Rattlesnake Island info

[tomboymom]

Hello:

I am interested in any information you can share about Rattlesnake, particularly life on the broads side of the island. Is it terribly windy there? Does that side have good access to hiking trails? What about lake depth there?

Thanks.

[DRH]

Hello:

I am interested in any information you can share about Rattlesnake, particularly life on the broads side of the island. Is it terribly windy there? Does that side have good access to hiking trails? What about lake depth there?

Thanks.
Welcome to the winnipesaukee.com forum, tomboymom. Two active participants here, Island Girl and Rattlesnake Gal, have places on the Broads side of Rattlesnake, and they should be able to answer any questions you have about life on that side of the island. One or both of them will probably post a reply here to your questions, but if not you can email each of them directly via their "Profile" here on the forum.

[GWC...]

You may not be overly joyous if the wind is blowing 25 - 35 from the NW.

The terrain is sloped; walking your property may be considered a "hike" to some. The trail system, at one time, passed through all properties on the Island. Photopost will provide views.

The upper half of the Island has "normal" depth as you leave the shore; whereas, the lower half is relatively a steep fall-off from shore.

Your biggest challenge may be securing access from the mainland. The association does have a mainland dock for short-term usage on the Boston side of the Lake. On the other side of the Lake, Wolfeboro offers shopping convenience, if the wind cooperates. A SW breeze will make you think you have found paradise, provided your neighbors are not jerks and jerks, unfortunately, are everywhere in this country.

The "Broads" side of the Island is not for the faint of heart if the wind is blowing out of the northwest above 25.

Good luck with your purchase.

P.S.- Some views from Photopost section of this website (click image for enlargement):

Broads side:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=7185&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=515

Boston side:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=6919&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=515

Top end:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=6818&password=&sort=1&cat=515&page=3

Wind is blowing from the NW:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2903&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=11

Another view:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2746&password=&sort=1&cat=515&page=6

And another, with the wind from the SW, by the look of the water on the Broads side:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1707&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=515

Island Girl’s gallery from Photopost:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=9

Island Girl’s website provides a live look at the Broads from that side of the Island:
http://www.rattlesnakecam.com/

[Rattler]

Hi, tomboymom.

A few comments about the wind...

My wife and I purchased a place on broads side of Rattlesnake in 2003. This was our first adventure in waterfront property -- and boating, for that matter.

There are certainly trade-offs being on the broads side. While the views are spectacular and the water clarity is amazing, you become a real weather watcher. It does get windy -- particularly when high pressure systems arrive with their NW winds. Given the northwest-to-southeast positioning of the lake, a NW wind has 20 or so miles of water to push to create some sizable waves before it reaches the broads. So it's not the wind but the waves that we look out for. Interestingly, strong winds from any other direction are pretty inconsequential wave-wise on that side of the island.

We are at our place every weekend from ice-out until late October, and, while we have not yet had to cancel a trip out to the island because of the weather nor gotten stranded while we were out there, we have heard stories from our neighbors that it happens. We have been out there a handful of times when high winds developed and the waves and water action were, frankly, scary. However, the beautiful days with the views and the large expanse of crystal clear water at your doorstep make up for them. We wouldn't trade our experience on Rattlesnake for anything.

Our rule-of-thumb around the wind is that anything greater than 15 mph out of the NW raises a red flag -- in terms of our ability to dock our boat on the island (even with breakwater protection). This rule might vary depending on location on the broads side (as well as boating skills), but it's been a good rule for us.

[Island Girl]

Wind you say... yes we get wind... we also get wonderous calm, quiet and peaceful days, especially in the spring and fall. The air is wonderful and the nature beautiful. The trails are mostly navigable, with some parts of the island rougher than others. It makes for interesting climbing, with the reward of the view from the top. I agree with the others. My top wind speed to come out here is 10-11 mph, 15 is a definite no no. I will leave the island up to 12-13mph only if I have to. I do spend time watching weather on the internet to know when I can come and when I have to leave. From time to time there is a small window of opportunity to travel. This, however is not very often. This year has been excellent, very few windy days from the NW.. as others have said, wind from the east and south does not matter much. The first year we were here we did get stuck for 4 days in November. We should have known better.... and have not been stuck since.

There is nothing better than island living.... and the broads is a wonderful place to be. The following two pictures show the great differences. I would not have it any other way!

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/508/medium/9DSCN0051.jpg (http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2404&size=big)


http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/506/medium/9DSC021801024w.jpg (http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=6633&size=big)

[KTO]

Wow Island Girl, that sunset is such a great picture!

[Rose]

Wow Island Girl, that sunset is such a great picture!

I had that thought about the picture of the waves...but what else would you expect from a Weather Weenie?

[tomboymom]

Thanks very much everybody....your insights are invaluable and would never be gleaned from a realtor! Loved the pictures. We are not afraid of a little wind...we are fortunate to live nearby on the mainland. It is a big jump, but I have yet to meet anyone who has lived on an island who can say a negative word about it. I hope you'll keep commenting as things occur to you!

Tomboymom

[secondcurve]

Island Girl:

Thank you for your insight. I have also been considering an island property and have couple of questions for you, if you don't mind. What type of boat do you use and where on the main land do you keep your boat? How bad was the water/weather to keep you pinned down for 4-days that November!! Does it get rough enough out there that you could get tipped over?

How about access for non-property owners? Is there a place to dock so one can hike to the top of the island? Thanks for any insight.

[Island Girl]

I have a 20' cuddy cabin. It is a deep v and handles waves well... not too big when trying to land in the wind.

There is no access for non-property owners, the entire island is private.

The picture I posted was from early November when we got stuck out there. Those waves persisted for 4 days. Back then I have a 17.5' bowrider and did not feel safe taking it out after a wave once came over the front of the bow and soaked us and the engine cut out. I did not wish to repeat that. Usually the wind only lasts a day or two... just depends on the year. Some years there is very little big wind, like this year.

Access to the lake is the biggest problem with buying island property. Many people rent slips in various locations such as W. Alton Marina, others own slips in other marinas.

I hope this helps
IG

[tomboymom]

How is the fishing on the north side of the island?

[Grant]

The area around the north side of Rattlesnake is close to the deepest part of the Lake, and the surrounding islands features some of the best fishing in Winnipesaukee. You'll have species that hang deeper in the cooler water during the warm months that come in toward shore to feed on schooling baitfish, etc. The shore of Diamond Island, the neighboring island off the northern nose of Rattlesnake, gets deep quite quickly, and there are lots of fish in the area. Off the southern end, where tiny Ship and Moose islands mark a long shoal, I've found lots of evidence of ample salmon fishing while diving -- including a full set of new downrigger balls and line wedged in the rocks. Someone obviously thought that they were fishing nice and deep, and crept up on the shoal, where the rocks claimed the riggers.

[tomboymom]

Thanks for the fishing info. Also want to say a HUGE thanks to whomever provides the Rattlesnake cam (snake eyes)...I think it is RattlesnakeGal? What a treat, to see the view from the island whenever we need a fix!

[upthesaukee]

Hi Tomboymom---actually, the SnakeEyes cam is the work of Island Girl.

[tomboymom]

Thanks for the correction, Upthesaukee! Island girl does a great job!

[ApS]

Another question:

Geologically speaking, how did Rattlesnake Island avoid being flattened by the glaciers that made Lake Winnipesaukee?

Is it all rock? Or is a collection of rocks pushed against rock ledges?

Something else? :confused:

[mcdude]

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/507/176A2_January_05_052_2.jpg
APS - If you take a gander at this map posted by RG back in January you will observe two volcanic rings (I'm sure there is a more geologically correct term); one in the Ossippees and one in the Belknaps which extends out to and includes Rattlesnake Island as part of the outer ring. It was probably much taller before the forces of nature wore it down.

[Grant]

The Ossipees are actually the world's most famous example of what geologists call "ring-dike formation."

As for how Rattlesnake avoided being razed by the glacier, if you look at the area from the perspective of the map above, and consider all the tectonic upheaval and the movement of the glacier, you can see that much of it was "gouged" out. Rattlesnake, is geologically, is actually part of the Belknap Mtns. The Lake botton in that area plunges precipitously -- the deepest part of the Lake is not far off the northern end of the island...and much of the lake's underwater topography mirrors that of the surrounding area -- glacial eratics (the random boulders found all over the state), rock walls, outcroppings, hills, etc.

[tomboymom]

We did some reading on the history of the island and it mentioned the ring dike phenomenon. It also said that due to this, the island has some "unique" geological features and rock types. Mr. Tomboymom is a rock enthusiast. Has anybody found interesting rocks or formations on Rattlesnake?

I would love to see more maps that showed the volcanic rings, or find more sources to read upon it.....

[Grant]

The volcanic ring is the Ossipee Mtn. range. Check out the aerial posted above by APS...it really stands out when viewed that way. I learned about it while in college and studying geology -- a prof mentioned the Ossipees as an example, and I immediately woke up and was like, "Huh? Ossipees? As in New Hampshire? As in my back yard?" There are some great geo sites out there that go into great detail on the range.

But, as for Rattlesnake, all know is what I see from the Lake.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Welcome to the island Tomboymom! We couldn't be happier with our spot on the lake. The Broads always offers up something interesting.
I wonder if you and I have actually met while I was out swimming this summer? If you are the lady I am thinking of, my son and I had a very nice chat with you and your husband. It was early evening during a very hot spell.
The geological features of Rattlesnake Island are quite fascinating. We had lots of fun exploring over the summer. Some of the boulders are just astounding. The layers on this one are almost vertical.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/525/medium/176September_at_Lake_05_077_2.jpg

We found it very interesting how much the rock formations vary from one part of the island to another. A very special place indeed with lots of wildlife too.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/525/medium/176September_at_Lake_05_072_2.jpg

Rattlsnake Cliff Base (http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8082)

Can you ask Mr. Tomboymom what he thinks the purple stuff is on this rock (http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8083)?

A big and little rock. (http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8084)

[tomboymom]

Mr. TBM was facinated by all the rock pictures. He does not know what the purple stuff is, but promises if you point him in the right direction, he will check it out the next time he gets to the island.

[ApS]

+"...We couldn't be happier with our spot on the lake. The Broads always offers up something interesting..."

I agree. While the Broads calms are a bane to this sailor, the windy days make some exhilarating surf!

Fifteen years ago, I considered buying a lot on the shore you face: Wolfeboro Neck. However, on one of my Wolfeboro Neck visits, it happened to be a day of calm winds and...heavy summer boat traffic. Rattlesnake Island, because of its slightly better orientation to the prevailing winds, seems to be free of fumes.

(The old family place unexpectedly came up for sale -- cheap -- out of Bankruptcy Court and we bought here, off the Broads, instead).

Do you all have electricity 24/7 -- and are the allowed septic systems of the conventional kind?