Turtle Lake[1] is a lake in the west-central part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is fairly long (about 21 km (13 mi)) while also narrow (about 5 km (3.1 mi) across). The closest town is Livelong and the closest cities are North Battleford, Meadow Lake, and Lloydminster.[2] Turtle Lake is a heavily utilized recreational lake with campgrounds and small resort villages along its shores. Access to the lake and its amenities is from Highways 697 and 795.
| Turtle Lake | |
|---|---|
 Turtle Lake at sunset | |
  Turtle Lake Location in Saskatchewan  Turtle Lake Turtle Lake (Canada) | |
| Location | RM of Parkdale No. 498 and RM of Mervin No. 499, Saskatchewan |
| Coordinates | 53°34′N 108°39′W / 53.567°N 108.650°W |
| Primary inflows | Warner River |
| River sources | Meadow Lake Escarpment |
| Primary outflows | Turtlelake River |
| Catchment area | North Saskatchewan River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 21 km (13 mi) |
| Max. width | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Surface area | 6,772.1 ha (16,734 acres) |
| Max. depth | 19.2 m (63 ft) |
| Shore length1 | 58 km (36 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 649 m (2,129 ft) |
| Islands | Eyinatik Island |
| Settlements | Turtle View |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Turtle Lake's primary outlet is the Turtlelake River,[3] which flows south into the North Saskatchewan River near the Michaud Islands,[4] across the river from Delmas. Warner River and Mikinak Lake are the primary inflows.[5] The lake is situated at the southern slopes of the Meadow Lake Escarpment.[6][7]
Locals tell stories of a monster of some sort in its waters. The Turtle Lake Monster stories go back many years.[8]
Communities
editWith over 1,500 cabins, Turtle Lake is dotted with several lakeside communities of cabin owners, including (clockwise from the north-east) Turtle View (which is an amalgamation of Turtle Lake Lodge and Indian Point – Golden Sands), Sunset View Beach, Evergreen Acres, Turtle Lake South Bay,[9] Kopp's Kove, Aspen Cove, Parkland Beach, Powm Beach, Kivimaa-Moonlight Bay, and Horseshoe Bay.[10] The Thunderchild 115C Indian reserve is on the north-western shore adjacent to Horseshoe Bay. Prior to 2010, Turtle Lake Lodge had a store and rental cabins with some facilities, since converted to residential lots. Prior to 2018, Moonlight Bay also had a small store with fuel sales available. Since those closures, South Bay is the only beach on the lake with store / gas / restaurant & lounge operations, open seasonally during summer.[11]
Recreation
editAlong Turtle Lake's shores are campgrounds, parks, golf courses, resorts, beaches, boat launches, and other amenities geared towards recreation.
Turtle Lake Recreation Site (53°36′57″N 108°34′57″W / 53.6157°N 108.5826°W)[12] is a 266-acre park on the north-eastern shore. It has a small campground, beach, and a boat launch.[13] At the southern end of the lake is the 10-acre Turtle River Campground. It is in the community of Turtle Lake South Bay and adjacent to Turtlelake River. It has cabin rentals and a campground.[14]
On the lake's eastern shore, between Indian Point – Golden Sands and Turtle Lake Lodge, is the 112-acre Turtle Lake Nature Sanctuary. The sanctuary has trails for wildlife viewing, hiking, cycling, and cross-country skiing.[15]
Near Powm Beach is the 18-hole Blueberry Hill Golf Course[16] and in Kivimaa-Moonlight Bay is the Kivimaa-Moonlight Bay mini golf.
Fish species
editTurtle Lake has several species of fish, including northern pike, walleye, perch, and whitefish.[17]
Fish stocking
editThe fish stocking program at Turtle Lake started in 1950, and has been ongoing with some regularity over the past 80 years. Two species have been the focus of the stocking program in an effort to bolster their populations: walleye and lake whitefish.
Whitefish stocking started in 1927 and was discontinued in 1984. During this period, tens of millions of whitefish fry (newly hatched) were stocked. From 1932 to 1962, over 14 million walleye fry were stocked in the lake. The fisheries survey of 1964–65 indicated poor stocking success, so the stocking program was terminated. But due to high angler demand for walleye in the late 1960s, the walleye stocking program was re-introduced. From 1969 to 2004, another 22 million walleye fry as well as 461,300 walleye fingerlings (about 5 cm long) were stocked.
Gallery
edit-
Classic A-Frame cabin Sunset View Beach -
View of A Frame Cabin from water -
1972 Vanguard Boat -
Indian point, Moes Beach
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Turtle Lake". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Maps showing Turtle Lake, Saskatchewan". Canmaps. Yellow Maps. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Turtlelake River". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Michaud Islands". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ Siemens, Matthew. "Mikinak Lake". Sask Lakes. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Williston Basin Symposium". Datapages, Inc. Datapages, Inc. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Turtle Lake Fishing Map". GPS Nautical Charts. Bist LLC. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "The Fish Aren't Talking". Virtual Saskatchewan. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Hamlet of Turtle Lake South Bay". South Bay Turtle Lake. Hamlet of Turtle Lake-South Bay. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Welcome to RM of Mervin No. 499". RM of Mervin. RM of Mervin No. 499. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Turtle Lake". SaskLakes. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Turtle Lake Recreation Site". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Turtle Lake Recreation Site". SaskLakes. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Turtle River Campground". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Turtle Lake Nature Sanctuary". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Blueberry Hill Golf and Country Club". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Turtle Lake, Saskatchewan". Angler's Atlas. Retrieved 7 February 2024.