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in a Peaceful, Picturesque Setting Close to Restaurants & Shopping...

The Belgrade Lakes Region - beautiful, historic, and hospitable - is Maine's premier inland resort area. Renowned for its chain of seven unique lakes, its vistas of woods and farmlands, and its inviting waterside villages, the Belgrade Lakes Region is a vacation and recreation mecca for visitors and summer guests from around the world.

Once the hunting, fishing and farming terrain of the proud and resourceful Abnaki Indian, this waterway to the mighty Kennebec was permanently settled in the late 1700's based on a rich legacy of mills, orchards, and farms. River and railroad accessibility carried Belgrade products and produce to the world market and by the early 1900's led to the establishment of over two dozen private boys and girls camps and numerous fishing lodges and hotels in the grand style. A favorite summer haven for the rich, the famous, and the creative (it inspired that enduring classic "On Golden Pond"), the Belgrades evolved into a seasonal destination for all lake lovers.

Today tranquil lakeside living and superb fishing, swimming and watercrafting throughout the Belgrades are complemented by a variety of local public suppers, handcraft fairs, bingo, music fests, auctions, antiquing, loon-calling contests, bike tours and several good hikes close by.

Within minutes you will find a public championship 18-hole golf course in Belgrade Lakes.

Highlights of a Belgrade summer include the madboat ride on Great Pond, outdoor concerts at New England Music camp on Lake Messalonskee, and cultural and campus events at nearby centers of Waterville, Augusta, Farmington, and Skowhegan.

Blending the old and the new, the leisurely and the energetic, the rustic and the refined, the Belgrades remain a true memory-making adventure for all who pass through the area, and for the many who return time and again.

...Where Memories Last a Lifetime!

Hiking, Scenic Views & Canoeing

French's Mountain
Located in Rome. From Belgrade Lakes Village, follow Rt. 27 north past Rome Corner (Junction of Rt. 225). Continue on Rt. 27 for 1.2 miles, then turn left on Watson Pond Road. The trail is on the left side of the road 0.7 miles from Rt. 27. This mountain is the shortest of the hikes, but has the best views of Great and Long Ponds.

Mt. Philip
Located in Rome. From Belgrade Lakes Village, follow Rt. 27 north to Rome Corner (Junction of Rt. 225) and turn right on Rt. 225. The trail is 1. 1 miles east from the Rome Community Center and on the left opposite a camp road labeled "Hemlock Trail." The trail goes up a bank near a yellow "curve" roadway sign and is easy to follow. The mountain rises 755 feet at the north end of Great Pond.

The Mountain
Located in Rome. From Belgrade Lakes Village, follow Rt. 27 north. The first road on the right is Crane Road which leads to the trail on the left side of the road rising 663 feet overlooking Great Pond.

Blueberry Hill
This is a scenic overlook maintained by the Maine Department of Conservation and offers terrific views of Long Pond, Great Pond, and Belgrade Lakes Village and you don't have to get out of your car! On a clear day you can see the Camden Hills in the distance. Blueberry Hill is located on the Watson Pond Road (see directions for French's Mountain) 3.5 miles south from the junction with Rt. 27.

Canoe from Great Pond to Messalonskee Lake
Enter Great Pond via the public boat landing just south of Belgrade Lakes Village off Rt. 27. Follow the west shore of Great Pond to the beginning of Belgrade Stream which leads to Belgrade Lakes Village and Great Pond Dam where hundreds of ducks gather during the summer months. Make a very short portage at the dam across Rt. 27 to Long Pond.

Travel south on Long Pond, under the Castle Island Bridge, and past many scenic islands (great places to picnic). At the bottom of Long Pond enter a continuation of Belgrade Stream to the dam at Wings Mills. Make a very short portage across the road (around the dam) and continue into Messalonskee Lake. Paddle north to the public boat landing on the east side of the lake just off Rt. 23. Park a second vehicle at this boat landing or arrange for a pick-up.
 

For More Information, Please Contact:
Belgrade Lakes Region, Inc.
PO Box 72-B
Route 27
Belgrade, Maine 04917
1-888-895-2744