Rainbow Lake is the source of Rainbow Stream in Rainbow township in the North Maine Woods. Rainbow Stream discharges over a dam at the west end of the lake and flows 4 miles (6.4 km) south to Nahmakanta Lake. Nahmakanta Lake overflows through Nahmakanta Stream and Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes to the Penobscot River. The Appalachian Trail follows Rainbow Stream and the south shore of the lake;[2] but the old logging road to the dam has deteriorated with boggy areas no longer passable by four-wheel drive vehicles. The lake has a small catchment basin and is surrounded by large granite boulders. The low nutrient input in this setting produces unusually clear water. The lake has a native population of brook trout.[4]
| Rainbow Lake | |
|---|---|
  Rainbow Lake  Rainbow Lake | |
| Location | Piscataquis County, Maine |
| Coordinates | 45°49′N 69°07′W / 45.817°N 69.117°W[1] |
| Lake type | oligotrophic |
| Primary outflows | Rainbow Stream |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 4 mi (6.4 km)[2] |
| Max. width | 0.62 mi (1 km)[2] |
| Surface area | 1,626 acres (658 ha)[3] |
| Max. depth | 130 ft (40 m)[4] |
| Water volume | 63,348 acre⋅ft (78,139,000 m3)[3] |
| Surface elevation | 1,050 ft (320 m)[1] |
Sources
edit- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rainbow Lake
- ^ a b c The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer (Thirteenth ed.). Freeport, Maine: DeLorme Mapping Company. 1988. p. 50. ISBN 0-89933-035-5.
- ^ a b Maine Depts. of Environmental Protection and Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (2005-08-04). "Maine Lakes: Morphometry and Geographic Information". Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research, The University of Maine. Archived from the original on 2006-09-03. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Millinocket Lake" (PDF). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Game. State of Maine. Retrieved 13 May 2016.