Off-Season Discounted Rates

June

June is a great time to come to the lake for fishing. The days are warm and the evenings are cool. The temperatures are only a few degrees less than in August but there are fewer visitors to the lake, making it ideal for fishing. Rates are discounted for the first three weeks in June.

September

September is a wonderful time to be at Sunset Lodge. Some say that September has the most beautiful weather of the year. The crowds are gone and the lake is quiet. Sailing is beautiful. It is a great time to visit. Rates are discounted after Labor Day.

October

October is peaceful and quiet with fall in the air and color in the trees. You'll need the wood stove in the evening or sit around a cozy fire. Available the first two weeks in October, Sunset Lodge is a good base for viewing fall colors.

Area Information

Lapping water and the haunting cry of the loons will lull visitors to sleep after long chats by a fire, while daytime activities may include a visit to the sandy beach in Jefferson a mile down the lake in Damariscotta Lake State Park for hiking, bird-watching, picnicking and water sports. If visitors are inclined to leave Sunset Lodge's lakeside peace, Camden, Rockland, Boothbay, Augusta and Bath, where you will find antiques, arts, crafts, and museums, are all close by. One can also follow the lake down to the Damariscotta River and on to the Salt Bay and ocean beyond. On the Pemaquid Peninsula, a half hour's drive away, you will find the Pemaquid Light House with its Fishermen's Museum and the picturesque yachts of Christmas Cove. You can eat lobsters on the deck at Shaw's Fish & Lobster Wharf and look out on the working lobster boats moored in New Harbor. Visitors may also enjoy the picturesque village of Damariscotta for shopping, eating theater, and music concerts at the Roundtable Center of the Arts. Craft fairs and auctions are commonplace in Mid-coast Maine. But at the end of the day you will be happy to return to the peace and quiet of Sunset Lodge. Damariscotta Lake and Sunset Lodge still capture the hearts of those who vacation here, as they have done for nearly a century.

2010 Availability & Rates
Email: leonardbetha@aol.com - Telephone: (718)789-9149

The Story behind Sunset Lodge

The charming and rustic Sunset Lodge, on Lake Damariscotta, is a waterfront family vacation paradise on private lakefront property in Midcoast Maine. Originally a fishing lodge with cabins surrounding the main dining room and kitchen, was built in the early 1920’s. The Lodge is a place where families have come for generations to fish, swim, play and relax.

Lodge & Cabins

Sunset Lodge is a perfect place for families or larger groups to retreat together from the crowds and pressure of everyday life. The Lodge and surrounding cabins sit on the waterfront in a grove of trees on a slight outcropping of land near the widest part of the lake, where the water deepens quickly (eventually reaching 114 feet) making it ideal for fishing and swimming. The property has 330 feet of water frontage. The buildings sit close to the water, offering beautiful views of the lake, the far shore and the stunning sunsets. Large lawns next to the water are great for games and the large docks are ideal for swimming and boating.

The South Lodge has a large common room where everyone can gather for evening games or sings. The property has three cabins in addition to the lodge making it ideal for family reunions, retreats and groups who enjoy vacationing together but also having some privacy. Each cabin has its own kitchen, bathroom and screened porch. There is a wonderful outside shower which provides views of the lake. The lawn provides plenty of space for badminton, croquet, shuffleboard, barbeques and relaxing and contemplating the lake.

Boating & Windsurfing

Today, Lake Damariscotta is one of central Maine's most pristine lakes. Available at the lodge are canoes, and kayaks, for use from the two docks while motorboats for fishing or water skiing may be rented in the area and moored off shore. The lake is a great spot for windsurfing. Take off from the dock, the lake is a mile and a half across and twelve miles long. Great for advanced as well as beginner wind surfers.

Fishing

The Native American word which gives Lake Damariscotta its name means “abundance of little fishes.” The lake sports Brown and Lake Trout, Coho Salmon, Northern Pike, Pickerel, Smallmouth Bass and White Perch, among others. It is popular with fisherman. In the summer, fishermen find salmon in the deep trench that is several hundred yards off our beach.

Fishing at Sunset Lodge
     Sunset Lodge is fortunate to be located on Damariscotta Lake, one of the great fishing lakes in Maine.  At over 4,000 acres, it is large enough and varied enough to please any fisherman, as it has pleased this fisherman for over thirty years.

     Take your kids, a few worms, and motor down only a couple of minutes from the cabins. Schools of perch feed in the evenings. Smallmouth and largemouth bass can be found along the shorelines throughout the lake. If you like to troll, brown trout, lake trout and land-locked salmon hide in the deeper parts of great bay, straight out from the cabins.  There are also large yellow perch, catfish and pickerel.  Over the years, it's been a pleasure to fish this lake. Come to Sunset Lodge and share the pleasure.    -- Don Dougherty

Retreats, Conferences & Reunions

Sunset Lodge is ideal for small retreats, conferences, or reunions. The best months for this is September or the first weeks in October because of availability. The setting is a rustic, charming 1919 fishing camp on the edge of beautiful Lake Damariscotta, 1 hr from Portland. The lodge has 2 units, and there are 3 additional cabins, for a total of 10 bedrooms that will sleep up to 20 people. The grounds are lovely - level and grassy for sitting, croquet, or badminton. Parking is ample and easy.  The lodge's 80' long screened porch overlooks the lake. A big common room is perfect for group meetings. Each of the 5 units has a kitchen and bath; the South Lodge has a larger well equipped kitchen plus dishwasher. There are 2 big private docks for swimming, fishing, and loon gazing, plus kayaks and canoes.

TESTIMONIALS

08/16/06  Our families came from Austin, TX, Memphis, TN and St Petersburg, FL for a beautiful week at Sunset Lodge. The lodge is quite rustic and every enjoyable. All the kids loved swimming in the lake while the adults enjoyed using the boats to see the beauty of the lake and our surroundings. We had breakfast cooked over the open fire and a wonderful lobsterfest one evening. We only wish it could have lasted longer. Susan Ohl, St. Petersburg, FL

07/15/06  Our family from Texas, Minnesota, New York and Maine all gathered here for a great week. The varied cabins worked well to allow privacy when needed. They lodge is well equipped. The weather was typical - sun, rain, winds and clouds but we enjoyed the swimming, fishing, sailing and just "hanging". Hope to get back soon. Sandra Kroger, New York & Florida

08/21/08  To me the Sunset Lodge is about family, gathering together, and learning how to live, love and laugh together. Our time spent here was an adventure. It swept us to a wonderful place, filled with all the possibilities to help us get fit while wallowing away the hours in the kitchen eating fresh blueberry pies. We loved discovering this little part of Maine and finding out so much more about ourselves. It turns out I'm a hell-of-a Ping Pong player. Loved it! John W., Santa Barbara, CA

01/15/06  As a former owner of Sunset Lodge in the mid 1970's I was delighted to find your web site, to view the photos and reminisce about my family's experiences. We hope to return for a visit soon. Joan Crosby Tibbetts, Altamonte Springs, FL

12/04/05  Heaven on Earth. This is the perfect place to spend time with family. The sunsets,the sailing, the lobster, the ideal Midcoast region. Maine doesn't get any better than this. This is a place to come to year after year! Lauren, Long Island, NY

09/20/04  This rental is truly a diamond in the rough. Our group had a great time and we are looking forward to a return trip sometime in the near future. Tim W., Long Island, New York

08/22/04  FISHING AT SUNSET LODGE  Sunset Lodge is fortunate to be located on Damariscotta Lake, one of the great fishing lakes in Maine. At over 4,000 acres, it is large enough and varied enough to please any fisherman, as it has pleased this fisherman for over thirty years. Take your kids, a few worms, and motor down only a couple of minutes from the cabins. Schools of perch feed in the evenings. Smallmouth and largemouth bass can be found along the shorelines throughout the lake. If you like to troll, brown trout, lake trout and land-locked salmon hide in the deeper parts of great bay, straight out from the cabins. There are also large yellow perch, catfish and pickerel. Over the years, it's been a pleasure to fish this lake. Come to Sunset Lodge and share the pleasure. Don Dougherty

09/20/03  This e-mail is to tell you how much we enjoyed Sunset Lodge. You've got a wonderful place on a beautiful lake, and we were grateful that it was available and could accommodate the family. We'll treasure many memories from the trip and most center around family time right there at the lodge. The Hussman Family, Louisville, Virginia