I want to make sure my home and surroundings are going to be a perfect fit for your vacation needs. Please start a conversation with me first before sending me a booking request as I qualify all guests.
GUESTS BEST SUITED FOR MY FULL-TIME HOME
• Guests with no dogs or other pets (no negotiating)
• People who are looking for a quiet place to relax
• Families and couples over the age of 35 years old (6 human max)
• Guests who won't use my home as a vacation hub
Enjoy beautiful sunsets, bonfires, horseshoes, badminton, outside grilling, fishing, and much more. Cherish the timeless beauty of the Maine woods & water—plus all the modern amenities—in this historic log home located just 12’ from the shore of Woods Pond in Bridgton, Maine. It’s the perfect place to relax, unwind, and make memories with friends and family.
PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS
• Log home with all the amenities
• Horseshoe Court
• Largest lawn next to the lake
• Quiet, secluded surroundings
• Unobstructed lake views including gorgeous sunsets
• Abundant wildlife: Loons, Eagles, the Great Blue Herron, Moose, and more
• Private sandy swimming beach
• Lakeside deck
• Large wooden dock with canoe
• 4' ft diameter extra large recessed, firebrick-lined bonfire pit
• Dug well with crystal clear drinking water
• 4 miles to shopping, dining & entertainment in Bridgton
THE EXPERIENCE
Remember when you were a kid and your most pressing engagement was playing all day until dinner time? A vacation on Woods Pond is going to take you back to those days. Having escaped the over-development, crowds, and noise that have changed the character of larger ponds and lakes in the area, Woods Pond is considered the hidden gem of the Lakes Region. The pond is quiet, peaceful, and serene. No jet skis buzzing the shores, no loud music or parties—just the calming sounds of nature like waves lapping on the shoreline, frog calls softly echoing across the water in the evening, and loons performing their hauntingly beautiful songs.
Start your day with a cup of coffee and a quiet paddle on the flat calm, glass-like waters of early morning. Play all day on the pond or check out the attractions in historic Bridgton, then come back to grill out on the deck, watch the sunset over the water through a frame of 100-year-old pine trees, and roast marshmallows over a bonfire while the fireflies and the stars sparkle all around. Collapse into a comfortable bed and get ready to do it all over again.
GUESTS BEST SUITED FOR THIS PROPERTY
Responsible, mature guests looking to get away and relax in peace and quiet are welcome. This includes small families, couples, and friends in groups of 6 or fewer. The property is suitable for guests of all ages including babies and children, though I do require that the person booking the listing be at least 35 years old. As much as I love wildlife, no pets are allowed.
My home is nestled in a serene neighborhood with 5 great neighbors I’ve known for over 35 years. Most of my neighbors are retired and enjoy the quiet pleasures of lake life, so it is important that guests be respectful and limit their noise level during the day and evening. There are also some non-human “neighbors” who also appreciate peace and quiet, such as the loon who nests 1,000 feet away and the eagle who fishes around the pond daily and sometimes pulls a catch out of the water right in front of the property.
If you’re looking for a place to blast your radio, yell like Tarzan, and generally run wild, I can recommend some great rental homes on larger lakes more suited to your vacation needs.
ABOUT WOODS POND
Woods Pond is 2 miles long by ¾ of a mile wide and 29 feet deep in the center, giving you ample space for your favorite lake activities including swimming, boating, water skiing, sailing, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing. My home has a private sandy beach for swimming and lake lounging. The private beach is 16 feet wide and you can walk out onto the sand directly from the lawn. The sandy beach is very special and unique—all the newer properties on the pond have rocky shores.
Woods Pond is home to Maine’s most magnificent wildlife: loons, bald eagles, the great blue heron ospreys, black bears, deer, and the most photographed animal—the Maine moose. For the angler, the pond is stocked with large and small mouth bass, brown trout, rainbow trout, salmon, white perch, pickerel, and hornpout (New England catfish).
HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY
Woods Pond is named after Bridgton’s first surveyor, Solomon Wood, who came to the area in the fall of 1776. In 1935 and 1936, my grandfather visited and made his own careful study of all the open land around the pond, searching for just the right spot to build his dream camp. He settled on a location that received the most sunlight throughout the day and had the perfect sunset view directly across the pond every night.
Built in two phases, the original camp on the property was one of the first structures on Woods Pond. My grandfather started out by building the summer home’s living quarters in 1936. Later, a large porch was added. The porch was actually taken from a storefront in town, loaded into an ox-drawn sleigh, and brought across the frozen pond to the property in wintertime. When spring arrived, my grandfather attached the porch to the main structure. And he built the first dock out of tree trunks in 1938.
In 1995, my family built the existing log home on the site of the original camp. I’ve spent the past 4 years renovating the home and property to create a getaway retreat.
The cabin's interior was designed to bring the outdoors inside, with natural stone interior walls, stone and tile flooring, granite countertops, and hardwood floors. It has been equipped with amenities of a comfortable home, including a stainless-steel refrigerator, gas stove, microwave, Keurig coffeemaker and traditional coffeemaker, washer and dryer, bed linens, bath towels, cooking utensils, outdoor gas grill, two indoor remote control gas fireplaces, flat screen TVs in every room. Thanks to a dug well, crystal clear drinking water flows from every faucet.
The exterior features a lakeside deck, 16' foot wide sandy beach, a Jamaican-style hammock, a 30' by 6' foot wood dock, a horseshoe pit, abundant flowers, wild Maine blueberry bushes, an extra-large groomed lawn, and a recessed, fire-brick-lined bonfire pit just 8 feet from the water’s edge.
WHAT'S IN TOWN
Just 4 miles away, you’ll find the town of Bridgton, Maine. Bridgton was named one of the best vacation towns by DownEast magazine and is also a favorite spot of author Stephen King and his wife.
Bridgton features 2 grocery stores (Hannaford’s and Food City), restaurants (Vivo Italian Kitchen & Bar, The Black Horse Tavern, Campfire Grill, Venezia, House of Pizza, and more), places to get fresh seafood and Lobster (Hannaford’s and Highland Seafood), a golf course and tennis courts (Bridgton Highlands Country Club), public beaches, nature trails for walking and exploring (Pondicherry Park), a bait and tackle shop (Uncle Lunkers), and 2 movie theaters including a restored drive-in (Bridgton Twin Drive-in) and a rebuilt "historic landmark" indoor movie theater (Magic Lantern Movie Theater & Pub).
About 10 miles away in the town of Naples, you’ll find additional shopping and dining options including live music at Rick’s Café. For winter fun, the Shawnee Peak Ski Resort is 9 miles away. Maine’s biggest city, Portland, is just an hour away and is great for day trips or a special dining experience.
