The Largest Man-Made Lake in Maine is Truly Massive

Maine's picturesque and serene lakes have been attracting visitors to the state for centuries.

Our lakes are filled with boaters, swimmers, and fishermen during the summer months.

While the state has thousands of lakes and ponds, there are a few that are iconic.  Like Moosehead Lake, Long Lake, and Sebago Lake, for example.

Even though most of the state’s lakes formed naturally, the state is home to several manmade lakes.  One of these man-made lakes is truly massive.

The largest man-made lake in Maine

According to A-Z Animals, the largest man-made lake in Maine is Chesuncook Lake.

The lake, located just west of Baxter State Park, covers just over 26,000 acres.  This makes it the third largest lake in the state, behind Moosehead Lake and Sebago Lake.

The lake is about 17 miles long, and about 1.7 miles across at its widest point.  The lake has a maximum water depth of 150 feet.

According to Visit Maine, the lake is perfect for fishing or boating.  It is especially known for its landlocked salmon.  Because of the size of the lake, they do recommend that you use a larger boat, instead of a canoe or kayak.

How was Chesuncook Lake created?

Like most man-made bodies of water, the lake was created by the construction of dams.

The really interesting part of the lake’s story is that it started fairly small, but grew in size as the size of the dams grew.

READ MORE: Did you know you can rent an electric boat to cruise around Boston harbor?

The first dam was built across the West Branch of the Penobscot River in 1835.  A larger dam was built in 1903, but the lake as we know it today was created by the massive Ripogenus Dam.  Construction of the Ripogenus Dam was started in 1916 and completed in 1920.

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