Best New Hampshire Lakes for Sailing & big water

9 New Hampshire lakes meet our sailing & big water bar — each has a cited public-access or conditions signal behind it. Top of the list: Lake Winnipesaukee in Belknap County. Ranked by public boat ramps and marinas on open water (≥2,000 acres); surface acreage and live readings are shown where published.

Public boat ramps come from NH F&G open data; marinas from OpenStreetMap; surface acres from USGS NHD or cited research.

  1. 1

    Lake Winnipesaukee

    Belknap County, NH45,654 acres

    45,654 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  2. 2

    Squam Lake

    Belknap County, NH6,791 acres

    6,791 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  3. 3

    Sunapee Lake

    Sullivan County, NH4,125 acres

    4,125 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  4. 4

    Newfound Lake

    Grafton County, NH4,451 acres

    4,451 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  5. 5

    Massabesic Lake

    Rockingham County, NH2,561 acres

    2,561 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  6. 6

    First Connecticut Lake

    Coös County, NH3,071 acres

    3,071 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  7. 7

    Umbagog Lake

    Coös County, NH7,642 acres

    7,642 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  8. 8

    Lake Winnisquam

    Belknap County, NH4,214 acres

    4,214 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do
  9. 9

    Ossipee Lake

    Carroll County, NH4,024 acres

    4,024 acres of open water

    See full conditions & things to do

More best-of lists for New Hampshire lakes

New Hampshire sailing & big water — frequently asked

What is the best lake for sailing & big water in New Hampshire?

Lake Winnipesaukee in Belknap County tops the list — 45,654 acres of open water. 9 New Hampshire lakes qualify for this list overall.

How is this New Hampshire sailing & big water list ranked?

Every lake on the list has a cited public-access or conditions signal — never an opinion. Sailing-eligible lakes have ≥2,000 acres of open water and at least one ramp or marina; we rank by access count, then by acreage. LakeVibe doesn't invent rankings: a lake only appears here when the data already supports it.

Which New Hampshire lakes are best for sailing & big water?

Our top picks are Lake Winnipesaukee, Squam Lake, Sunapee Lake, Newfound Lake. Tap any lake for its full conditions, things to do, and where to stay.