New Hampshire

Scenes from Lake Winnipesaukee in Summer

Our favorite outtakes from Yankee’s May/June 2018 travel feature on New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee.

By Heather Marcus

Apr 02 2018

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Wolfeboro Bay.

Photo Credit : Mark Fleming

Despite spending summers in central New Hampshire his whole life, writer Bill Donahue never had much of a chance to experience Lake Winnipesaukee. That all changed, however, when he moved to the Lakes Region full-time in 2015. “I was intent on learning about the local lake — about its people and its wildlife and its legends,” he recalls in his travel feature for Yankee, “The Many Worlds of Winnipesaukee.”

Donahue fully indulged that urge to explore while reporting his Yankee article. He surveyed Winnipesaukee from the air (on a seaplane tour), from the water (via kayak and motorboat), and from the shore (on a bike ride). He circumnavigated islands and went looking for loons. What he found was a lake that “has always been loved,” as he writes in Yankee. “Even [Winnipesaukee’s] name, given by the Abenaki Indians, who began catching shad here around 8,000 B.C., carries a certain fondness. ‘Winnipesaukee’ likely means either ‘smile of the Great Spirit’ or ‘beautiful water in a high place.’”

To help bring Donahue’s words to life, Yankee senior photographer Mark Fleming made his own pilgrimage to Winnipesaukee. Below are some of our favorite images from his trip to New Hampshire’s great lake; to see the rest and read Donahue’s full story, check out “The Many Worlds of Winnipesaukee” from the May/June 2018 issue of Yankee.

Scenes from Lake Winnipesaukee

Pilot Dave French (left), owner of Lakes Region Seaplane Services, offers a bird’s-eye view of Winnipesaukee.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
A pair of small islands in Woodmans Cove as seen from the air; in the distance are the White Mountains.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
An aerial view of uninhabited Spectacle Island, near Camp Winaukee, an overnight camp for boys.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
French’s vintage seaplane prepares to land on Paugus Bay, near Weirs Beach.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
A gazebo, a fire pit, and Adirondack chairs make a welcoming tableau at the Wolfeboro Inn.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
A scene from Wolfeboro Bay, with the replica paddleboat Winnipesaukee Belle in the distance.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Scenes from Lake Winnipesaukee
Young boys test their diving skills off a dock in Wolfeboro.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
A view through the trees on Ragged Island, a Lakes Region Conservation Trust property.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Home to two sandy beaches and a shoreline-loop hiking trail, Ragged Island is open to the public and accessible by paddle craft.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
A pair of loons cruise the lake near the Loon Center in Moultonborough, where volunteers and staffers work to protect the vulnerable bird and its habitat.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Lakeside cottages at Ames Farm Inn in Gilford.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Owned by the local Keefe family, the vintage speedboat Typhoon skims over the water at sunset.

SEE MORE: Guide to Lake Winnipesaukee | Eat, Stay & PlayFavorite Lake Winnipesaukee Cabin RentalsThe Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone

Heather Marcus

Heather Marcus is the senior photo editor for Yankee Magazine. She works closely with the art director and a large group of contributing photographers to tell our stories about people and place in a compelling way. Living and growing up in New England, she continues to be inspired by the communities, the landscape, and the wonderful visual opportunities the region affords.

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