Wadleigh State Park is a public recreation area located on the south shore of 170-acre Kezar Lake in Sutton, New Hampshire. The state park has a bathhouse and playing fields and offers opportunities for swimming, picnicking, fishing, and boating.
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Kezar Lake
4.7
(22)
During the past six years my wife and I have made Wadleigh our go-to swimming spot in central NH. I'm torn between extolling its virtues, and keeping it a secret. Most folks have never heard of it, and that's fine by me.
It's a classic NH state park: simple, understated, no special amenities except toilets, changing rooms, a small playground, some picnic tables and a few rentable kayaks. It also has towering pines that grow along the edge of the beach, meaning that there's always plenty of shade for those hot summer days. Lake Kezar isn't exceptionally large nor deep, but the water is refreshingly clean year round. Loons calling from the other side, Bald Eagles soaring overhead: you get the picture. It's also quiet; no hip hop music playing nor water skiers tearing up the surface.
There are plenty of people who expect more excitement from the beach; this place isn't for them. If you want to read, relax, watch nature instead of a video, and leave feeling refreshed, this is for you. Hint: the beach is quite pebbly, and the lake is full of mussels (a sign of exceptional water quality). You're highly advised to wear waterproof slippers for maximum comfort. You can find them at Ocean State...
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Wadleigh State Park is a family joke. We call it Mussel Pond, because there are so many bivalves in the swimming area that you have to step over them to get to the deeper water.
There are no amenities. No snack bar. A very old school playground for the kids. Some picnic benches, parking and that's about it.
HOWEVER! The water is clean and cool, the beaches clean, the sounds quiet and the price is dirt-cheap. If you're looking for a family-friendly, low-stress swimming area, you can't beat it.
Even on weekends it's relatively quiet, because it's off the beaten track. Yet only 30 minutes up 89 from Concord. Rustic New Hampshire at it's best! PS check out the general store near the entrance road to the...
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The park itself is lovely. The "Park Ranger Shawn" is a completely a person who feels the need to harass people who are on the property line. He threatens to call local PD but doesn't follow through, he threatens to ban people that live locally and pay taxes from the park after park hours. When I am not in the park and on the Sutton side of the park, I do not expect to be harassed by a "Ranger" that can't even...
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