US lakes & pondsUS lakes & pondsSurface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 152433117).
The red circle marks Messalonskee Lake.
Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline.
Official Maine IF&W pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.
Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.
Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 152433117), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands public boat launches. Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.
OpenStreetMap shows about 0.4 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Messalonskee Lake shoreline, mostly along the north shore.
No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Belgrade carry-in access, right on a shoreline trail (Maine BPL boat launch data).
The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.
Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 9, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 100 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.
We found 3 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Messalonskee Lake, 1 of them within 5 miles. 1 is right on the shore. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.
All campgrounds & RV parks in Maine
Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.
Campground data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.
Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (44.4881, -69.7871). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Messalonskee Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.
Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in ET (America/New_York), and accurate to within a few minutes.
★ = stocked recently (see Stocking). No machine-readable species survey is published for this water; the list shows stocked fish only.
5 stocking trips so far in 2026, 1,400 fish in total.
| Date | Species | Fish | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2026 | Brook Trout | 250 | 9 in |
| May 14, 2026 | Brook Trout | 250 | 9 in |
| Jun 1, 2026 | Brook Trout | 500 | 9 in |
| Jun 2, 2026 | Splake | 200 | 10 in |
| Jun 7, 2026 | Splake | 200 | 10 in |
Maine IF&W 2026 year-to-date stocking report (PDF)
Matched to this water by name and town. Pulled Oct 10, 2026.
3 public access sites listed, 2 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.
| Site | Town | Owner | Type | Parking | Fee | Uses | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland boat launch | Oakland | OAKLAND | Trailer launch · Hard ramp · dock | — | — | Boating | 44.5405, -69.7264 |
| Sidney boat launch | Sidney | DACF | Trailer launch · Hard ramp · dock | 8 trailer | — | Boating Handicap accessible | 44.4907, -69.7766 |
| Belgrade carry-in access | Belgrade | DACF | Carry-in (hand launch) · dock | 16 trailer | — | Boating | 44.4426, -69.8309 |
Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands public boat launches
Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.
Reported on or near Messalonskee Lake
USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database
USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.
Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Maine lakes & ponds · All waters in Belgrade