When visiting my grandparents on Long Pond in Parsonfield, I quickly learned that lakes in Maine, including Southern Maine, were often referred to as ponds.
What determines if a body is water is called a pond or a lake? Well, for starters, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection says that lakes are large and deep whereas ponds are smaller and shallow.
Additionally, the Maine DEP has this to say:
“One classic distinction is that sunlight penetrates to the bottom of all areas of a pond in contrast to lakes, which have deep waters that receive no sunlight at all. Another is that ponds generally have small surface areas and lakes have large surfaces.”
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
That being said, there are definitely ponds that could be considered lakes. Such as Long Pond where I spent many of my childhood vacations. At a mile across, it seemed like a lake to us.
In fact, it is likely a great pond, which the Maine DEP defines as a body of water that is great than 10 acres. According to a Maine state survey, Long Pond encompasses 275 acres, so definitely a great pond.
List of lakes and ponds in Southern Maine
There are hundreds of lakes and ponds in Southern Maine. Since I mostly focus on locations in York and Cumberland counties, I’ve included a list of lakes in both places and only those counties.
These are listed in alphabetical order by name of the body of water. Then, I’ve included the town where they’re located.
Also, if there is an alternate name for the lake or pond, I’ve included that, too. You’ll see that alternate name in parentheses with aka–also known as–before the name.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is the source of this information.
Cumberland County, Maine: List of Lakes and Ponds
- Adams Pond, Bridgton
- Alden’s Pond, Gorham
- Bay of Naples (aka Brandy Pond), Naples
- Beaver Pond, Bridgton
- Bonny Eagle Lake, Standish
- Browns Pond, Sebago
- Capisic Pond, Portland
- Clark Pond, South Portland
- Coffee Pond, Casco
- Coffin Pond, Brunswick
- Cold Rain Pond, Naples
- Collins Pond, Windham
- Crescent Lake, Raymond
- Crystal Pond (aka Anonymous Pond), Harrison
- Crystal Lake (aka Dry Pond), Gray
- Duck Pond (Little), Windham
- Dumpling Pond, Casco
- Dundee Pond, Windham
- Forest Lake, Windham
- Gorham Pond (North), Windham
- Great Pond, Cape Elizabeth
- Hancock Pond, Sebago Lake
- Highland Lake (aka Duck Lake), Falmouth
- Highland Lake, Bridgton
- Holt Pond, Bridgton
- Ingalls Pond (aka Foster’s Pond), Bridgton
- Ingalls Pond, Baldwin
- Impoundment Pond, Harpswell
- Labrador Pond (Little), Sumner Twp.
- Lily Pond, New Gloucester
- Long Lake, Bridgton
- Massacre Pond, Scarborough
- Mild Pond (aka Mile Pond), Falmouth
- Mud Pond (Lower), Windham
- Mud Pond (Upper), Windham
- Notched Pond, Raymond
- Nubble Pond, Raymond
- Otter Pond, Bridgton
- Otter Ponds #1, #2,#3,#4, Standish
- Owl Pond, Casco
- Panther Pond, Raymond
- Parker Pond, Casco
- Peabody Pond, Sebago
- Perley Pond, Sebago
- Pettingill Pond, Windham
- Pleasant Lake, Casco
- Raymond Pond, Raymond
- Rich Mill Pond (aka Richville Mill Pond), Standish
- Sabbathday Lake, New Gloucester
- Sand Pond, Baldwin
- Sebago Lake, Sebago
- Sebago Lake (Little), Windham
- Thomas Pond, Casco
- Trickey Pond, Naples Twp.
- Watchic Pond, Standish
- Watchic Pond (Little), Standish
- Woods Pond, Bridgton
York County, Maine: List of Lakes and Ponds
- Adams Pond (aka Rock Haven Pond), Newfield
- Alewife Pond, Kennebunk
- Balch & Stump Ponds, Newfield
- Bartlett Pond, Waterboro
- Bauneag Beg Lake, North Berwick
- Beaver Dam Pond, Berwick
- Black Pond, Porter Twp.
- Boulter Pond, York
- Boyd Pond, Limington
- Boyd Pond (Little), Limington
- Branch Pond (Middle), Waterboro
- Brimstone Pond, Arundel
- Bunganut Lake, Lyman
- Chase Pond, York
- Cider Mill Pond, North Berwick
- Cox Pond, South Berwick
- Deer Pond, Hollis
- Deering Pond, Sanford
- Doles Pond, Limington
- Duck Pond, Buxton
- Ell Pond (aka L Pond), Wells
- Estes Lake, Sanford
- Folly Pond, York
- Great East Lake, Acton
- Hanson Pond, Acton
- Horn Pond, Acton
- Horne Pond (aka Pequawket Pond), Limington
- Isinglass Pond, Waterboro
- Kennebunk Pond, Lyman
- Killick Pond, Hollis
- Knight Pond, South Berwick
- Leigh’s Mill Pond, South Berwick
- Littlefield Pond, Sanford
- Lone Pond, Waterboro
- Long Pond, Parsonsfield
- Loon Pond, Acton
- Milliken Mills Pond, Old Orchard Beach
- Moody Pond, Waterboro
- Moose Pond, Acton
- Mousam Lake, Acton
- Mud Pond, Newfield
- Murdock Pond (aka Hatfield Pond), Berwick
- Northeast Pond, Lebanon
- Northwest Pond, Waterboro
- Ossipee Flowage (Little) (aka Lake Arrowhead or Arrowhead Lake), Waterboro
- Ossipee Lake (Little), Waterboro
- Parker (aka Barker Pond), Lyman
- Passaconway Pond, York
- Pickerel Pond, Limerick
- Pinkham Pond (aka Hidden Lake), Newfield
- Poverty Pond (Big) (aka Silver Lake), Newfield
- Poverty Pond (Little), Shapleigh
- Province Lake, Parsonfield
- Roberts & Wadley Ponds, Lyman
- Round Pond, Newfield
- Round Pond, Lyman
- Sand Pond, Limington
- Scituate Pond, York
- Shaker Pond, Alfred
- Shapleigh Pond (North), Shapleigh
- Smarts Pond, Newfield
- Sokokis Lake (aka Holland Pond), Limerick
- Spaulding Pond, Lebanon
- Square Pond, Acton
- Sunken Pond, Sanford
- Swan Pond, Acton
- Swan Pond, Lyman
- Symmes Pond, Newfield
- Town House & Milton Ponds, Lebanon
- Turner Pond (aka Mirror Lake), Newfield
- Unnamed Pond, Limington
- Wards Pond, Limington
- Warren Pond, South Berwick
- Webster’s Mill Pond, Limington
- West Pond, Parsonfield
- Wilcox Pond, Biddeford
- Wilson Lake, Acton
- York Pond, Eliot
Value of Maine lakes and pons
A new University of Maine study, supported by the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, shows that Maine lakes and ponds are well worth the efforts to preserve them. That’s because the study determined that they’re worth a staggering $14 billion.
Looking at 150 lakes and weighing the value of lakefront properties (compared to similar properties that were not located on the water), recreation for day trips, water consumption and youth camps, they came up with that whopping number. On the flipside, these surveys indicated even a moderate reduction in water quality would stymie the total annual recreation use value by an estimated $33 million per year.