Porter Lake, New Vineyard, Maine: Get Outside and Play

Play Golf at the Sanford Country Club on Bauneg Beg Lake in Maine
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Out and About for the Mid Coast Lakes Region of Maine Dec. 13-19
December 12, 2012

Porter Lake, New Vineyard, Maine: Get Outside and Play

Tubing on Porter Lake in New Vineyard, Maine

Porter Lake in New Vineyard and Strong, Maine, provides a lake and mountain experience for lakefront property owners. Located in the Rangeley Lakes Region, the lake is surrounded by mountains, including the 3,192-foot Mount Blue in the background.



At 524 acres, with a seven-mile perimeter and lots of inlets, there’s plenty of room to explore Porter Lake. The maximum depth is 86 feet and the mean depth of this spring-fed lake is 27 feet. With above average water quality, you’ll love your time spent on or in the crystal clear water.
Fish from your dock or boat. You may ask, “What fish will I catch?” Landlocked salmon are stocked periodically. The rocky shoreline is perfect for lake trout to spawn. Chain pickerel are also part of the principal fishery. A boat launch is located at Beanie’s Public Beach on Route 234.
In the late 1930s, the Porter Lake Fish and Game Association was formed and after a hiatus morphed into the Porter Lake Association (PLA) to preserve the natural beauty and resources of the lake. The association is quite active to this end. Besides testing water quality, they also conduct courtesy boat inspections to help keep invasive aquatic plants from entering the lake. So far they have been successful in this endeavor.
At Beanie’s Beach, the PLA sponsors an annual bean hole suppah–always the first Saturday in August. This tradition, which began in 1969, serves as a reunion for many of the lakefront property owners. Think 60 pounds of beans, salt pork, molasses, brown sugar and mustard–cooked the old-fashioned way. Kettles of beans are placed in a three-foot deep fire pit full of hot coals and baked underground all day. My mouth waters as I write this.
The association also owns the island in the middle of the lake. While staying at your classic Maine camp, cabin or cottage, pack up your camping gear and a few meals, then paddle out to the island and spend the night under the stars. There are two campsites, each with a fire pit. You’ll also find a handy outhouse there and a rope swing. Arrive early as it’s first come, first serve and don’t forget to carry in-carry out!
New Vineyard and Strong are small towns located just north of Farmington,  a small college town (UMF) where you’ll find all the amenities you may need.
Let the sparkling water of Porter Lake entice you. Relax on the dock with breathtaking views and spectacular sunsets. Enjoy the privacy and solitude among the white pine and beech trees where wildlife abounds. Listen to the sounds of the loons as they call to each other at night. Cook out on your fire pit. Go boating, hiking, skiing, biking, fishing, hunting  or relax and rejuvenate in the quiet natural beauty at Porter Lake.
To learn more about current lakefront properties for sale on Porter Lake, click on the green box above.
To learn more about other lakes in the Rangeley Lakes Region of Maine, check out the blog links below.
Loon Lake, Rangeley, Maine: Immerse Yourself in Nature at Your Lakefront Cabin
Wilson Pond, Wilton, Maine: Retreat to Quiet Lakefront
Ellis Pond, Roxbury, Maine: Gentle Mountain Breezes Caress Lakefront Property

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