Squam Lake
Squam Lake is a lake located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, south of the White Mountains, straddling the borders of Grafton, Carroll, and Belknap counties.
A lake inside Center Harbor
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 10°, with about 80" of snow a year. When to go ↓
Meredith is the nearest base
Meredith is 8 miles south, with 681 hotel and restaurant jobs. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from Boston
Boston is about 101 miles south (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep
May, June, July, August and September are the mild months, with highs of 68–81°. When to go ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Census job and town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Weather, month by month
Typical highs and lows in Center Harbor. Green months are the mild ones.
Squam Lake
Squam Lake is a lake located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, south of the White Mountains, straddling the borders of Grafton, Carroll, and Belknap counties. The largest town center on the lake is Holderness. The lake is located northwest of much larger Lake Winnipesaukee.
It drains via a short natural channel into Little Squam Lake, and then through a dam at the head of the short Squam River into the Pemigewasset at Ashland. Covering 6,791 acres (27.48 km2), Squam is the second-largest lake located entirely in New Hampshire.
- Type
- Lake
- Area
- 11 square miles
- Elevation
- 561 ft
- Wikipedia readers
- 21K a year
Stay in Center Harbor, or close by
Towns within 30 miles, closest first. Hotel and restaurant jobs show how many places there are to stay and eat.
| Town | From Squam Lake | Hotel & restaurant jobs | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Harbor 42% vacation homes | in town | 53 | 955 | $464K | — |
| Holderness 38% vacation homes | 3 mi west | 172 | 1,917 | $363K | B− |
| Ashland 23% vacation homes | 6 mi west | 113 | 2,183 | $227K | C |
| Sandwich 26% vacation homes | 8 mi northeast | 68 | 1,757 | $438K | — |
| Meredith 35% vacation homes | 8 mi south | 681 | 6,758 | $480K | B+ |
| Moultonborough 52% vacation homes | 8 mi east | 274 | 5,126 | $644K | A |
| Campton 32% vacation homes | 8 mi northwest | 154 | 3,407 | $356K | B+ |
| Plymouth | 10 mi west | 722 | 6,601 | $292K | B− |
| New Hampton | 10 mi southwest | 78 | 2,509 | $384K | — |
| Bridgewater 39% vacation homes | 10 mi southwest | 42 | 1,169 | $399K | — |
| Laconia 26% vacation homes | 12 mi south | 1,095 | 17,085 | $340K | C |
| Bristol 43% vacation homes | 12 mi southwest | 228 | 3,273 | $258K | B− |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Also near Squam Lake
Other well-known places within 65 miles. Numbered ones are on the map above.
Big draw38 mi⛰ MountainMount Washington
114 mi🛶 LakeLake Winnipesaukee
225 mi🌲 National forestWhite Mountain National Forest
31 mi🎢 Theme parkStory Land
31 mi⛷ Ski areaCannon Mountain104 runs · 2,201 ft vertical
64 mi🏺 Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
315 mi⛷ Ski areaWaterville Valley Resort84 runs · 1,990 ft vertical
429 mi🚂 Scenic railwayConway Scenic RailroadPhoto credits
Mount Washington: wwoods, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · White Mountain National Forest: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Story Land: AnotherMaker, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cannon Mountain: Mikespenard at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Waterville Valley Resort: MConradWard, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Conway Scenic Railroad: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Visiting Squam Lake
Is Squam Lake in Center Harbor?
Yes. It’s inside Center Harbor, NH.
When is the best time to visit Squam Lake?
May, June, July, August and September, with highs of 68–81°.
How far is Squam Lake from Boston?
About 101 miles south of Boston, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Squam Lake?
Lebanon Municipal (LEB), about 40 miles away. The nearest big hub is Portland International Jetport (PWM), about 61 miles.
Where should I stay near Squam Lake?
Holderness (3 mi, 172 hotel and restaurant jobs), Ashland (6 mi, 113 hotel and restaurant jobs) and Meredith (8 mi, 681 hotel and restaurant jobs).
Tips from people in Center Harbor
No tips yet. Ask, or answer, in Center Harbor’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.