Forest Lake
45.8247° N, 79.2933° W
Shoreline and neighbouring water from open government data.
Download the map (SVG)Forest Lake, Ontario. 45.8247° N, 79.2933° W
Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.
borealbound.ca/lakes/on/forest-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.
- 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.
- Bathymetry lines and survey index, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
- Real-time hydrometric data, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains data from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC Data Servers End-use Licence).
- National Water Data Archive (HYDAT) daily means, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains data from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC Data Servers End-use Licence).
- 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).
- Air Quality Health Index observations and forecasts, 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.
Forest Lake covers 3.49 km², making it larger than 88% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario. It lies beside South River.
Government surveys have recorded 5 fish species here, including rock bass, northern pike and smallmouth bass.
- Area
- 3.49 km²
- larger than 88% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Shoreline
- 31.1 km
- longer than 93% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Fish species
- 5
- more than 53% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Elevation
- 345 m
Today on the water
7.4 °C
Observed at Burk's Falls, as of 4:00 a.m. EDT
choppy Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.3 m. Around 12 p.m., wind from the northwest: the northwest shore is sheltered, waves build toward the southeast shore.
| Time | 5 a.m. | 8 a.m. | 11 a.m. | 2 p.m. | 5 p.m. | 8 p.m. | 11 p.m. | 2 a.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind km/h | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | NW 30 | NW 30 | NW 15 | var. 5 | var. 5 |
| Gusts km/h | 50 | 50 | ||||||
| Waves (est.) m | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Temp. °C | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Precip. % | 40 | 40 | 40 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 2.
Weather: Burk's Falls (local forecast), as of 4:01 a.m. EDT
Water level
Forest Lake at South River: 8.93 m at 4:00 a.m. EDT: 3 cm above the median for this time of year, within the normal range.
Normal range (25th–75th percentile, HYDAT) Last 7 days
Provisional real-time data, subject to revision. hydrometric station 02DD023
Sun and moon
- Civil dawn
- 6:56 a.m.
- Sunrise
- 7:25 a.m.
- Sunset
- 6:42 p.m.
- Civil dusk
- 7:11 p.m.
- Moonrise
- 6:17 a.m.
- Moonset
- 6:00 p.m.
- Moon
- Waning crescent, 1% lit
Air Quality Health Index
1 low risk
North Bay, as of 4:00 a.m. EDT
Follow this lake by email: a weekly summary of conditions.
Fish
Sport fish by the share of the 4 government surveys (2015–2015) that recorded them.
Other species (1)
- Brown Bullhead 3
Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.
Eating your catch
The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 8 species from Forest Lake. Maximum meals per month:
| Species | Length | General population | Sensitive population* | Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 35-40 cm | 8 | 4 | Mercury |
| Northern Pike | 60-65 cm | 4 | Do not eat | Mercury |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-20 cm | 12 | 4 | Mercury |
| Rock Bass | 20-25 cm | 8 | Do not eat | Mercury |
| Smallmouth Bass | 35-40 cm | 8 | Do not eat | Mercury |
| Yellow Perch | 15-20 cm | 16 | 8 | Mercury |
| Brown Bullhead | 25-30 cm | 16 | 12 | Precautionary |
| White Sucker | 30-35 cm | 16 | 16 | Precautionary |
* 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.
Getting on the water
2 listed access points, one of them a boat launch; 1 with parking listed. marks launches on the map.
North shore
- Forest Lake - Causeway
West end
- Forest Lake - Tom Thompson Park
Follow this lake
Every Friday by email: the Environment Canada forecast, the water level at the nearest gauge and any weather alerts in effect.