Silver Lake (Madison, New Hampshire)

Silver Lake
Silver Lake at Nichols Beach, Madison, NH
Location of Silver Lake in New Hampshire, USA.
Location of Silver Lake in New Hampshire, USA.
Silver
Lake
Location of Silver Lake in New Hampshire, USA.
Location of Silver Lake in New Hampshire, USA.
Silver
Lake
LocationCarroll County, New Hampshire
Coordinates43°51′57″N 71°10′24″W / 43.86583°N 71.17333°W / 43.86583; -71.17333
Primary inflowsDeer River
Forrest Brook
Primary outflowsWest Branch
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length2.6 mi (4.2 km)
Max. width1.2 mi (1.9 km)
Surface area969 acres (3.92 km2)
Average depth47 ft (14 m)
Max. depth164 ft (50 m)
Surface elevation468 ft (143 m)
IslandsBig Island; Bimba Island; Loon Island
SettlementsSilver Lake (town of Madison)

Silver Lake is a 969-acre (3.92 km2)[1] water body located in Carroll County in eastern New Hampshire, United States, in the town of Madison. The village of Silver Lake within Madison lies at the north end of the lake. Water from Silver Lake flows via the West Branch, through the Ossipee Pine Barrens[2] to Ossipee Lake and ultimately to the Saco River in Maine.

Much of the lake's perimeter is forested, but there are numerous swimming spots. Popular beaches include "the foot" of the lake, "Nichols Beach", and "the head of the lake." It was the summer home of E. E. Cummings whose father had built two houses on the lake's eastern shore and later purchased the nearby Joy Farm where Cummings' spent most of his summers as well as his final days.

The lake is classified as a cold- and warmwater fishery, with observed species including rainbow trout, lake trout, lake whitefish, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, and horned pout.[3]

  1. ^ New Hampshire GRANIT database Archived 2013-08-03 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "New Hampshire - The Ossipee Pine Barrens". www.nature.org. Archived from the original on 2005-11-12.
  3. ^ "Silver Lake, Madison" (PDF). NH Fish & Game. Retrieved September 4, 2014.