Lake Solitude, 2510 feet (765 m), is a highland tarn

Tarn (lake)

A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. A corrie may be called a cirque.The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond...

 located at the top of Sunapee Ridge between the main summit of Mount Sunapee

Mount Sunapee

Mount Sunapee is a -long mountain ridge in the towns of Newbury and Goshen in western New Hampshire. Its highest peak, at the north end of the mountain, is above sea level. The mountain has three secondary peaks, White Ledges at ; North Peak at ; and South Peak at...

 and South Peak. The lake, 4.61 acres (18,656 m²), is approximately 832 feet (253.6 m) long by 383 feet (116.7 m) wide and is located within Newbury, New Hampshire

Newbury, New Hampshire

Newbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,072 at the 2010 census. Newbury is home to part of Lake Sunapee, including Mount Sunapee State Park Beach. Mount Sunapee Resort, a ski area in Mount Sunapee State Park, is in the west...

 and Mount Sunapee State Park. A popular hiking destination, Lake Solitude is accessible via the 50 miles (80.5 km) Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail. White Ledge, 2700 feet (823 m), rises steeply above the lake's west shore and provides expansive views. The lake is considered an important habitat for rare species and is off limits to swimmers and dogs.

Lake Solitude drains into Andrew Brook, thence into Ring Brook, Todd Lake, the West Branch of the Warner River

West Branch Warner River

The West Branch of the Warner River is a river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Warner River, part of the Contoocook River watershed....

, the Warner River

Warner River

The Warner River is a river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Contoocook River, part of the Merrimack River watershed....

, the Contoocook River

Contoocook River

The Contoocook River is a river in New Hampshire. It flows from Pool Pond and Contoocook Lake on the Jaffrey/Rindge border to Penacook , where it empties into the Merrimack River. It is one of only a few rivers in New Hampshire that flow in a predominantly northward direction...

, then into the Merrimack River

Merrimack River

The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...

 and the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

.