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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers welcomes you to Buffumville Lake. For year-round outdoor recreation, visit Buffumville Lake and Park. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park Rangers are available to assist you during your visit.

Buffumville Park is open daily from mid-May through mid-September. We no longer permit the use of alcohol in the park or on the boatramp. The park has a 300-foot-long beach with an enclosed swimming area for your safety. People over 12 pay a fee for using the beach. Picnic tables and grills are located throughout the park, and two picnic shelters can be reserved for a fee. A volleyball court and horseshoe pits can also be reserved for a fee. Check here for the schedule of current fees.

For your convenience, Buffumville is a barrier-free park.

The seven-mile Lake Shore Trail begins at the beach and goes around Buffumville Lake (lake map). Follow the blue blazes.

In addition to the nature walks on the Lake Shore Trail, special interpretive programs on the cultural and natural environment, water resources, water safety and flood control are provided by Park Rangers. Tours of Buffumville Dam are also available, as well as a Junior Ranger program for the younger folks. See the Calendar of Events for the latest schedule of interpretive and other special programs.

The damsite features a very popular 27-hole disc (frisbee) golf course.

Our handicapped fishing dock is shortly to be replaced with an accessible platform on Buffumville Beach. We have a beach, handicapped wheelchair for your free use. Ask the park attendant!

Rent an island! We have a 3 acre island available to rent for up to 1 week! It's primitive camping and you have to have a boat for the short trip to the island. Purchase a primitive camping permit, it's your own private paradise.

The outdoor sports enthusiast can hunt, fish and boat at Buffumville Lake. The public is invited to participate in our annual Family Fishing Day at Buffumville Beach each June. (Go here for Fishing Tips.) There is no hunting in the developed areas of the park or at the damsite. All local and state laws apply. A boat ramp and culvert underneath Oxford Road permit boating on both sides of the lake. NO fee is required for launching a boat or canoe at the launching ramp.

WALKING!!! Do you like to walk or skate on a flat, safe surface? Walk the crest of Buffumville Dam up and back and you've gone 1/2 mile on a new asphalt surface. Walk the perimeters of the re-paved Lake parking lot and you've gone 1/2 mile. No speeding cars, no threatening dogs, no hills-just peace and quiet.

Almost 500 acres of land and 200 acres of water comprise the natural environment at Buffumville Lake. On the western side of the lake, red oak, white oak and hickory are commonly found. The east side of Buffumville Lake supports white pine and hemlock. Other species often sited along the lake's edge are red maple, alder, and birch as well as other common wetland plants. Deer, rabbits, geese, raccoons, fox and a variety of songbirds are some of the wildlife species inhabiting these natural areas. The lake is a warm-water fishery, with good populations of largemouth bass, pickerel, horned pout, bream and numerous other fish species. Click here for record fish catches.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the natural resources at Buffumville Lake for multiple uses: flood control, wildlife habitat, forest production, watershed protection, and outdoor recreation. We are always looking for volunteers to help out the permanent and summer staff. Click here to find out about the volunteer program.

Buffumville Dam was built in 1958 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in response to the floods of the 1936 which caused tremendous damage to the area.