Flagstaff Lake

Flagstaff Lake is a 20,300-acre reservoir on the Dead River in Somerset and Franklin counties in western Maine. It lies north of the Bigelow Range, near Eustis and Stratton, and reaches a maximum depth of about 50 feet, with an average depth of 18 feet. The North and South Branches of the Dead River enter the lake at its west end. The Dead River leaves at Long Falls in the northeast corner and flows on toward the Kennebec River. A smaller natural lake was enlarged when Central Maine Power built Long Falls Dam. In autumn 1949 the water rose over the villages of Flagstaff and Dead River; some sources give 1950 as the date of impoundment. Brookfield Renewable now owns the 45-foot dam. It generates no electricity and is used to regulate flows for downstream Kennebec River hydropower projects and to control flooding. The lake is normally drawn down 20 to 25 feet in spring and 10 to 15 feet in fall.

The shoreline is largely undeveloped. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands manages the surrounding Bigelow Preserve and Flagstaff Lake public lands, which have two trailerable and six hand-carry boat launches and 91 campsites. Brookfield Renewable operates one more ramp. The lake is part of the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail, and some marshy areas can only be passed by canoe or kayak. All motorized watercraft on Maine inland waters must display the state's lake and river protection sticker. The Bureau asks boaters to clean watercraft before launching and after retrieval to keep Eurasian milfoil from spreading.

Chain pickerel is the principal fishery. Brook trout and landlocked salmon are present in limited numbers, and the lake is occasionally stocked with salmon. The lake is said to be named for a flagstaff that Benedict Arnold's expedition planted there in 1775.