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Saskatchewan’s 10 most beautiful lakes

Saskatchewan Lakes

Saskatchewan’s 10 most beautiful lakes

Saskatchewan is a prairie province, known for its beautiful open skies and acres of pretty farmland. Picture kilometres of neon-yellow mustard fields, orange sunflowers, and golden wheat swaying in the breeze. It's also home to 100,000 beautiful, clean, fresh water lakes with big sandy beaches, making this province the place for rest and relaxation by the shore. Or boating, swimming, windsurfing, paddling, and fishing, if that's more your speed.

 

In fact, the fresh water anglingExternal Link Title is some of the best in the world, with big catches being pulled out daily. Saskatchewan lakes have yielded three world-record-sized fish, including an 11.4-kilo burbot, a 21.7-kilo rainbow trout, and an 8.3-kilo walleye. You can ice fishExternal Link Title, snowmobile, and cross-country skiExternal Link Title on the lakes in winter, and play in, on, and around them in summer. The easygoing locals are known for being super friendly and unpretentious, and the province's warm, sunny summers are nothing short of glorious. Here are Saskatchewan's 10 most amazing lakes, ready for exploring.

1. Little Manitou Lake

Southeast of SaskatoonExternal Link Title, Little Manitou LakeExternal Link Title is unique to the western hemisphere. It's salty -- with three times the mineral density of the ocean -- allowing swimmers to float easily, like in the Dead Sea. Many say the waters are therapeutic for the skin and body, too. Go in summer and stay at Manitou Springs ResortExternal Link Title.

2. Reindeer Lake

Fly-in fishingExternal Link Title is a big draw for Reindeer LakeExternal Link Title in northeast Saskatchewan near the Manitoba border. Expect to haul in big walleye, grayling, whitefish, and lake trout from the province's second-largest lake while savouring a break from civilization at a wonderfully remote five-star lodgeExternal Link Title. It's also the deepest lake in the province at 216 metres, and was carved by a meteorite 140 million years ago.

3. Good Spirit Lake

Follow a trail through dense forest and it opens up to reveal Good Spirit LakeExternal Link Title's top-rated main beach, an exceptional strip of sandy, shallow shoreline, which also boasts warm waters, kilometres of sand dunes, and great swimming holes. Campsites and cabins scattered throughout the pines and aspens benefit from refreshing lake breezes. Hiking options abound in this southeastern provincial parkExternal Link Title and wildlife viewing opportunities are plenty. Locals rave about this place, ideal for a classic lakeside holiday.

4. Lake Athabasca

Lake AthabascaExternal Link Title is Saskatchewan's very deepest and largest lake, covering a whopping 7,936 square kilometres. Just south of the Northwest Territories, it's a place of pristine natural beauty, a unique ecosystem of rare plants, and a famed vast stretch of sand dunesExternal Link Title. And of course, incredible lake trout and northern pike fishingExternal Link Title thanks to the cold waters.

5. Candle Lake

Want to lay out on the beach for a week? It has to be centrally located Candle LakeExternal Link Title, best for clear water and sandy beaches surrounded by pine and aspen forest. CampingExternal Link Title is big, as is sunbathing and golfExternal Link Title in the nearby resort village. The lake's Sandy Bay, Waskateena, and Minowukaw beaches are some of the top lake beaches in the country. Add canoeing, cycling, and sailing to the activities list, if you want a more active holiday.

6. Lake Diefenbaker

Dubbed Canada's Great Lake, manmade Lake DiefenbakerExternal Link Title in southern Saskatchewan is where you want to go for boating, golf, and some of the best walleye angling around -- this is the lake that produces record-breakers. You'll also want to play in the seven parks, watch a movie at an old-style at the drive-inExternal Link Title, camp, bird watch, and take advantage of the 800 kilometres of sandy-beach shoreline.

7. Lac La Ronge

Canoeing is the activity of choice at Lac La RongeExternal Link Title, in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan. The provincial parkExternal Link Title is globally renowned as wilderness canoe heaven. Follow one of 30 paddling routes along the Churchill River System inside the rocky outcroppings of the Canadian Shield, just like fur-trading voyageursExternal Link Title once did en route to Hudson Bay. Or fish in the lake, keeping an eye out for beaver, bald eagles, and muskrat.

8. Waskesiu Lake

If you like quiet, choose tranquil Trippes BeachExternal Link Title on Waskesiu LakeExternal Link Title's sleepy southwest side. It's also set in central Prince Albert National ParkExternal Link Title, one of the province's most scenic. Pack a picnic and a good book. Swim, lounge, sunbathe, play Frisbee, bike, or hike, and if you decide you need some action, head to the resort villageExternal Link Title.

9. Katepwa Beach

Tiny Katepwa Point Provincial ParkExternal Link Title, northeast of ReginaExternal Link Title, was one of Saskatchewan's first six parks, and it's still lovely. The green, hilly, rural Qu'Appelle ValleyExternal Link Title, originally settled in the 1890s by European immigrants, is worth the trip alone. Visit Katepwa BeachExternal Link Title, the prettiest in the area, to picnic, barbecue, and watch the sun set over the lake from your rented cabin deck.

10. Meadow Lake

The challenging 113-kilometre Boreal TrailExternal Link Title in central Saskatchewan's Meadow Lake Provincial ParkExternal Link Title is the provincial park network's single backpacking trail, passing through forests and alongside some 20 lakes. Combine a backcountry adventure with a relaxing holiday on classic Kimball Lake beachExternal Link Title, a large golden-sand beach. Water ski, paddle, boat, windsurf, swim, play volleyball, or just float along under the big prairie sky.