ABOUT STONEY LAKE

Oh, what a magnificent scene of wild and lonely grandeur burst upon us as we swept round the little peninsula, and the whole majesty of Stony Lake broke upon us at once … Never did my eyes rest on a more lovely or beautiful scene.

Susanna Moodie, Roughing It In The Bush (1852)
Volume II, Chapter V: A Trip to Stony Lake.
Read the complete chapter …

Stoney Lake is one of the Kawartha Lakes, which lie north and east of the city of Peterborough, in east central Ontario, Canada. The Kawartha Lakes form part of a lengthy inland waterway connecting Lake Ontario with Georgian Bay known as the Trent-Severn Waterway.

The Kawarthas region has been inhabited for thousands of years. The remarkable collection of prehistoric rock carvings located at Petroglyphs Provincial Park, located at the east end of Upper Stoney Lake, is evidence of early First Nations settlements. In the 19th century, Europeans settled in the area for logging and farming. Canals were added early in the 20th century for commercial purposes, although today the Kawartha Lakes are primarily used for recreation.

Geologically, the Kawartha Lakes are on the boundary between the granite of the Canadian Shield to the north, and by the heavily forested Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowland to the south. As a result, the Kawartha Lakes represent a rich natural environment with a remarkable range of plants, animals, and geological formations.

Stoney Lake comprises three interconnected lakes (Upper Stoney Lake to the northeast, Stoney Lake in the centre, and Clear Lake to the southwest) that form the eastern end of the Kawartha Lakes region. All three lakes are typical of the lakes in the north Kawarthas region, as they are generally deeper and colder than lakes to the south.

While Stoney Lake was known to early European settlers as Salmon Trout Lake, the lake no longer contains salmon trout. “Stoney” is perhaps a more appropriate name, as rocky islands and shoals can be found everywhere. Stoney Lake and Upper Stoney Lake are at approximately 44 32′ N, 78 09′ W, at about 234 metres above sea level, with a combined surface area of approximately 28 square kilometres.

Today, Stoney Lake is enjoyed by seasonal and year-round residents, by boaters using the Trent-Severn Waterway, by sport fishermen and by many others.