People often ask what there is to do once they arrive at 1 Big Sustainable Island.
The short answer? Less than you think. More than you expect.
For almost two decades we've learned at 1 Big Sustainable Island that life on a Maine lake is not about filling every hour - it is about letting the water set the pace. Still, there are a handful of activities that tend to become daily rituals for our guests, not because they are scheduled, but because the lake gently insists.
Here are ten of the best Maine lake activities to experience near 1BSI - each one subtly transformed by the fact that you are not visiting the lake. You are waking up on it.
These are Annabessacook Lake days in Monmouth, Maine — just outside Winthrop in the Winthrop Lakes Region.
Quick Answers
What do most guests do every day?
Paddle, swim, read, nap, and sit by the water. The lake becomes the schedule.
Is there enough to do without a plan?
Yes. The rituals happen naturally once you are on the water.
What is the most popular activity?
Sunrise paddling or dock time — both are daily favorites.
1. Sunrise Paddling (Canoe, Kayak, Standup Paddleboard and a Peddle-Boat)
There is a particular quiet that only exists early on a Maine lake. Before motors. Before voices. Before the day remembers it exists.
Sliding a canoe or kayak into the water at sunrise feels less like recreation and more like participation. The lake is glassy. The air is cool. Loons often announce your presence before you notice theirs.
At 1BSI, sunrise paddling does not require a plan or a drive. You do not go kayaking - you step outside, grab a paddle, and drift off while coffee finishes brewing back on shore.
This is different when the lake is literally your front yard.
2. Fishing the Lake (Quiet, Simple, Unrushed)
Fishing on a Maine lake is not about numbers. It is about stillness.
At 1BSI, fishing tends to happen naturally - a few casts off the dock, a slow paddle to a quiet edge, early morning or evening when the water settles and the light goes soft.
There is no rush, no setup, no schedule. You fish for ten minutes or two hours. You stop when it feels right.
This is different when the lake is literally your front yard.
Fishing here often becomes less about what you catch and more about what you notice - loons moving nearby, eagles watching from a distance, and the way your thoughts quiet when you stop trying to fill the time.
Some days are generous. Some are quiet. Both count.
3. Cool-Water Swimming, Floating Docks & the Sauna Reset
Let us clear something up right away: in July, the lake is not cold.
It is cool. Refreshing. Roughly 80 degrees. The kind of water that makes you say "ohhh" instead of gasp.
Swimming at 1BSI is less about endurance and more about rhythm - a dip off the floating dock, a slow swim along the shoreline, or a casual float while the sun does the heavy lifting.
And when you are ready to turn contrast into ritual, the hot sauna is waiting.
The sequence tends to go like this:
- Heat up slowly in the sauna
- Step out, breathe in pine and lake air
- Slip into the water and reset everything
- Repeat if the mood strikes
It is not a spa. It is better. No rules, no clocks - just heat, water, and the deep satisfaction of listening to your body instead of a schedule.
This is different when the lake is literally your front yard.
4. Campfire Cooking Rituals
Cooking by fire slows things down in the best possible way.
Whether it is cast-iron breakfasts, foil-wrapped dinners, or late-night marshmallow improvisation, campfire cooking becomes a shared rhythm rather than a task.
At 1BSI, firewood is provided, time is abundant, and the lake quietly supervises from a few steps away. Meals stretch longer. Stories wander. Dishes can wait.
It is not gourmet. It is better.
5. Wildlife Watching (The Unscheduled Kind)
Wildlife does not run on a timetable - which is exactly the point.
Loons glide by with zero concern for your camera readiness. Turtles surface where you least expect them. Bald eagles make appearances that feel deliberate, even if they are not.
Because you are staying still - not hiking through, not driving past - the lake gradually accepts you as part of the scenery. That is when the best sightings happen.
Binoculars optional. Patience required.
6. Midday Doing-Nothing (Highly Recommended)
This may be the most underrated Maine lake activity of all.
Hammocks. Dock naps. Reading three pages of a book and staring at the water for twenty minutes. Doing nothing becomes strangely productive.
When the lake is outside your door, there is no pressure to maximize the day. The view does not expire. The lake will still be there after your nap.
This is often when guests realize they have arrived.
7. Star Watching From the Water's Edge
As daylight fades, the lake becomes a mirror for the night sky.
With minimal light pollution, stars arrive in layers - first a few, then suddenly many. The Milky Way often makes an appearance on clear nights, reflected faintly on the water's surface.
Some guests lie back on their private docks. Others watch from their floating stay. A few fall asleep unintentionally under the sky and call it a success.
(For those who really lean into this ritual, some of our floating stays are designed with stargazing in mind - but the lake itself does most of the work.)
8. Golden-Hour Wandering
Evenings on the lake stretch time.
Golden hour lasts longer than expected, especially when the sun has nothing to bounce off but water and trees. Walk the shoreline. Paddle lazily. Sit somewhere you did not plan to sit.
This is the hour when photos happen accidentally and conversations go a little deeper than planned.
9. Winter & Spring Shoulder-Season Lake Magic
Maine lakes do not disappear when summer ends - they transform.
In spring, mist rises off cold water at sunrise. The lake feels raw and alive. In winter, frozen surfaces turn quiet and sculptural, with a stillness that feels almost ceremonial.
These shoulder seasons are when the island feels most like itself. Fewer distractions. More atmosphere. A sense that you are seeing the lake the way it actually lives, not just how it vacations.
Very Maine. Very memorable.
10. Waking Up and Doing It All Again (Differently)
No two lake days are the same.
Wind shifts. Light changes. Wildlife surprises you. Some days are active. Some barely move. The best activity often turns out to be the one you did not plan.
That is the real magic of staying near - and on - a Maine lake.
A Quiet Truth About Lake Life
Some of these activities you can do anywhere.
Some only happen when you wake up on an island, step outside, and realize the lake is not a destination - it is your neighbor.
If that kind of lake life sounds like your speed, there are a few ways to experience it at 1 Big Sustainable Island.
No rush. The water is not going anywhere.
On Annabessacook Lake in Monmouth, Maine — near Winthrop.
Ready to plan your overnight island stay?
Bookings go fast in peak season. We'll help you pick the right spot.
