Classic Family Fun

Unplug from the hectic pace and chaos of modern life on our nine acres of beautiful waterfront property,  among towering pines and manicured lawns where you and your family can slow down, have fun and build memories that will last a lifetime.

The Way a Vacation Should Be

We are often asked if there is anything to do in the area.  The answer of course is an emphatic “Yes!”  See Area Attractions for more information.  That said, most families arrive at Gilmore Camps and find so much to do on site that they don’t want to leave.

The beach is the focal point of Gilmore Camps.  Large, child safe and user friendly, it’s usually the children who make friends first, followed by their parents, and by the end of the stay “5pm social hour” takes on a special meaning!  Immediately adjacent to the beach, lift a canoe or kayak into the water for a tranquil ride or just sit quietly on the Adirondack chairs on the dock, keeping a lookout for a family of bald eagles nesting on the opposite shore.

For more action, play a game of pool, shoot hoops, play horseshoes or badminton and get a group together for a fun game of whiffle ball or Frisbee toss.

The entire property simply beckons you to unplug, unwind, relax and enjoy. Not a single summer goes by without a parent commenting “this is the only place in the world where I can let my kids run out the screen door and feel that they are safe”. That’s our nicest compliment.

The Magic of Kezar Lake

If you’re lucky enough to find Kezar Lake, you’re lucky enough.   The great God of Nature bestowed upon Kezar Lake secret, subtle charms uncommon even among the charmed lakes of Maine.  Nine miles of crystal clear water and unspoiled shoreline prompted National Geographic Magazine to once call Kezar Lake “one of the three most beautiful lakes in the world”.  And the Lower Bay (home of Gilmore Camps) in a remarkable quirk of nature is the gem of the lake as water flowing down to the lake from the White Mountains refills the bay with new water every three weeks.

Kezar behaves more like a coastal resort community than a typical Maine summer lake. Where the Maine lake vacation norm tends to be motels, bait and tackle shops, marinas and small cottages on postage stamp lots adjacent to a frantic highway, Kezar is instead off the beaten path, stately old inns, estates, and private summer homes.  The quiet can be deafening.

The lure of Kezar has attracted famous residents for many years from Rudy Vallee to Stephen King.  Rudy was a global sensation in the 1930’s.  His lodge consisted of 300 acres, seven buildings, costing $200,000 in 1930 ($2.6 Million in today’s dollars) and came replete with a dining area where the chef could serve  guests eggs and bacon 24/7 so that you could have breakfast no matter the time of day you awoke.  Today, Stephen King lives a much more subdued lifestyle, but his love for the lake is equally strong as evidenced by many philanthropic gestures over the years.

Gilmore Camps Beach

The beach area is nearly one of a kind for lake vacationers.  Constructed in 1934 with the help of bulldozers and dynamite, today’s environmental restrictions would absolutely prohibit such work.  With sand as far out as you can walk and no rocky drop off, the beach provides solace for young and old alike and is completely child safe.