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Map of Bark Lake with depth contours

Bark Lake

45.4552° N, 77.8494° W

Depth contours from the government survey. Not for navigation.

Download the depth map (SVG)

Bark Lake, Ontario. 45.4552° N, 77.8494° W

Maximum depth 85.3 m. Scale bar on the map.

Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.

borealbound.ca/lakes/on/bark-lake/, compiled October 9, 2026

  • Canadian Geographical Names Database, Natural Resources Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
  • HydroLAKES v1.0, Messager et al. 2016 / WWF HydroSHEDS. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  • Census boundaries and population, 2021, Statistics Canada. Adapted from Statistics Canada. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada.
  • Aquatic Resource Area survey points, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • Fish stocking for recreational purposes, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • Fishing access points, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • Fisheries Management Zones, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • Lake Partner Program, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • Bathymetry lines and survey index, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • City page weather forecasts and alerts, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains data from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC Data Servers End-use Licence).
  • Guide to Eating Ontario Fish: Advisory Database, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • Photographs, Wikimedia Commons contributors. Each photo carries its own licence (CC0, public domain, CC BY or CC BY-SA), credited where shown.

Bark Lake is 85.3 m deep at its deepest point, deeper than 99% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario. It covers 43.7 km² and lies beside Madawaska.

Government surveys have recorded 22 fish species here, including smallmouth bass, rock bass and cisco.

Maximum depth
85.3 m
deeper than 99% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario
Area
43.7 km²
larger than 99% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Shoreline
123 km
longer than 98% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Water clarity
4.2 mSecchi depth, 2018
clearer than 66% of the 1,251 monitored lakes in Ontario
Fish species
22
more than 97% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
Elevation
304 m

Today on the water

4.7 °C

Wind calm

Observed at Algonquin Park (Brent), as of 2:00 a.m. EDT

choppy Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.5 m.

Time3 a.m.6 a.m.9 a.m.12 p.m.3 p.m.6 p.m.9 p.m.12 a.m.
Wind km/hW 15W 15W 15NW 30NW 30NW 15var. 5var. 5
Gusts5050
Waves (est.) m0.20.20.20.5
Temp. °C2248111061
Precip. %40404040202000

Tonight: Partly cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Risk of a thunderstorm early this evening. Wind west 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light this evening. Low plus 1.

Weather: Algonquin Park (Brent) (local forecast), as of 2:02 a.m. EDT

Sun and moon

Civil dawn
6:50 a.m.
Sunrise
7:19 a.m.
Sunset
6:36 p.m.
Civil dusk
7:06 p.m.
Moonrise
6:11 a.m.
Moonset
5:55 p.m.
Moon
Waning crescent, 1% lit

Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada. Local times.

How waves are estimated

Significant wave height from the forecast hourly wind and the open-water distance (fetch) upwind, using the SMB method (US Army Corps of Engineers Shore Protection Manual, 1984), rounded up to the next 0.1 m. It is not a measurement: gusts, leftover swell and shoals can make water rougher. Under 0.2 m: calm; 0.2–0.5 m: choppy; over 0.5 m: rough.

Depth

12% of Bark Lake is shallower than 3 m, and 18% is deeper than 50 m.

How to read it: the lake’s area is sorted from the shore to the deepest point. Where the curve is flat, large areas share one depth (flats and weed beds); where it drops, depth changes quickly (drop-offs).

The government depth survey records a maximum depth of 85.3 m, drawn from 52 depth contours.

Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.

Fish

Sport fish by the share of the 38 government surveys (1994–2010) that recorded them.

  • Smallmouth Bass17 of 38
  • Rock Bass13 of 38
  • Cisco11 of 38
  • Yellow Perch11 of 38
  • Lake Whitefish10 of 38
  • Burbot9 of 38
  • Lake TroutStocked8 of 38
  • Walleye7 of 38
  • Northern Pike2 of 38
  • Brook Trout1 of 38Not recorded since 1994
  • Largemouth Bass1 of 38
Forage fish and other species (11)

Forage fish

  • Spottail Shiner 2
  • Blacknose Shiner 1
  • Bluntnose Minnow 1
  • Brook Stickleback 1
  • Central Mudminnow 1
  • Creek Chub 1
  • Finescale Dace 1
  • Rainbow Smelt 1

Other

  • Longnose Sucker 12
  • White Sucker 7
  • Brown Bullhead 1

Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.

Stocking

Lake Trout83,427 fish in 10 years, most recently 2025

All stocking records (10)
YearSpeciesFishStage
2025Lake Trout8,629Yearlings
2024Lake Trout7,973Yearlings
2023Lake Trout7,531Yearlings
2022Lake Trout9,658Yearlings
2021Lake Trout9,360Yearlings
2020Lake Trout9,550Yearlings
2019Lake Trout5,370Yearlings
2018Lake Trout7,000Yearlings
2017Lake Trout9,356Yearlings
2016Lake Trout9,000Yearlings

Eating your catch

The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 9 species from Bark Lake. Maximum meals per month:

SpeciesLengthGeneral populationSensitive population*Contaminant
Lake Trout50-55 cm4Do not eatMercury
Lake Whitefish45-50 cm124Mercury
Northern Pike55-60 cm84Mercury
Smallmouth Bass35-40 cm4Do not eatMercury
Walleye40-45 cm4Do not eatMercury
Yellow Perch25-30 cm4Do not eatMercury
Burbot (Ling)50-55 cm4Do not eatMercury
Cisco (Lake Herring)20-25 cm164Mercury
White Sucker45-50 cm124Mercury

* As defined in the guide, including children and people who are or may become pregnant. Limits are for the length the guide lists most often; they change with the size of the fish. Read the official guide

Fishing regulations: Fisheries Management Zone 15. Check seasons and limits before you fish.

Water

Total phosphorus (µg/L)

Getting on the water

5 listed boat launches; 1 with parking listed. marks launches on the map.

North shore

South shore

West shore

Photos

Bark Lake Leadership Camp 1966
Photo: Ontario Department of Education, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Bark Lake on a summer evening (38831993252)
Photo: Enoch Leung, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bark lake
Photo: Discoverontario, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons