Horn Pond

The pond, the boating rules on both sides of the state line, and who to ask about the water level.

Horn Pond

Wakefield, New Hampshire and Acton, Maine. In the Salmon Falls River watershed. Outline traced from the state depth chart.

227
acres
31 ft
maximum depth
8.2
flushes a year
None
invasive plants known

About the pond

Horn Pond is a 227-acre (92 ha) water body located on the border of Acton, Maine and Wakefield, New Hampshire. The lake is both spring-fed and fed by the outflows of Great East Lake to the north and Wilson Lake to the east. Horn Pond's outlet is the Salmon Falls River, which forms a natural border between Maine and New Hampshire and empties into the Piscataqua River east of Dover, New Hampshire, and ultimately the Gulf of Maine.

Fish found in Horn Pond: brook, rainbow and brown trout; smallmouth and largemouth bass; chain pickerel; brown bullhead; white perch; bluegill.

On the water

Horn Pond lies in both Maine and New Hampshire. Each state's rule applies in its own waters.

Maine

You may not operate a watercraft faster than headway speed within 200 feet of any shoreline, including islands, or within a marina or an approved anchorage.

Headway speed is the minimum speed necessary to maintain steerage and control of the watercraft while the watercraft is moving.

Exceptions:

  • while actively fishing
  • while picking up or dropping off water skiers, if a reasonably direct course is taken through the 200 foot zone

Source: Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 13068-A, subsection 13, and section 13001, subsection 29 for the 200 foot zone.

New Hampshire

All vessels must keep to headway speed within 150 feet of:

  1. rafts, floats, swimmers
  2. permitted swimming areas
  3. shore
  4. docks
  5. mooring fields
  6. other vessels

Headway speed is the slowest speed that a boat can be operated and maintain steerage way.

Exception: starting skiers from shore, docks or floats, as long as neither the boat nor the skier is endangering the life or safety of any person.

Source: New Hampshire RSA 270-D:2, VI, and 270-D:1, VI for headway speed.

Further reading

This is a summary for convenience and may not be current. The official sources above govern.

Water level and the dam

The Horn Pond Dam is owned by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

If you have any questions regarding the water level, contact:

Dan Mattaini
Head of Operations and Dam Maintenance
Email: DANIEL.J.MATTAINI@des.nh.gov
Tel: (603) 271-8867