Third Connecticut Lake
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The Connecticut Lakes are a group of
lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
s in Coos County, northern
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, situated along the
headwaters The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...
of the
Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
. They are accessed via the northernmost segment of
U.S. Route 3 U.S. Route 3 (US 3) is a United States Numbered Highway running from Cambridge, Massachusetts, through New Hampshire, to the Canada–United States border near Third Connecticut Lake, where it connects to Quebec Route 257. Massachu ...
, between the village of Pittsburg and the
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
port of entry south of Chartierville, Quebec. The lakes are located within the boundaries of Pittsburg, but are far from the town center. Connecticut Lakes State Forest adjoins them. There are four lakes: First, Second, Third and Fourth Connecticut Lake, numerically running south to north. The lakes decrease in size and increase in elevation, sequentially from first to fourth. The fourth lake is the source of the Connecticut River. The first three lakes can be viewed and accessed from U.S. Route 3, while the only access to the fourth lake is via the Fourth Connecticut Lake Trail, which goes in and out of Canada. All lakes are north of the 45th parallel. Lake Francis lies to the south of the four Connecticut Lakes. It is a man-made
reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
and the last of the major lakes along the Connecticut River in northern New Hampshire.


The lakes


First Connecticut Lake

First Connecticut Lake is located in the town of Pittsburg, northeast of the village center. At , it is the eighth-largest lake located entirely in New Hampshire. It is the lowest in elevation and largest in surface area of the four Connecticut Lakes. Fish species include landlocked salmon and
lake trout The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater Salvelinus, char living mainly in lakes in Northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, laker, and grey trout. In Lake Sup ...
. The lake has average and maximum depths of and , respectively. There are three public boat launch locations, and
ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters L ...
is permitted from January through March. Outflow of the lake into the Connecticut River is controlled via the First Lake Dam, located near U.S. Route 3 at the southwestern shore. A marker along the southwestern shore of the lake commemorates Luther Parker, a historical figure of the Republic of Indian Stream in the 1830s.


Second Connecticut Lake

Second Connecticut Lake, known in the past as Lake Carmel, is a water body in the town of Pittsburg, northeast of the village center. The second lake is higher in elevation than the first lake, and shallower. Fish species include
brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout h ...
, landlocked salmon, and
lake trout The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater Salvelinus, char living mainly in lakes in Northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, laker, and grey trout. In Lake Sup ...
. There is one public boat launch location, and
ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters L ...
is permitted from January through March. Outflow of the lake into the Connecticut River is controlled via the Second Lake Dam, located near U.S. Route 3 at the southwestern shore.


Third Connecticut Lake

Third Connecticut Lake, at one time known as Lake St. Sophia, is a water body in the town of Pittsburg, situated northeast of the village center, and less than south of the
Canadian border The borders of Canada include: * To the south and west: An international boundary with the United States, forming the Canada–United States border, longest shared border in the world, ; (Informally referred as the 49th parallel north which make ...
. It reaches a maximum depth of approximately , and sits higher in elevation than the second lake. Fish species include
rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...
and
lake trout The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater Salvelinus, char living mainly in lakes in Northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, laker, and grey trout. In Lake Sup ...
. There is one public boat launch location, off of U.S. Route 3 along the eastern shore of the lake.
Ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters L ...
is permitted from January through March.


Fourth Connecticut Lake

Fourth Connecticut Lake is the northernmost and most remote of the Connecticut Lakes; it is also the smallest, at . It is the source of the
Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
, and is situated in the town of Pittsburg, upstream from and higher than Third Connecticut Lake. The fourth lake is immediately to the northwest of the third lake. The Fourth Connecticut Lake Trail leads hikers to the lake.


Fourth Connecticut Lake Trail

The Fourth Connecticut Lake Trail is a public trail maintained by
The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...
that criss-crosses the international border between New Hampshire and Quebec for ending with a loop around the Fourth Connecticut Lake. It is one of the few international trails in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. The land surrounding the lake is owned by The Nature Conservancy. The parking area for hikers is at the American facility of the
Pittsburg–Chartierville Border Crossing The Pittsburg–Chartierville Border Crossing connects the towns of Chartierville, Quebec, and Pittsburg, New Hampshire. The crossing can be reached by U.S. Route 3 on the American side and by Quebec Route 257 on the Canadian side. Descriptio ...
, located north of the Pittsburg town center via U.S. Route 3. The trail begins about to the right of the American building, with a small kiosk at the trailhead. The trail has no cell phone coverage, requires some non-technical climbing, and starts at a good elevation—hikers should be prepared, even in summer. Pets are not allowed on the trail, and no camping, hunting, or fishing is allowed. For persons starting in the United States,
passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...
s are not needed to hike the trail as, even though parts of the trail are in Canada, the trail starts and ends on the American side of the international border. For persons starting in Canada, a passport or other border crossing document would be required in order to enter the United States at the border facility before hiking the trail.


Climate

According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, First Connecticut Lake has a
warm-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded at First Connecticut Lake was on July 8, 1921 and July 19, 1953, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 1, 1920.


Connecticut Lakes Natural Area

The surrounding the lakes was set aside as a land conservation project in 2002 by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. The protected area is within the towns of Clarksville and Pittsburg, up to the border with
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.New Hampshire Wildlife Management Areas
. Wildlife.state.nh.us. Retrieved on 2013-08-21.


See also

*
List of lakes in New Hampshire This is a list of lakes and ponds in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services lists 944 lakes and impoundments in their ''Official List of Public Waters''. The water bodies that are listed include na ...


References


External links


Summer at First Connecticut Lake in Pittsburg, NH Aerial view in 4K
via YouTube
4th Connecticut Lake - US/Canada Border Hike
via YouTube
The Crumbling, Leaking Dam at the first Connecticut Lake
via YouTube {{Authority control Lake groups of the United States Lakes of Coös County, New Hampshire Pittsburg, New Hampshire Connecticut River New Hampshire placenames of Native American origin