The Longest Lake Name In America Is Found At This Massachusetts Charmer For Swimming, Fishing, And Boating

Webster Lake in Massachusetts, resting on top of the Connecticut border, wasn't always known by its English name. To the local Algonquian tribes, specifically the Nipmuc people, who spoke a language known as Loup, it was called Chaubunagungamaugg, meaning "fishing place at the boundary." Then, almost as if to confuse the English-language speakers who settled there, natives started referring to it as Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg ("English knifemen and Nipmuc Indians at the boundary or neutral fishing place"), an official name it still carries today.

At 45 letters, it's the longest one-word place name in America and the third longest globally — a hill in New Zealand's North Island has 85 letters, while a Welsh village clocks in at second, with 58 letters and a whopping four "l's" in sequence. The people of Lake Chaubunagungamaug, to use its Google Maps rendering, are so proud of the name that plans to shorten it in the 1950s were met with resistance. The poet Bertha A. Joslin made her feelings clear when she wrote: "'Touch not a g!' No impious hand." Nevertheless, there is still discussion about how the name should be spelled, with heated disputes over the true number of "g's."

The lake's nominal curiosities have attracted the interest of reporters for decades. But it's more than a mere orthographic battleground. The 3-mile body of water, created by retreating glaciers during the last ice age, functions like a trio of large ponds — the North Pond, Middle Pond, and South Pond — connected by narrow straits. Islands are scattered across the lake, and beaches, jetties, and lakefront restaurants nestle on its little peninsulas. You can take a fishing boat, pontoon, or jet ski onto the lake, or go for a swim and admire the handsome homes lining the 17 miles of shore.

Chaubunagungamaug is the largest natural lake in Massachusetts, making it popular with New England holidaymakers. The main public recreation area is Memorial Beach in the North Pond, which features a designated swimming area, a playground, a wooded strolling trail, and a kayak and canoe access area. Paddling across the 1,400-acre lake is a great way to admire the pretty New England backdrop — naturally at its peak in fall — and spot majestic birds, including loons, eagles, ospreys, and herons whirling in the skies or skittering along the water's surface.

Summer is peak boating season, when pontoons, fishing boats, jet skis, water skiers, tubers, and sailboats compete for space in the water. JSM Boats offers pontoon rentals delivered right to the lake. Prices start at $549 for a day at the time of writing, and the boats can accommodate between seven and 11 people. If you're bringing your own vessel, the main boating ramp is at Memorial Beach, and there's a second boat ramp in South Pond at Lower Cedar Cove.

Massachusetts has a rich and deeply embedded fishing culture that includes a city with America's oldest seaport, some of the country's most productive commercial fishing ports along its Atlantic coast, and villages known for fresh seafood, famous sunsets, and serene docklands. Fishing is big in Webster, too: spring is popular for trout fishing, summer is the season for bass and pan fish, though black crappie, chain pickerel, largemouth bass, perch, sunfish, rainbow trout, and tiger trout are all fished in these waters. Webster Lake Guide Service offers three-person fishing boat rentals ($175 for a full day), as well as guided fishing trips on the lake and cabin accommodation options on the lakeshore. You'll also find a variety of bait and tackle shops in Webster.

As it effectively sits on the border of three states, Lake Chaubunagungamaug is within driving distance of several major cities in the New England area, with Providence, Rhode Island, Hartford, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, all about an hour's drive away. Massachusetts's state capital, Boston, which was recently ranked one of the greenest cities in the world, is around 90 minutes away, making the lake a feasible day trip or weekend escape for travelers coming from the iconic East Coast city.

There are some lovely accommodation options on the shores of Lake Chaubunagungamaug, including lakefront houses and cabins with sun-splashed verandas on Airbnb. One particularly luxurious option is a house on a private island in the lake, with a stone fireplace, whitewashed wooden rafters, a large sundeck, a boating pier (required to access the property), and a firepit surrounded by trees and Adirondack chairs. You'll find more private rentals dotted around the lakeshore or located in Webster and other nearby towns. If you want to stay in a hotel, your best bet is in Worcester, about 17 miles to the north.