Steve Fagin: The wonders of Lake Waramaug

Jun. 15—Shortly after Andy Lynn and I began kayaking on Lake Waramaug last Saturday, I announced, "Well, now I can die a happy man."

That's because the 656-acre lake, surrounded by the verdant Litchfield Hills of northwestern Connecticut, is mentioned in the book, "1,000 Places to See Before You Die."

Andy was immediately impressed when we arrived at the Lake Waramaug State Park public access.

"What a beautiful launch site," he said, gazing at a pristine beach and sparkling, blue water. A man and his young daughter, fishing nearby, waved.

"It's our favorite spot," the man said.

While many sublime lakes in Connecticut were created by dams, Waramaug, which spreads out in the towns of Kent, Warren and Washington, was formed naturally by tectonic forces and receding glaciers some 18,000 years ago.

Waramaug — named for a Native American chief of the Wyantenock tribe that spent summers at the lake before European settlers arrived in the 1680s — is one the few Heritage Lakes in Connecticut. It earned this distinction by upholding environmental standards, improving water quality and preserving cultural features.

As the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection notes, "Scenically, few bodies of water in Connecticut can rival the picturesque setting of Lake Waramaug."

In addition, numerous travel websites that rate Waramaug as one of Connecticut's most appealing lakes reference the must-see-before-you-die imprecation in Patricia Schultz's bestselling travel guide, published in 2003 and revised in 2011.

I hadn't read the book, but was intrigued. What was so tantalizing about a lake in Connecticut that qualified it for a bucket list that presumably included the Taj Mahal, Palace of Versailles, Pyramids of Giza and 997 other spectacular global attractions?

And so, Andy and I drove two hours from New London to see for ourselves.

We headed for the state park in Kent at the northwest end of the serpentine lake. A teenage attendant at the entrance waved us past the gatehouse — "You guys are all set — no charge." If we had launched from a ramp at the south end of the lake, the town of Washington would have charged us $60 to park.

When I asked the attendant where we should put in, she pointed to a beach across the street. "Just pull over to the side of the road to unload your boats, and then come back to park," she suggested, adding, "Have a great day!"

So far so good.

Before crossing the street, we waited for bicyclists and joggers to pass. Roads that circle the lake provide a popular eight-mile circuit.

We decided to hug the shore in a counter-clockwise direction, first passing a tree-lined, immaculately maintained campground.

A brisk, northwest wind swept down from 1,000-foot hills that overlook the lake, propelling us past a largely undeveloped shore. Regulations prohibit motorboats from leaving a wake or exceeding 6 mph in this narrow arm of the lake, making it even more attractive for kayaking and canoeing. On this blustery day, though, Andy and I saw only two other kayaks.

Opreys, red-tailed hawks and a lone bald eagle circled overhead as we passed the Lake Waramaug Country Club. Beyond the park boundary, assorted waterfront homes also appeared, ranging from small summer cottages to stately mansions.

Powerboat speed limits disappeared at this point — wakes from vessels that roared by at 20 mph rocked our boats. Oh well, can't have everything.

Approaching Washington Bay at the south end of the lake, we noticed two plumes of bubbling water. The churning froth came from submerged aerators installed in 1989 to minimize cyanobacteria blooms; two similar devices were placed across the lake, near Arrow Point, in 2015.

Installation of these aerators was undertaken by the Lake Waramaug Task Force, formed in 1975 to improve water quality.

The nonprofit organization spends about $300,000 a year of private money on a variety of other projects, including raising and releasing some 1,000,000 microscopic organisms every week from a zooplankton farm on Arrow Point to help prevent toxic algae blooms.

The task force also hires divers who use a suction hose to remove invasive aquatic weeds, rather than eradicate them with chemicals.

Such regard for environmental protection was far from the minds of Colonial settlers, especially after iron ore was discovered along the west shore in the early 18th century. Construction of grist mills, sawmill distilleries and various factories soon followed. After they began shutting down in the middle of the 19th century, Lake Waramaug transformed into a summer retreat, featuring steamboat tours, dances and concerts.

Seventeen lakeside inns dotted the shore by the 1920s; since then, nearly all have either evolved into private homes or been knocked down.

Once we rounded Cheeree Point at the south end of the lake, I noticed pickup trucks with boat trailers heading for the access ramp. We were about to get more company — a good time for us to get off the water.

While paddling back to the state park, we bucked a stiff headwind, so steered closer to shore in order to grab lee behind Randalls Point and Arrow Point. A few minutes later, we pulled ashore at the state park, completing an eight-mile voyage.

"A worthy paddle and a wonderful lake, speedboats notwithstanding," I said. "But I'm not sure I would have had to see it before I died."

After we drove home, I went to the library and checked out the "Thousand Places" book.

Turns out that Lake Waramaug itself isn't singled out — it's mentioned only in a section describing restaurants and hotels near the Litchfield Hills.

Here are two sentences on page 743: "...Or head north out of Washington to Lake Waramaug, overlooked by the 1890s Boulders Inn. Inviting accommodations and a famous Sunday brunch make for the perfect weekend." That's it.

I next went online to check the rates.

You can't book a room or cabin; you have to rent the entire nine-bedroom Boulders Inn, or the seven-bedroom Carriage House next door. Daily rates during June, July and August are $3,600 for The Boulders and $3,000 for the Carriage House, with a minimum stay of four days. There also are $1,200 cleaning fees for The Boulders and $1,000 for the Carriage House.

The state charges Connecticut residents $17 a night for a park campsite, and $50 a night for a rustic cabin.

Guess where I'd stay.