Maine Attraction: Three of the State's Best Lakes

Forget about the ocean. The lakes are where you'll find the real Maine. Here, an essential guide to three of the state's best

By Jessica Dineen

Here's how it will go: You'll say to a friend, 'We're taking a vacation in Maine.' Before you can continue, you'll be interrupted by a barrage of talk about lobstermen and salt-sprayed air and a B&B on a cliff. When, at long last, you get a chance to interject that you're going to inland Maine, you'll be met with skeptically raised eyebrows. This will happen every time you tell someone you're planning a trip to the Maine lakes.

But I—daughter of Mainers—am here to tell you that this indignity is the price you pay for joining the elite. By the end of your stay, you'll have something in common with inlanders: disdain for conventional ocean types. Dare I suggest the lakes are better? Let's just say it's a quieter, subtler, more sensuous experience—the real Maine. This is where residents go to escape from overeager out-of-state vacationers, to take a break that is, in keeping with Maine character, both understated and transcendent. There's nothing like walking on a lakeside path cushioned with pine needles, miles from the nearest road, or canoeing after dark on still blackness that reflects the Milky Way.

Tourism at the Maine lakes reached its heyday around the turn of the 20th century. Those who felt that the coast was overrun by commoners traveled inland by ship and railroad to seek out the unspoiled frontier. Grand resorts and rustic sporting camps soon sprang up. Most of the old resorts have long since burned down or turned private. Meanwhile, many of the sporting camps—deep in the woods, with pine-log cabins and dining halls adorned with furs and moose heads—are exactly as they always were.

The sheer number of lakes—5,785 at least an acre in size, 267 exceeding a square mile—fuels an ongoing discussion as to which are "good" and which are "the best." A good lake is relatively free of algae and has visibility of at least 10 feet. It has varied views, rather than a monotonous tree line, and its shores are thinly developed, so that long stretches remain as they were a thousand years ago. Fish, ducks, cormorants, and loons are thriving, and it is not unheard of to spot an eagle or a moose. The best lakes have all of the above, secret swimming spots, and perhaps a sandy grove of pines by the water.

Like many Mainers, my parents grew up with family "camps" (Mainespeak for cottages) on lakes. My father contended that both of these lakes were merely average—and in that healthy competitive spirit made a successful search for one of the best locations for his young family: Kezar Lake. Back in the seventies, the local gas station/store carried everything from live bait to videos of B horror films (Stephen King, who has a summer house on Kezar, rented them daily). As a child, with missionary zeal I'd steer visitors to the place to get an ice cream cone by boat, the restaurant with singing waiters, the well-hidden granite gorge. But the best thing was the 10-mile-long lake itself, in the shadow of the White Mountains.

Later in life, I learned that each of Maine's lakes has its secret pleasures. Here, the inside story on three of the best—Kezar, Rangeley, and Moosehead—and tips for venturing into the north woods.

KEZAR LAKE REGION
Maine's best lakes are remote enough that you often need to mention a couple of towns to locate one. Kezar is near Center Lovell, close to Fryeburg—cut off from the world beyond except for a single road that passes an unassuming boat landing and marina.

A cabin on the lake
Quisisana Since 1917, this 47-acre haven, with its 10-room inn and 37 whitewashed, wicker-furnished cabins, has been a shrine to music. Nearly all who work here are accomplished students from the finest conservatories in the country. Every night after dinner, the employees hold a concert in the performance hall whose tall windows overlook the lake. Pleasant Point Rd., Center Lovell; 207/925-3500, fax 207/925-1004; doubles from $230, including meals.

A room—or dinner—at the inn
Center Lovell Inn A big night out for camp dwellers is a drive to this 1805 inn to indulge in baked Brie en casserole and rack of lamb. The rooms are not without their froufrou quotient, but the windows frame sweeping views of the White Mountains. Rte. 5, Center Lovell; 800/777-2698 or 207/925-1575; doubles from $142; dinner for two $75.

Lake House
A short drive from Kezar the white clapboard seven-room Lake House was built as a tavern in the late 1700's. Chef-innkeeper Michael Myers serves some of the most delicious food in Maine, such as roast duckling with blueberry and blackberry sauce. 686 Waterford Rd., Waterford Village; 800/223-4182 or 207/583-4182; doubles from $110, including breakfast; dinner for two $85.

Where to get a bison burger
Tut's General Store This is a real general store that will "fix you right up" with poker chips, livestock feed, or a bison burger (more protein and less fat than beef). Hefty breakfasts also served all day long. Rte. 35, North Waterford; 800/281-4437 or 207/583-4447; lunch for two $10.

Breakfast with the locals
AJ's Everything Walk by the two wrinkled old men sitting on upside-down buckets just outside the door and into a large pine-log dining room with sturdy wooden tables. The bacon is crisp and the pancakes have the freshest blueberries in town. Rte. 5, North Lovell; 207/928-2454; breakfast for two $10.

Wicked Good Store & Restaurant
As greasy as it is good. Like many stores in the area, it doubles as a gas station. Rte. 5, Lovell; 207/925-3090; breakfast for two $6.

Getting out on the lake
Kezar Lake Marina Rent a canoe ($25 a day) or a 24-foot pontoon ($200 a day), and ask Lee for help finding the lake's inlet and outlet rivers; he can also direct you to the Lovell town beach. Before you head out, grab an ice cream cone from the take-out window at the Loon's Nest, a restaurant at the marina. W. Lovell Rd., Lovell; 207/925-3000.

Off-lake adventures
Beech Hill Farm & Bison Ranch Take a tour to see Chief Chadwick and Irish Warrior, award-winning North American bison, or just visit the shop to pick up a bison-wool robe. 630 Valley Rd., Waterford; 207/583-2515.

Deertrees Theatre & Cultural Center The performing arts center—which stages bluegrass, vaudeville, and chamber music as well as plays—is hidden in the village of Harrison, a half-hour drive from Center Lovell. Deertrees Rd., Harrison; 207/583-6747.

Hedgehog Hill Farm Every summer Sunday there's a lecture on such topics as "herbs for pleasure and use." Bring a picnic to eat in the flower gardens. 54 Hedgehog Hill Rd., Sumner; 207/388-2341.

Kezar Lake Handcrafts Check out the baskets, pottery, weaving, and woodcarvings. At the intersection of Rtes. 5 and 5A, Center Lovell; 207/925-1665.