How does Walden Pond compare with Lake Waban?
Maximum depth: Walden (103 feet) vs. Waban (40 feet)
Surface area: Walden (62 acres) vs. Waban (109 acres)
Age: Walden (10,000–12,000 years old) vs. Waban (about the same; both were formed by receding glaciers)
Literary influence: Walden (Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau) vs. Waban (the poetry of Katharine Lee Bates, class of 1880 and Wellesley professor of English)
Fish: Walden (largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, brown bullhead, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and rainbow smelt) vs. Waban (largemouth bass, pike, black crappie, yellow bullhead, sunfish, and bluegill)
Swimming: Walden (famous spot for open water swimming) vs. Waban (“not allowed”)
Other recreational activities: Walden (kayaking, fishing, hiking) vs. Waban (canoeing, rowing, dog-walking)
Visitors per year: Walden (nearly 600,000!) vs. Waban (approximately 2,500 Wellesley students, plus the College’s faculty and staff and many, many town residents, both human and canine)
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