location in New Hampshire
Location	Grafton County, Carroll County, and Belknap County, New Hampshire
Coordinates	43°44′43″N 71°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 (see list)
Settlements	Holderness; Sandwich; Moultonborough; Center Harbor

Squam Lake is a beautiful lake located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States. It sits south of the White Mountains. The lake spreads across parts of Grafton, Carroll, and Belknap counties. The biggest town right on the lake is Holderness. Squam Lake is also northwest of the much larger Lake Winnipesaukee.

Water flows from Squam Lake into Little Squam Lake through a short natural channel. Then, it goes through a dam into the short Squam River. This river eventually joins the Pemigewasset River near Ashland. Squam Lake covers about 6,791 acres. This makes it the second-largest lake that is completely inside New Hampshire.

Squam Lake in 2006

Squam Lake from the Asquam House, Holderness, NH

What's in a Name?

Squam Lake was first called Keeseenunknipee. This old name meant "the goose lake in the highlands." Around 1779, the early settlers shortened the name to "Casumpa," "Kusumpy," or "Kesumpe."

Later, in the early 1800s, the lake was given another Abenaki name, Asquam. This word simply means "water." Finally, in the early 1900s, "Asquam" was shortened to its current name, Squam.

Fun Facts and Wildlife

The famous 1981 movie On Golden Pond was filmed on Squam Lake. The filming took place near the town of Center Harbor.

You can take boat tours on the lake. There are two main tour services in Holderness. One is Experience Squam, which offers private boat trips. The other is the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. Both tours show places where the movie was filmed. They also point out interesting natural spots around the lake.

Squam Lake is a special place for common loons. These birds build their nests here. You can often see them with their beautiful breeding feathers during the summer. Bald eagles and great blue herons also build nests around the lake.

The lake is home to many kinds of fish. It has both cold-water and warm-water fish. Some of the fish you might find include:

• Rainbow trout
• Landlocked salmon
• Lake trout
• Lake whitefish
• Smallmouth bass
• Largemouth bass
• Chain pickerel
• Horned pout
• White perch

Islands of Squam Lake

Squam Lake has about 30 islands that have names. It also has many smaller islands that are not named. Here are some of the named islands:

See also

In Spanish: Lago Squam para niños