You’ve seen this New Hampshire lake in the movies, now go find its eagles and bears: What we know so far

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Meet the Lake Behind the Movie

You already know this lake, even if you have never heard its name. Squam Lake sits in New Hampshires Lakes Region, just south of the White Mountains, and its still water and pine-covered shoreline show up every time someone mentions the states most famous nature film. Dozens of islands and four small towns share this one shoreline. The name itself carries a much older story than the movie ever let on. Shutterstock

Thirty Islands Share One Clear Lake

Squam Lake covers about 6,800 acres, the second largest lake sitting entirely inside New Hampshire. You will notice the water first. It runs clear and calm, with pine-covered hills wrapped around most of the shoreline. Look toward the middle and you can count close to 30 named islands, plus plenty of smaller ones with no name at all. Big Squam and Little Squam are actually two spring-fed lakes joined by a channel in Holderness. Four towns share the shore: Holderness, Center Harbor, Sandwich, and Moultonborough. Wikimedia Commons

A Name That Changed Four Times

Glaciers carved this lake basin roughly 15,000 years ago, long before anyone gave it a name. The earliest known name was Keeseenunknipee, meaning the goose lake in the highlands. Later spellings drifted to Casumpa, then Asquam, an Abenaki word for water. By the early 1900s, people had worn the name down to what you see on maps today, Squam. Since 1904, the Squam Lakes Association has worked to keep the water and shoreline the way you find them now. Shutterstock

Where On Golden Pond Was Filmed

Holderness and the water around it stood in for the fictional lake in the 1981 film On Golden Pond. Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, and Jane Fonda starred, and the movie won Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Fonda. The lakeside house still stands, and you can spot it from the water if you know where to look. Even the loon calls in the soundtrack came from the lake itself. That film put Squam on the map for travelers far from New Hampshire. Shutterstock

Listen for Loons at Dusk

Those loon calls are not just a movie memory. Squam is an active nesting site for common loons, the same birds echoing across the water in the film. Summer gives you the best shot at seeing them in their black-and-white breeding feathers. Look up, too.

Bald eagles nest around the lake and hunt fish along the surface, while great blue herons wade through the quiet coves and marshy edges. Clean, protected water keeps this wildlife coming back year after year. Flickr/Richard T Haddad

Cruise the Lake with a Naturalist

The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center runs guided cruises lasting 90 minutes, and you ride in a canopied pontoon boat while a naturalist points out whatever the lake is showing off that day. You might spot loons, watch a bald eagle work the shoreline, or get shown a nest tucked into the trees. The route shifts to chase the best wildlife, so no two trips look alike. Called Discover Squam, it crosses the water where On Golden Pond was filmed. Book ahead, seats fill fast. Flickr/cam_rich345

Walk Past Bears and Bobcats

The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center has taught visitors about nature since the 1960s, and its Live Animal Exhibit Trail winds through more than 200 acres of fields and forest. You will pass black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, and river otters that never stop moving. Raptors watch from their perches, a coyote paces nearby, and native turtles sun in their enclosures. Every animal here is native to New Hampshire and cannot survive in the wild. Plan on two and a half hours to see it. Shutterstock

Climb West Rattlesnake in Under an Hour

If you want a big view without a big climb, West Rattlesnake Mountain delivers. The Old Bridle Path covers less than a mile to the summit, and the trail stays wide and shaded, a good match for families, older walkers, and kids. At the top, the rocky, open summit opens onto a wide view of Squam Lake and the hills behind it. Most hikers finish the round trip in under two hours, and East Rattlesnake sits nearby for a second view. Shutterstock

Paddle Past Reefs and Hidden Coves

Squam rewards anyone with a kayak or canoe. The water stays calm, and the shoreline folds into coves that swallow up sound. The Squam Lakes Association rents canoes and kayaks in season if you did not bring your own, and from there you can explore quiet inlets, reefs, and small islands at your own pace. No jet skis are allowed here, so the water stays peaceful on busy weekends. Motorboats share the lake, but the pace still runs slower than on busier lakes nearby. Shutterstock

Camp on an Island for the Night

You can sleep on Squam Lake itself. The Squam Lakes Association keeps campsites on Moon and Bowman islands, and getting there means a paddle of roughly one to one and a half miles from the association headquarters. Both islands have small beaches where you can swim or sit with your feet in the water.

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More campsites sit onshore in the Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest for anyone who would rather skip the paddle. Camping season runs roughly May through October, and you will need a reservation. Shutterstock

Fifty Miles of Trails Wait Nearby

Beyond the Rattlesnakes, the Squam Lakes Association keeps up more than 50 miles of trails ranging from flat lakeside strolls to real climbs. Five Finger Point sends you on a wooded walk out to points and coves along the water. Mount Morgan and Mount Percival sit close by and reward the climb with big views. Red Hill leads up toward an old fire tower, where the payoff is a wide look across mountains and lake alike. Local volunteers keep most trails clear. Shutterstock

Find a Garden and a Chapel on the Water

Kirkwood Gardens, right at the Science Center, gives you a free, colorful place to walk, planted specifically to draw butterflies and birds. Out on the lake itself, Chocorua Island holds a small open-air chapel that most visitors never expect to find in the middle of the water. From June through early September, the chapel hosts Sunday services on the island. Both spots give you a quiet break, framed by water on one side and mountains on the other. Flickr/AnandKhatri

Watch Fall Color Take Over the Water

Squam turns into one of New Hampshires better fall foliage stops once autumn arrives. Color usually starts around mid-September and holds on through late October, depending on the year. The mix of shoreline trees and surrounding hills throws bright reflections across the water on calm days. Cool, clear fall afternoons rank among the best times to hike the Rattlesnakes or take a lake cruise, since crowds thin out. Covered bridges scattered around the area add to the classic New England drive on your way in. Flickr/psmithy

Visit Squam Lake in New Hampshire

Squam Lake sits in central New Hampshires Lakes Region, about 40 miles north of Concord and just south of the White Mountains. Holderness sits at the heart of it, home to the Science Center on Route 113 and the Squam Lakes Association on Route 3. Both serve as your starting points, whether you are booking a wildlife cruise, walking the animal trail, renting a kayak, or heading out on a hike. Check the official website for current hours and admission before you go. This article was created with AI assistance and human editing. Read more from this brand:

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The post You’ve seen this New Hampshire lake in the movies, now go find its eagles and bears appeared first on When In Your State.