In 2010, the magazine Yankee named Willoughby as the third best lake in New England.[2]
Willoughby Lake has a public beach that stretches 0.4 kilometres (0.25mi) on the north shore of the lake, or in the zone of the lake outlet. Another public beach is located at the bottom of the South Bay of the Lake. The village of Westmore is located on the east side, at the confluence area of Mill Creek which drains the waters of Long Pond. Many cottages and houses are located on North-East bank of the lake.
Hydrology
The lake is known for its clarity and chilly temperature.[3] Because of its depth, the surface of the lake freezes later than other lakes in the Northeast Kingdom.[4]
Prior to the floods of 1927, the river had three dams. All were destroyed by the flood. An iron bridge that ran from Evansville to Brownington Center was destroyed and rebuilt.[5]
A dam where the Whetstone Dam had formerly stood, was rebuilt to run a sawmill, which was still in operation in 2008. The "state Fish and Game Department" bought the dam rights to allow rainbow trout to swim upriver.[5]
Geology
A view from the north end of the lake shows Mount Pisgah (left) and Mount Hor rising up above the surface.
Lake Willoughby is a southeast trending basin. Willoughby is a glacial lake that is over 300 feet (91m) deep in places, making it potentially the deepest lake entirely contained within New England, and second in the area to only Lake Champlain, whose deepest point reaches around 400 feet (120m). Estimates for the lake's depth range from 300 feet (91m) on the low end, to as much as 340 feet (100m) on the high end.
The shoreline of Lake Willoughby almost resembles a Norwegian fjord, and as a result is a popular destination for photographers and tourists. The reason for this unique geology is likely due to the rock between Mount Pisgah on the east and Mount Hor on the west being eroded by an ancient valley ice lobe. This ice flow cut across the Willoughby granodiorite and adjacent metamorphic rocks. The ice flow may have exploited highly fractured bedrock along the margin of the Willoughby pluton or joint surfaces within the pluton.[6]
The sheer cliffs of Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor provide an environment conducive for arctic and cliff-alpine plants, as well as ideal nesting areas for the rare peregrine falcon.[10]
Tiny steam boats operated on the lake for tourists from 1884 to the early 1900s when steam was replaced by the gasoline engine.[12]
In 1915, Robert Frost mentioned the lake in a poem, "A Servant to Servants, "I see it's a fair, pretty sheet of water, Our Willoughby! How did you hear of it? I expect, though, everyone's heard of it. In a book about ferns? Listen to that!"[13][14]
Toponymy
The toponym "lake Willoughby" was officially recognized on September 1, 1992, by GNIS (Geographic Names Information System) of United States.[15]
Local customs and culture
Devil's Rock, located on the Mount Pisgah side of the lake at a less than halfway point from the lake's southern beach, is a popular diving spot for daring locals and vacationers.[16] It takes its name from a painted image of a devil on the front of the rock facing out toward the lake. It is also called Devil's Rock because when reflected in still water, the image of a skull lying on its side can be seen.
Along the eastern shore, there are a series of natural waterslides that flow into Lake Willoughby.[17] In the winter, these turn into an ice wall which is used by ice climbers.[18]
Economy
Lake facilities offer swimming, hiking, and ice fishing. There is a nude beach on the lake's southern shore.[19] Surrounding the Willoughby Lake, there are some campgrounds and cottage rental services for tourists. The Route 5A runs along the lake's eastern edge.
Orleans County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,393. Its shire town is the city of Newport. The county was created in 1792 and organized in 1799. As in the rest of New England, few governmental powers have been granted to the county. The county is an expedient way of grouping and distributing state-controlled governmental services.
Orleans is a village in the northwestern corner of Barton, Orleans County, Vermont, United States. With a population of 788 at the 2020 census, it is the largest village in the county.
Westmore is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 357 at the 2020 census, making it the least populated and least densely populated town in the county. The town contains one unincorporated village clustered around Lake Willoughby.
Barton is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,872 at the 2020 census. The town includes two incorporated villages, Barton and Orleans. Approximately a quarter of the town's population lives in each of the villages, and approximately half lives outside the villages. Only four other towns in the state contain two incorporated villages.
Newport is the only city in, and the shire town of, Orleans County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 4,455. The city contains the second-largest population of any municipality in the county, and has the smallest geographic area. It is the second-smallest city by population in Vermont. Newport is also the name of neighboring Newport Town.
The Missisquoi River is a transboundary river of the east shore of Lake Champlain, approximately 80 miles (130 km) long, in northern Vermont in the United States and southern Quebec in Canada.
Lake Memphremagog is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake spans both Quebec and Vermont, but is mostly in Quebec. Most of the watershed that feeds the lake is located in Vermont, and is a source for accumulated phosphorus, sediments, and other pollutants. Cleanup efforts since the late 1980s have improved the water quality. The lake furnishes potable water for 200,000 people.
Vermont Route 16 (VT 16) is a 27.890-mile-long (44.885 km) state highway in northern Vermont, United States. It begins at VT 15 in Hardwick and heads northward to U.S. Route 5 (US 5) in Barton. From Barton, it heads eastward to VT 5A in Westmore. The portion of VT 16 east of US 5 is town-maintained and signed east–west. The remainder of the route is signed north–south.
Crystal Lake is located near the village of Barton in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. It is a glacial lake 3 by 1 mile and 100 feet (30 m) deep in places. Route 5 runs along the lake's western shore. Crystal Lake is in the northeastern section of the state of Vermont. The lake is owned by the state and managed by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Vermont Route 58 (VT 58) is a 30.908-mile (49.742 km) east–west state highway in Franklin and Orleans counties in northern Vermont, United States. The western terminus of the route is at VT 118 in Montgomery. The eastern terminus of VT 58 is at VT 5A north of Westmore and Lake Willoughby. In Orleans, VT 58 runs concurrent to U.S. Route 5 for a short distance, interchanging with Interstate 91 (I-91) at exit 26 during that interval. The portion of VT 58 west of VT 100 in Lowell is town-maintained. This section is a dirt road and is closed during the winter months because it goes through Hazens Notch.
Mount Pisgah is a mountain in Westmore, Vermont. It is located on the east side of Lake Willoughby and constitutes the eastern side of "Willoughby Gap". It is part of the Northeastern Highlands of Vermont. There are hiking trails in Willoughby State Forest.
The Barton River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog, over 22 miles (35 km) long, in northern Vermont in the United States.
The Clyde River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog, over 33.5 miles (54 km) long, in northern Vermont in the United States. It is the easternmost of the four major rivers in Orleans County. It is the most powerful of the four within Orleans County, powering several turbines at damsites. It is part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.
Echo Lake is located in the town of Charleston in Orleans County, Vermont within a region known as the Northeast Kingdom. It is one of only two deep, cold, and oligotrophic lakes in the Clyde River system, the other being nearby Lake Seymour. The first Surveyor General of Vermont, Whitelaw, gave it the name of Echo Pond because when any sound was produced in its vicinity it was reverberated in various directions, producing a series of echoes.
The Willoughby River is a tributary of the Barton River, flowing on 18.6 km (11.6 mi), in the Orleans County, Vermont, United States.
The Brownington Branch is a tributary of the Willoughby River, flowing in Orleans County, Vermont, in northern Vermont, in United States.
Johns River is a tributary of the Lake Memphremagog, flowing in the municipality of Derby in northern Vermont, in United States and in the municipality of Stanstead (city), Quebec in the Memphremagog Regional County Municipality (RCM), in the administrative region of Estrie, south of Quebec, in Canada.
Willoughby State Forest covers 7,682 acres (31.09 km2) in Newark, Sutton and Westmore in Caledonia and Orleans counties in Vermont. The forest is managed by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation. Activities include hiking, primitive camping, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, hunting and fishing.
The Niger River is a tributary of the Tomifobia River. The Niger River flows successively in the municipalities of Coaticook, Barnston-Ouest, Stanstead-Est and Hatley, in the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality (MRC), in the administrative region of Estrie, in Quebec, in Canada.
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