Sunapee posts advance notice of one-day boat ramp closure

Sunapee’s Georges Mills Boat Launch on Lake Sunapee will be closed Thursday, June 4, from approximately 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. while trained divers conduct an additional underwater inspection. The town’s Buildings and Grounds Department posted the advance notice so boaters can shift plans before arriving at the ramp.

The town said the work is precautionary and safety-related. A recent visual inspection by the Lake Sunapee Protective Association near the Georges Mills boat ramp did not observe curly-leaf pondweed, but the June 4 dive is intended as a preventative check. That makes the closure part of routine lake management at a heavily used public access point, rather than a response to a confirmed problem at the ramp.

For anyone planning fishing trips or early-season recreation on Lake Sunapee, the closure will interrupt a key access point for the middle of the day. The Georges Mills Boat Launch serves residents, visitors, and trailer boats heading into Georges Mills Harbor, and Sunapee’s traffic ordinance even sets aside a marked waiting area for vehicles with boat trailers queuing to enter the harbor parking lot to use the town ramp. The town’s advance notice should help keep traffic from stacking up around the launch while the inspection is underway.

Sunapee has used the same launch for similar short-term closures before. On June 5, 2024, the town closed the Georges Mills Boat Launch from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to eradicate invasive plants identified in the water near the ramp. The June 4 closure follows the same pattern: a brief interruption, a defined time window, and a focus on protecting access to Lake Sunapee while crews work safely around the waterline.