Opechee Bay: great place to stay, play

While Lake Winnipesaukee is New Hampshire’s largest and most popular lake, the fact of the matter is that our Lakes Region boasts a whopping 273 lakes. That means there’s a wide variety of water bodies for people with a wide variety of desires, preferences and budgets.

Whether you’re looking to rent or own a Lakes Region property, Opechee Bay is one lake you might want to look over rather than overlook. Let me tell you why…

Opechee is affordable—As a Realtor®, I’ve noticed that many visitors find themselves drawn here by Lake Winnipesaukee only to leave discouraged when they can’t find waterfront or water view properties that fit their budgets.

But what if you could have beautiful views of sparkling water for half the price, and still have access to the big lake, just minutes away? Wouldn’t that be better than missing out on the opportunity to own a primary, vacation or retirement home in the Lakes Region altogether?

Opechee is accessible—Easily accessed from Route 11 or Interstate 93, Opechee Bay is bordered exclusively by Laconia, the City on the Lakes.

Opechee neighbors both Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Winnisquam. Winnipesaukee’s Paugus Bay flows into Opechee Bay at the Lakeport Dam and Opechee in turn flows into Lake Winnisquam in downtown Laconia.

That means you could live in an affordable, centrally-located Lakes Region base camp with water views, access or even frontage, just a hop, skip and a jump to New Hampshire’s largest and third largest lakes.

For example, Shep Brown's Boat Basin (at 31 Lovejoy Sands Road, Meredith NH),

Fay’s Boat Yard (71 Varney Point Road Gilford, NH), and the Hesky Park Boat Ramp (Meredith Town Docks) are all just minutes away and offer affordable boat launches onto Lake Winnipesaukee.

Opechee is quiet—Not everyone wants a huge house. Similarly, not everyone wants a huge lake. Opechee Bay is a midsized lake with 426 acres of surface (about half the size of Central Park in New York City), a length of 1.9 miles, a width of .7 miles, and about 5.9 miles of shoreline.

That size makes it less of a tourist draw and therefore perfect for people who prefer peace, quiet and the tranquility of nature over a floating boat show.

Think of the Lakeport dam under Elm Street as a barrier at the southern tip of Paugus Bay designed to ensure Opeechee Bay doesn’t get flooded with big boats and big traffic from Winnipesaukee.

Accordingly, it tends to be calm, a perfect place for families and individuals to swim, kayak, sail, windsurf, waterski or Jet Ski without the same risk of wakes, collisions and getting lost as one would have on the big lake.

Opechee is beautiful—Some of the finest sunsets I’ve seen take place over Opechee, and this midsized lake has a personality all its own. Like a liquid mirror, Opechee’s water surface adjusts its mood and appearance according to the whims of the sky and clouds above.

If you live within a stone’s throw of Opechee there’s a good chance that you’ll hear the nighttime cries of loons as spring unfolds, see eagles soaring majestically overhead on early summer days, and perhaps catch Laconia’s Fourth of July fireworks show reflecting on the water. The lake’s moderate size affords fantastic fall views of the surrounding trees, hills and mountains exploding with a riot of autumn colors, and in the winter you may hear wild ducks chuckling like they’re visiting a floating avian comedy club with a two drink minimum. You might even hear otherworldly noises that sound exactly like Star Wars blasters when the ice settles and shifts as winter begins to yield to spring.

You know the expression, “life is better by the lake?” That applies to Lake Opechee. For a fraction of the price of a comparable Winnipesaukee property, you could own an affordable, centrally-located Lakes Region base camp with water views, access or even frontage just minutes away from New Hampshire’s largest and third largest lakes.

If Lake Opechee sounds good but renting is your goal right now, check out my listing for 105 Franklin Street in Laconia (MLS# 4786434). Tenants can enjoy beautiful Lake Opechee and surrounding mountain views from the farmer's porch, living room, bedroom and roomy, upper level bonus rom of this spacious three-bed, one bath Lakeport-area rental.

Beautiful Bond Beach is an easy drive, walk or bike ride away, and this clean rental property features new carpeting, washer/dryer hookup, abundant storage space, a raised bed garden area, and a brand new natural gas furnace that means efficiency and never having to worry about running out of fuel.

Brent Metzger is a Realtor® with Roche Realty Group. He may be reached at (603) 229-8322 or brent@rocherealty.com. Learn more about the Lakes Region real estate market at www.RocheRealty.com.