Alton Bay is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in the town of

Alton, New Hampshire Alton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,894 at the 2020 census, up from 5,250 at the 2010 census. It is home to Alton Bay State Forest and Mount Major State Forest. The primary settlement in town, ...

, United States, and is located on Alton Bay, a

cove A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

which forms the southernmost point on the lake. The village is part of the Lakes Region, a popular resort area of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Alton Bay is located at the intersection of

New Hampshire Route 11 New Hampshire Route 11 is a east–west state highway in New Hampshire, running completely across the central part of the state. Its western terminus is at the Vermont state line in Charlestown, where it continues west as Vermont Route 11. The e ...

and Route 28A, north of the center of Alton. Route 11 is an east-west highway that crosses the entire state of New Hampshire, connecting

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...

to the west and

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

to the east. Route 28A is a local highway that joins Route 28 north of Alton Bay. Lake Avenue, Alton Bay Campground

In 1851 the village became the terminus of the Cochecho Railroad from

Dover, New Hampshire Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,741 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the New Hampshire Seacoast region and the fifth largest municipality in the state. It is the county se ...

. The rail line became the Lake Shore Railroad in 1890, continuing west to Lakeport in Laconia. It was in operation until 1935. The MS ''Mount Washington'' and its predecessor ships on Lake Winnipesaukee have made Alton Bay a stop since 1872. Alton Bay is home to the '
Alton Bay Christian Conference Center
'', a Christian retreat center and campground organized in 1863 (as the ''Second Advent Camp Meeting'' and incorporated as the ''Alton Bay Camp Meeting Association'' in 1876). It continues its year-round ministry by hosting retreat groups, summer camps, concerts, speakers, and summer residents (who live there and participate in the services of the Association). The village has a separate ZIP code (03810) from the rest of the town of Alton.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in New Hampshire Unincorporated communities in Belknap County, New Hampshire Populated places on Lake Winnipesaukee Alton, New Hampshire