Newfound Lake

Newfound Lake
Newfound Lake from Wellington State Park, Bristol, NH
Location	Grafton County, New Hampshire
Coordinates	43°39′46″N 71°46′31″W / 43.66278°N 71.77528°W / 43.66278; -71.77528Coordinates: 43°39′46″N 71°46′31″W / 43.66278°N 71.77528°W / 43.66278; -71.77528
Primary inflows	Fowler River; Cockermouth River
Primary outflows	Newfound River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	6.0 miles (9.7 km)
Max. width	2.4 miles (3.9 km)
Surface area	4,451 acres (18.01 km2)
Max. depth	183 feet (56 m)
Surface elevation	588 feet (179 m)
Islands	Mayhew Island; Wolf Island; Cliff Island; Belle Island; and Loon Island
Settlements	Bristol; Bridgewater; Alexandria; Hebron

Newfound Lake is located in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It is situated in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, in the towns of Alexandria, Bridgewater, Bristol, and Hebron. Its area of 4,451 acres (1,801 ha) places it behind only Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake among lakes located entirely within New Hampshire, and fourth in the state overall, when Umbagog Lake on the Maine border is included. Newfound Lake is refreshed twice a year by eight underground springs and has 22 miles (35 km) of shore line. The lake is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) wide and 6 miles (10 km) long. The deepest point is 183 feet (56 m). Major tributaries include the Fowler River and the Cockermouth River. Its outlet is the Newfound River, flowing through Bristol village into the Pemigewasset River. The lake volume is 98 billion gallons of water.

Wellington State Park, containing the largest freshwater swimming beach in the New Hampshire state park system, is a 204-acre (83 ha) property located on the lake's west shore in the town of Bristol.

The origin of the lake's name is a mystery. An uncertain tradition says that the Native Americans called it "Pasquaney", meaning "the place where birch bark for canoes is found". Multiple maps from the 1700s detail the lake but do not list a name. For example, when in 1752 Emmanuel Brown published a New and Accurate Map of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and New England, the lake was not referenced with a name. In 1755, Thomas Jefferys published a Map of the Most Inhabited Parts of New England with the lake shown, but still it had no name. Six years later, in 1761, a map called the Accurate Map of his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire detailed the map of the area without acknowledging the name of the lake.