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Both of these lakes are similar in size and serve a similar function in their respective areas. If you're going on vacation, which one would you prefer and why? You can use the following criteria, but as always, you're welcome to judge based on your own criteria:
1. Recreational offerings
2. Nearby amenities
3. Nearby towns/cities
4. Other cultural offerings
5. Any other point of comparison you think will help others to agree with the lake you believe is best.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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What both of these lakes have in common is Laconia, NH and the town of Lake George, NY are both big destinations for bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts. Lake George has a big amusement park (Six Flags/Great Escape) and is loaded with lots of cheap motels. For towns, I prefer Weirs Beach on Lake Winni; it's less commercial, more low key and has some cool arcades.
For the lakes themselves, Lake George is more impressive and scenic as it reaches into the Adirondacks with mountain slopes at its shores and is more wild and less developed at the north end of it. It also has more public access. Lake Winnipesaukee is in the foothills of the White Mountains, it has some okay accessibility for swimming and beaches, lots of islands, and is great for boating. It also has a lots of private property. Since the lakes are the main attraction, I'd lean Lake George here.
That said, both the Adirondacks and the White Mountains have lots of other pristine beautiful lakes to choose from that are less crowded.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 09-28-2022 at 05:11 AM..
What both of these lakes have in common is Laconia, NH and the town of Lake George, NY are both big destinations for bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts. Lake George has a big amusement park (Six Flags/Great Escape) and is loaded with lots of cheap motels. For towns, I prefer Weirs Beach on Lake Winni; it's less commercial, more low key and has some cool arcades.
For the lakes themselves, Lake George is more impressive and scenic as it reaches into the Adirondacks with mountain slopes at its shores and is more wild and less developed at the north end of it. It also has more public access. Lake Winnipesaukee is in the foothills of the White Mountains, it has some okay accessibility for swimming and beaches, lots of islands, and is great for boating. It also has a lots of private property. Since the lakes are the main attraction, I'd lean Lake George here.
That said, both the Adirondacks and the White Mountains have lots of other pristine beautiful lakes to choose from that are less crowded.
It seemed like the south end of Lake George had a much larger dining and party scene than lake Winni, and Winni seemed spread things out a bit. Lake George seems populated in the south with lots of open land up north until you hit Ticonderoga.
Echoing the sentiment of an earlier poster, Lake George is surrounded by more impressive scenery, relative to Lake Winnipesaukee. In addition to having a shoreline that abuts taller mountains, Lake George and nearby Lake Champlain are located in a region with more deciduous trees and other greenery. Most of New Hampshire seems to have significantly more coniferous greenery, which is less attractive, in my opinion.
Now, I am willing to bet that the clarity of water in Lake Winnepesaukee is better/more impressive than that of Lake George, but I am not much of a lake swimmer, so my opinion is largely based off of regional scenery.
I prefer Lake Winni. But I think Lake George has better public access so while I’d rather have a house in Center Harbor or whatever, a one time visitor would have more fun at lake George.
I also think the Lakes region seems to have more year round activities, like Gunstock is much closer (and seems more developed than) to your lake house than any mountain resort is to Lake George.
Echoing the sentiment of an earlier poster, Lake George is surrounded by more impressive scenery, relative to Lake Winnipesaukee. In addition to having a shoreline that abuts taller mountains, Lake George and nearby Lake Champlain are located in a region with more deciduous trees and other greenery. Most of New Hampshire seems to have significantly more coniferous greenery, which is less attractive, in my opinion.
Now, I am willing to bet that the clarity of water in Lake Winnepesaukee is better/more impressive than that of Lake George, but I am not much of a lake swimmer, so my opinion is largely based off of regional scenery.
Moultonborough, NH has more impressive scenery than Lake George, NY. Moultonborough has more frontage on Lake Winnipesaukee than any town in New Hampshire, and it also has most of the peaks of the Ossipee Mountain range within the town limits in addition to the Red Hill Fire Tower trail, with a panoramic view of Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake from the summit. Moultonborough also has more higher end real estate of properties of over $5 million and greater in addition to having an equalized property tax rate under $7.00/$1,000 assessed value.
Lake George is exceptionally clear and the way the mountains rise straight from the shore is beautiful. Reminds me of some of the mountain lakes in Scotland. The town itself is pretty garbage though and kitschy.
Moultonborough, NH has more impressive scenery than Lake George, NY. Moultonborough has more frontage on Lake Winnipesaukee than any town in New Hampshire, and it also has most of the peaks of the Ossipee Mountain range within the town limits in addition to the Red Hill Fire Tower trail, with a panoramic view of Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake from the summit. Moultonborough also has more higher end real estate of properties of over $5 million and greater in addition to having an equalized property tax rate under $7.00/$1,000 assessed value.
I'm happy this thread is making me more greatly want to look up Moultonborough and Lake Winnipesaukee(sp?) on google maps and street view, for myself. In the past, I have looked up the area around Lake George a tiny bit, on street view. Never got around to looking up Moultonborough and Lake Winnipesaukee, myself.
And ugh, that lake's name is HARD to remember how to spell right. That tricky lake name to spell reminds me of how hard it is in my mind to remember how to properly spell the new town name, that Barrow, AK got renamed to.
I just looked up Meredith, NH on google street view. And it looks so far, like a pretty charming town! Any other interesting towns near Lake Winni(will call this lake that from now on, plus it's easy to spell AND catchy), I should take a look at on street view?
As far as towns go, Wolfeboro (NH) and Lake George feel about the same size. Lake George feels a bit more, toursity? You could argue that it feels a bit more kitschy, like a step towards Hampton Beach in NH. Wolfeboro feels more solidly New England, with a bit of a more local flare.
Without doing a ton of investigating, it does look like Lake George is a bit cheaper as you move away from the water. It's nice that it's a bit more accessible to the masses, too... It has far more public access to the lake, while Winnipesaukee is almost completely privatized.
Both have an extensive luxury market, as you'd expect. You can find listings in the $20M+ range at any given time. I'm not familiar with the "who's who" on Lake George, but you get a lot of big names on Winnipesaukee.. The Marriot family, the Romney's, Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler, Steven Tyler, etc. I know it's been a long time draw for International politicians and royalty.
As far as natural beauty, both. The adirondacks do provide a great backdrop, as do the Ossipee and Belknap mountains at Lake Winni. As you move away from both, the Whites in NH are the more dramatic mountain range vs. what you'll find in Upstate NY. Both areas offer a ton of recreational activity. Of course, Lake Winnipesaukee is only an hour from open Ocean... And that whole Portsmouth to Portland Maine area is awesome.
If I could own on one, I'd go Winnipesaukee. For a visit, I'd probably go with whatever is cheaper/easier.
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In the past, I have looked up the area around Lake George a tiny bit, on street view. Never got around to looking up Moultonborough and Lake Winnipesaukee, myself.
