Four Seasons of Attractions at Lake Sunapee

The Dartmouth - Lake Sunapee Region is known for its high contrasts. Named for Hanover's Ivy League college and Sunapee, featuring a crystal clear lake, a mountain and a State Park, the region includes quiet country roads, pristine lakes and a hub of higher education and medicine, as well of some amazing family activities and attractions.

Explore some of the incredible scenic byways in the Dartmouth - Lake Sunapee area, such as the Connecticut River Byway from the Fourth Connecticut Lake close to the Canadian border and goes along the river to the western New Hampshire border. The drive offers you the chance to witness history, traditional farming culture and the natural beauty of the region. Another great drive is the Lake Sunapee Scenic Byway, featuring a state beach, a wildlife refuge, and scenic shorelines, as well as year-round recreation.

In the central and southeast portions of this area you'll find the glacial Lake Sunapee and the town of Sunapee, which is a popular summer destination. The lake was named by Native Americans who called it Soo-Nipi, which means “Wild Goose Waters” for the many geese that passed over it during migration. At its deepest, the lake is about 105 feet deep at Hedgehog Point. In Newbury on the lake you can find a scuba school. The waters of the lake are exceptionally pure and crystal clear and on a sunny day objects can be seen up to a depth of 30 feet.

Lake Sunapee is a great destination for fishing enthusiasts with fish species, such as lake trout, landlocked salmon, small mouth bass, yellow perch, chain pickerel, brown bullhead catfish, rock bass, rainbow smelt, and burbot. Wildlife admirers can observe many animals in their natural habitat. You can even see moose swimming in the lake in the early hours! Other species in the area include black bears, red foxes, white tail deer, porcupines, woodchucks, eastern cotton rabbits, eastern chipmunks, eastern gray squirrels, raccoons, northern flying squirrels, American beavers, red squirrels, muskrats, mink, northern river otters, American martins, long tail weasels, as well as fishers. Birdwatchers can admire the magnificent image of loons landing on Lake Sunapee every year. Also called The Northern Diver, you can watch birds diving for fish up to 100 feet and flying 100 miles an hour.

There are a large number of lakes in the Lake Sunapee Region, including Otter Pond, Goose Hole, Ledge Pond, Morgan Pond, Star Lake, Baptist Pond, Dutchman Pond, Mountainview Lake, and Chalk Pond, as well as many small, unnamed bodies of water. The Sunapee watershed region is surrounded by many beautiful mountains, such as Sanborn Hill, Leavitt Hill, Hoyt Hill, and Morgan Hill to the north, Mount Sunapee, South Peak and Bly Hill to the south, King Hill and Burpee Hill to the east, and Trow Hill, Burkhaven Hill, Prospect Hill, Brown Hill, and Baisdell Hill to the west.

Visit the stunning Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region for an amazing experience no matter the season. The lakes offer all sorts of water recreations, such as swimming, fishing and diving, and the surrounding areas are perfect for bird watching, hiking, biking and backpacking.