Long Lake

Long Lake is the town's natural centerpiece — an 11-mile stretch of water that runs from Naples through Bridgton to Harrison, covering 5,295 acres. The public access points in Bridgton are well maintained, and the lake is good for kayaking, canoeing, fishing (bass and landlocked salmon), and swimming. Summer camps have lined the shoreline for over a century, including Camp Takajo and Camp Wildwood, giving the lake an old-fashioned New England quality that feels increasingly rare.

The lake is mesotrophic, meaning reasonably clear and productive. Average depth is 23 feet, though a deep spring near Half Loon Bay reportedly reaches 216 feet by depth-finder. For paddlers, the length of the lake makes for a satisfying day trip; arrange a shuttle or double back to wherever you launched. Power boats are permitted, so weekends in July and August can be busy near the public beaches.

things to do sight swimming
A story
Stephen King set his 1980 novella The Mist on Long Lake, and E.B. White owned a vacation home on its shore. The lake once served as the terminus of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal, and canal boats from Portland Harbor arrived here after navigating through Sebago Lake.

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