Lake Winnipesaukee

Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee from the summit of Mt. Major
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Location	Belknap County and Carroll County, New Hampshire
Coordinates	43°36′N 71°20′W / 43.600°N 71.333°W / 43.600; -71.333
Primary inflows	Gunstock River; Merrymeeting River; Melvin River; Red Hill River; Lake Waukewan canal
Primary outflows	Winnipesaukee River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	20.8 mi (33.5 km)
Max. width	9.0 mi (14.5 km)
Surface area	71 sq mi (180 km2)
Max. depth	180 ft (55 m)
Shore length1	288 mi (463 km)
Surface elevation	504 ft (154 m)
Islands	258[1]
Settlements	see article
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Winnipesaukee (/ˌwɪnɪpəˈsɔːki/) is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long (northwest-southeast) and from 1 to 9 miles (1.6 to 14.5 km) wide (northeast-southwest), covering 69 square miles (179 km²)—71 square miles (184 km²) when Paugus Bay is included^[2]—with a maximum depth of 180 feet (55 m).^[3] The center area of the lake is called The Broads.^[4]: 31

The lake contains at least 264 islands,^[1] half of which are less than 0.25 acres (0.10 ha) in size, and is indented by several peninsulas, yielding a total shoreline of approximately 288 miles (463 km). The driving distance around the lake is 63 miles (101 km). It is 504 feet (154 m) above sea level. Winnipesaukee is the third-largest lake in New England after Lake Champlain and Moosehead Lake.

Outflow is regulated by the Lakeport Dam^[5] in Lakeport, New Hampshire, on the Winnipesaukee River.