[fatlazyless]

Here's something that has been mentioned before by me about the downtown Laconia area. Located just a hundred feet or so from the big intersection of Main St & Union Ave, or Routes 106 & 107; just last spring 2009, the City of Laconia completed construction on a Winnipesaukee River, hand carry, canoe & kayak launching ramp situated on the nicely landscaped City Hall - village green, and it is about 50' from available roadside parking spots, if you get lucky, otherwise more parking is available at Laconia City Hall..

So, downtown Laconia may be a good spot to cartop a kayak or canoe; maybe bring a wetsuit, and roar down the very fast-moving Winnipesaukee River. It's an urban river, with embankments built of stones, granite & mortar with apparently all internal natural rocky obstructions removed sometime since 1822 when the first Lakeport Dam was built. The water can be very cold, and very swift, but what's unusual is that all normal rock obstructions one would expect have been removed so it can be a lot more dangerous than its calmness appears to be as there's almost never any white water. The put-in carry ramp is located about 100' below the Avery Dam.

Locally, the Laconia Fire Dept has a fast rescue team nearby that trains in the Winnipesaukee River for kayak-canoe-swimmer, boater-rescue mishaps such as getting hung up on a bridge support.

Depending on the time of year and the dam outflow from the 44,000 acre Lake Winnipesaukee, the Winnipesaukee River offers up a wide range of different kayaking and conditions, from cold & ferocious to warm & mellow as well as both cold water & warm water fishing for small mouth bass or trout.

It's maybe one half mile down the river, passing under about six very low bridges, to the Lake Winnisquam motorboat launch area that includes parking, toilet, a dock, & two boat-launch ramps. About 100 yards beyond the State of NH - Winnisquam motorboat launch, the Winnipesaukee River enters huge & deep Lake Winnisquam, NH's 3rd largest lake, with a Laconia City public beach on the left, and a defunct, non-operating, NH Dept Environmental Services, waste water treatment facility on the right.