The Little Known Lake In Maine That'll Be Your New Favorite Destination
By Michelle|Published August 18, 2016
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Michelle
Author
Michelle's life is a colorful map of exploration and adventure. From the iconic streets of New York to the sunny shores of Florida, the jagged coast of Maine to the rugged terrain of Montana, she's been fortunate to call some of America's most beautiful states home. Beyond the U.S., Michelle's wanderlust has taken her on a motorcycle journey through India, led her to teach English in Hanoi, and saw her studying Spanish in Guatemala. Michelle graduated with a communications degree from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and in addition to a career in advertising has worked with OnlyInYourState since 2016, where her love for travel and storytelling converges. Alongside writing and exploring, Michelle finds joy in photography, staying active, and time with her family.
For questions, comments and inquiries please email: mstarin@onlyinyourstate.com.
Before we get into why we love this lake, we’d like to make one clarification. There are SO MANY wonderful lakes in Maine. In fact, choosing just one is nearly impossible. Furthermore, based on our research and previous inclusions of this spot in articles, we know quite a few of you have already visited. But, you’d be surprised by how many have never seen it or (gasp!) have never even heard of it! It might be due to its hard-to-pronounce name, but we felt it deserved a little extra-special attention and love. We think Lake Cobbosseecontee (or simply “Cobbossee”) will rank as one of your new favorites.
What it lacks in pronounce-ability, it makes up for in beauty and fun. The lake, with a 62-mile shore length, is marked by a multitude of coves and inlets. While the lake itself is wonderful for recreation, these small nooks and crannies add to the fun and adventure.
The area is also home to tons of Maine wildlife. In fact, it's a great fishing area. Those with a boat will enjoy access to the annual stocking of brown trout. Also making a home in the lake are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brook trout, splake, white perch, pickerel, and redbreasted sunfish. In fact, Cobbosseecontee Lake is known as one of the top bass-fishing lakes in America.
A visit to the lake also means access to the only inland waters lighthouse in Maine that is still actively used today. The Ladies Delight Light not only has a great name, but also marks the northern edge of a rocky underwater reef running down the middle of the lake.
The lighthouse was built in 1908 by architect Frank Jacques Morse. It is currently under the ownership and care of the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club, one of the oldest continually operating inland yacht clubs in the US.
Much of the land around the lake is protected by The Kennebec Land Trust, who works with landowners and communities to conserve the forests, shorelands, fields, and wildlife that define central Maine. a href="https://www.tklt.org//" target="_blank">Click here for more information on their mission and properties.
It's through KLT that much of the beauty of the lake and surrounding area is possible. Hodgdon Island Preserve is one of our favorite areas to explore around the lake and offers access to trails, shoreline and forest.
Lake Cobbosseecontee can be accessed from many different towns. Among them are Litchfield, Manchester, Monmouth, West Gardiner, and Winthrop. There is a public boat ramp in on the southwest shore of the lake in East Monmouth.