Pleasant Lake in Casco and Otisfield, Maine

Looking for a Maine lakefront property, a summer retreat, or a camp or cottage in the western Mountains and Lakes Region of Maine? Located less than an hour from Portland and Augusta and 30 minutes from Maine Wildlife Park in Gray are two great bodies of water you should check out – Pleasant Lake and Parker Pond.
Situated in Casco and Otisfield, Pleasant Lake covers 1,077 acres and has a maximum depth of 62 feet.  It’s rectangular in shape with few coves, and is a half mile wide and four miles long, perfect for waterskiing, cross-country skiing or snowmobiling. Fishing is great as well. Pleasant Lake is said to be teeming with trout and salmon. A state fishery abuts the lake in Casco village.

Lakefront Properties For Sale on Pleasant Lake

The beauty of Pleasant Lake is that, though it’s home to several summer residential camps, i.e. , Camp Arcadia for girls, Hoop Camp, and Seeds of Peace at the former Camp Powhatan, it’s relatively undeveloped. The Pleasant Lake beach in Otisfield is a gem. You’ll also find a beach and boat launch in Casco.
Lilly Brook in Casco provides a passageway for smaller boats to navigate between Pleasant Lake and the smaller Parker Pond. Parker Pond, just east of Route 121, covers 166 acres with a maximum depth of 19 feet. The water here is exceptionally clear, making fishing difficult. Folks tend to wait for windy days to fish on Parker.

Lakefront Properties For Sale on Parker Pond

View Vacation Rentals on Parker Pond

The Pleasant Lake and Parker Pond Association (PL/PPA) was formed by Dr. Joel Bloom in the 1960s. The late Dr. Bloom was an educator from New York who had grown up on Pleasant Lake. From 1947-1996 he ran Camp Powhatan for Boys in Otisfield.
According to his obituary in the New York Times, “He pioneered diversity in camping, starting a scholarship fund at Powhatan and helped found Camp Susan Curtis for underprivileged Maine children. In 1993 he assisted in starting Seeds of Peace, a camp to empower young leaders from conflict regions with skills to advance coexistence.”  Dr. Bloom led the PL/PPA to become one of the most proactive lake associations in the area.
For more than 25 years the PL/PPA has tested the water quality of Pleasant Lake and Parker Pond, with great results.
In 2007 the association worked on the project funded in part by a 319 grant (Clean Water Act) from the Maine DEP. Realizing that the biggest culprit in this watershed is non-point source pollution, i.e. storm water runoff from rain and snowmelt, landowners are encouraged to use vegetation as erosion control.
Native plants that can handle drought conditions and acidic soil include shrubs such as High and Low-bush Blueberry, Bearberry, Bayberry, Sweet Fern, Sheep Laurel, Snowberry, and Juniper. Perennials that do well in these conditions include Black-eyed Susan, Cinnamon Fern, Yarrow, Purple Cornflower, Scarlet Bee Bam, Hay Scented Fern, Solomon Seal and Mint.
If you are seeking a quiet environment, Pleasant Lake or Parker Pond may be the choice for you.
Check out all the current lakefront property listings for sale on Pleasant Lake and Parker Pond by clicking on the green boxes above.
To learn more about other lakes in the Casco area, click on the blog links below.
Maine DEP Takes Pleasant Lake in Casco OFF State’s Milfoil List
Consider Lakefront Property Near the Charming Village of Casco, Maine
Vacationland Paradise Waiting for You on Crescent Lake in the Sebago Lakes Region