Echo Lake, Torsey Pond and Lovejoy Pond Form a Pristine Triangle in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine
May 23rd, 2010 categories: Belgrade Lakes Region
Echo Lake in Fayette and Mt. Vernon, Maine
Central Maine is know for its scenic hills overlooking beautiful clear lakes such as Echo Lake, Torsey Pond and Lovejoy Pond. All three are perfect getaway locations for a summer or winter vacation home.
At 1,037 surface acres, pristine, horseshoe-shaped Echo Lake in Fayette and Mt. Vernon, is listed as one of Maine’s cleanest lakes. The water quality is above average.
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The maximum depth of Echo Lake is 117 feet. Its deep, clean, cool water provides a suitable habitat for coldwater fisheries. In fact, Echo Lake is one of the few central Maine lakes with a natural reproducing lake trout population. And the rocky shores and shoals provide excellent smallmouth bass habitat. Brook trout, splake, perch and pickerel also end up on anglers’ hooks. A boat launch with ample parking is located on the north shore in West Mt. Vernon.Near the boat launch you’ll find one of Mt. Vernon’s best known landmarks. “The Chimney” stands 101 feet tall and apparently is part of the remains of a tannery built in the late 1800s.
Residents of the area are pleased that the Kennebec Land Trust’s (KLT) Echo Lake Watershed Preserve recently grew to 304 acres. The Preserve coves part of a peninsula on the west side of Echo Lodge Road. “Echo Lake is one of the cleanest lakes in Maine, and the efforts of the land trust and all our neighbors on the lake will help keep it that way,” reported John C. Orestis in a recent KLT newsletter.
Nearby, the Torsey Pond Nature Preserve is a 92-acre easement on the west shore of Torsey Pond in Readfield. The preserve includes a mile of wooded and marshy shoreline on the pond, with a small bog islet, which provides an important bird and waterfowl habitat. Torsey Pond stretches from about two and a half miles from Mt. Vernon to Readfield. Originally it was called Beans Mill Pond and later, Greeley Pond. The outlet at the dam on Old Kents Hill road was the site of a sawmill in the late 1700s. Today, Torsey Pond covers a surface area of 770 acres and its deepest spot is 45 feet. The water quality is listed as average. A boat launch is located in Readfield.
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Heading west on Route 17 to complete the triangle, you’ll find Lovejoy Pond, which stretches from Fayette to North Wayne. The water quality is slightly above average on Lovejoy. At 372 acres, Lovejoy Pond has a maximum depth of 22 feet, making it a warm water fishery. Fishing for white perch is excellent, though anglers will also catch small and largemouth bass.
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Local attractions include the DEW Animal Kingdom that “lets you get up close and intimate with some of the most exotic animals walking the planet,” and the Bearnstow Summer Retreat, which is dedicated to creative arts, the preservation of our natural environment and recreational activity.
Tom - MrLakefront
