Lake Winnipesaukee Sees Earliest “Ice Out” Declaration in History
Another mild winter record has been broken in 2024. Lake Winnipesaukee had it’s earliest “ice out” declared in the 150 years it’s been kept track of. An “ice out” at…
Another mild winter record has been broken in 2024. Lake Winnipesaukee had it's earliest "ice out" declared in the 150 years it's been kept track of. An "ice out" at Lake Winnipesaukee is the first date that the vessel Mt. Washington can navigate to the Wolfeboro, Meredith, Weirs Beach, Alton Bay and Center Harbor ports completely free of ice. That happened for the first time this year this past Sunday at 4:37pm.
The previous record for earliest ice out declaration was March 19, 2016. Until this year that was the record. Second earliest ice out at the big lake was in 2012, the third earliest was two years earlier in 2010, and the fourth earliest ice out call was made waaaaayyyyy back in 1921. That is now the fifth earliest ice out in history, as 2024 moves to the top of the list.
It was actually feared and predicted by some that there wouldn't even be an ice IN at Lake Winnipesaukee this year, as the deepest and widest part of the lake looked like it might not freeze over at all this year. It eventually did.
Ice outs at Lake Winnipesaukee have been being recorded since 1888. However, the 5 earliest ice outs have all happened since the year 2000. The trend of earlier ice outs can be attributed to global warming.
People love swimming in Lake Winnipesaukee and boating and fishing... but... one thing you can't legally do in Lake Winnipesaukee is SKINNY DIP! (Or can you??) There are some great spots in New Hampshire for taking a little nudie dip! Massachusetts and Rhode Island, we have some great spots for you too. How we got from Lake Winnipesaukee freezing over and thawing to skinny dipping I'm not entirely sure - but - here you go! Stand by for 17 of the Best Spots for Skinny Dipping in Mass, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire (with a possible appearance by the recently "iced out" lake):
Before we start, let's deal with legalities. Skinny dipping can get you in trouble. Each state has varying laws surrounding indecent exposure and punishment varies by state and depending on the severity and motive for the nakedness. Definitely check your local state/area's laws before considering making the splash at any of these locations sans clothing.
MyDatingAdviser.com put together a VERY comprehensive list of the 801 best spots to skinny dip in the US. To determine their best spots they considered each beach's Climate Likeability, Average Summer Air Temperature, Average Summer Water Temperature, Pollution Level, Blue Flag Status, Crime Rate, Average Hotel Cost, Beach Quality Score, Weather Score, Safety Score, and Hotel Cost Score. Together these factors led to an overall score out of 100. The higher the score, the better the skinny dipping spot.
I will present to you below the 17 highest rated skinny dipping spots in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. I went through MyDatingAdvisor's list and plucked any entry that got an overall score of 88 or higher. We'll go number by number. I'll start at an overall score of 88 and let you know all the spots in all three states that scored an 88. Then we'll move on to the 89's, and so on.
So enough small talk, let's get to the info you're here for. These are the 17 Best Spots for Skinny Dipping in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Keep your eyes above the neck line and let's go!
If you'd rather hit a beach with some clothing on, here are Massachusetts' 15 Best Beach Towns. Big time bragging list and #2 is a pretty decent surprise so check it out!
Alright, NOW on to the skinny dipping spots. By the way, New Hampshire smoked Mass and Rhode Island. NH has 12 spots with an 88 or higher while Mass has 4, and RI has only one.
Overall Score of 88
These spots got an overall score of 88/100:
Massachusetts:
Walden Woods in Concord, MA
Race Point Beach in Provincetown
Rhode Island:
Third Beach in Middletown
New Hampshire:
Ayers Lake in Barrington
Baboosic Lake in Amherst
Pawtuckaway Lake in Nottingham
Moose Reservoir in Littleton
Echo Lake in Franconia
Crystal Lake in Eaton
Overall Score of 89
These spots got an overall score of 89/100:
Massachusetts:
Savoy Mountain State Forest in Florida, MA
New Hampshire:
Squam Lake in Holderness
Pine River Pond in Wakefield
Ossipee Lake in Ossipee
Merrymeeting Lake in New Durham
Overall Score of 90
These spots got an overall score of 90/100:
New Hampshire:
Lake Winnipesaukee in Laconia
These spots got an overall score of 91/100:
These are THE best spots for skinny dipping in MA, RI, and NH.
Massachusetts:
Long Point Beach in Provincetown
New Hampshire:
Newfound Lake in Bristol
