The property:
On the left hand side of the house house there is a small cove you can walk to or canoe to (100 or 200 meters away from the house). As the season goes on, the water level in the lake drops down and a small sandy beach emerges. It's a fun place to explore with little kids. The swamp you can see from there is a breeding ground for birds. Hummingbirds, great blue herons, eagles, and of course loons, and many more common birds have been seen on the property. Or you can canoe about 1.5 miles to Heron Cove in Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest. It offers several beaches and about 4 miles of hiking trails. Or about 1 mile to a Bowman and Moon Islands, which have small beaches as well. Adults need a NH fishing license to fish in the lake. If you go up the hill straight from the front door, you will find an old, no longer maintained tennis court. It is still suitable for some games. There are many restaurants in Holderness and in Meredith, and stores in Holderness, Meredith and Center Harbor
The lake:
Squam is the lake depicted in the 1981 film 'On Golden Pond' staring Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn. Our house is a short kayak or canoe paddle form the island the film was made on. The lake is very picturesque. It has close to 30 named islands and many more small, unnamed islands. The lake is very interesting to explore, but if you are motor boating, watch out for the rocks - they are well marked, but we have many of them. A vessel powered by 25 horsepower or more does require the operator to have a Safe Boater Education Certificate. You can launch larger boats across the street from the Science Center in Holderness, smaller boats on the left hand side of our property, and canoes and very small boats can be rolled of our dock. The best view of the whole lake is from the top of Rattle Snake mountain (under half an hour hike up.)
The mountains:
There are lost of great Mountains which are fun to climb within a short drive. Some are as easy as Rattle Snake, some are as hard as Mt. Washington.
Rattle Snake has a spectacular view of Squam lake, and is only some 30 minutes climb. It is definitely the best view for the effort. Welsh-Dicky Loop Trail is lots of fun and both summits offer an excellent view. The Mounts Morgan and Percival hike is a bit more difficult, and you get rewarded with a fantastic view of Squam Lake, Lake Winnipesaukee, and numerous small ponds and lakes. Mount Cardigan's 3,121-foot treeless granite summit offers outstanding views of west central N.H. Cannon Mountain offers an easy access by aerial tram, and Mount Washington is accessible by cog railway. And of course there are trails up, for those more adventurous.
Other Activities:
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, birdwatching (loons, etc.)
marks the location of the property in Lakes Region
