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Map of Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods

49.2497° N, 94.7506° W

Shoreline and neighbouring water from open government data.

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Lake of the Woods, Ontario. 49.2497° N, 94.7506° W

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 Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.

borealbound.ca/lakes/on/lake-of-the-woods/, 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.
  • Lake Partner Program, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. 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).
  • 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.

Lake of the Woods covers 3,470 km², making it larger than 99% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario. It lies beside Buffalo Point.

Government surveys have recorded 16 fish species here, including yellow perch, northern pike and smallmouth bass.

Area
3,470 km²
larger than 99% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Shoreline
5,180 km
longer than 99% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Water clarity
3.4 mSecchi depth, 2025
less clear than 54% of the 1,251 monitored lakes in Ontario
Fish species
16
more than 93% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
Elevation
320 m

Today on the water

5 °C

Mainly ClearWind S 4 km/h, gusts 32

Observed at Sioux Narrows, as of 1:00 a.m. CDT

rough Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.8 m.

Time2 a.m.5 a.m.8 a.m.11 a.m.2 p.m.5 p.m.8 p.m.11 p.m.
Wind km/hSE 10SE 10SE 10SE 10SE 20SE 20SE 20SE 20
Gusts404040
Waves (est.) m0.20.20.20.2
Temp. °C5461013141314
Precip. %2020202030301010

Tonight: A few clouds. Wind northwest 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low plus 4.

Weather: Sioux Narrows (local forecast), as of 1:02 a.m. CDT

Water level

Lake of the Woods at Keewatin: 322.63 m at 12:25 a.m. CDT: 22 cm below the median for this time of year, below the normal range.

323.14322.6

Normal range (25th–75th percentile, HYDAT) Last 7 days

Provisional real-time data, subject to revision. hydrometric station 05PE014

Sun and moon

Civil dawn
6:59 a.m.
Sunrise
7:30 a.m.
Sunset
6:40 p.m.
Civil dusk
7:12 p.m.
Moonrise
6:24 a.m.
Moonset
5:59 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.

Fish

Sport fish by the share of the 6 government surveys (2025–2026) that recorded them.

  • Yellow Perch5 of 6
  • Northern Pike3 of 6
  • Smallmouth Bass3 of 6
  • Black Crappie2 of 6
  • Burbot2 of 6
  • Rock Bass2 of 6
  • Walleye2 of 6
  • Largemouth Bass1 of 6
Forage fish and other species (8)

Forage fish

  • Johnny Darter 2
  • Emerald Shiner 1
  • Iowa Darter 1
  • Longnose Dace 1
  • Spottail Shiner 1
  • Trout-Perch 1

Other

  • White Sucker 2
  • Brown Bullhead 1

Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.

Eating your catch

The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 16 species from Lake of the Woods. Maximum meals per month:

SpeciesLengthGeneral populationSensitive population*Contaminant
Black Crappie20-25 cm1616Precautionary
Lake Trout50-55 cm1612Mercury
Lake Whitefish45-50 cm1616Precautionary
Largemouth Bass30-35 cm124Mercury
Muskellunge>75 cm2Do not eatMercury
Northern Pike55-60 cm168Mercury
Rock Bass15-20 cm1612Precautionary
Sauger30-35 cm1612Mercury
Smallmouth Bass35-40 cm168Mercury
Walleye40-45 cm1612Mercury
Yellow Perch20-25 cm1616Precautionary
Brown Bullhead25-30 cm1616Precautionary
Burbot (Ling)50-55 cm128Arsenic
Cisco (Lake Herring)30-35 cm1616Precautionary
Redhorse Sucker45-50 cm1616Precautionary
White Sucker40-45 cm1616Precautionary

* 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 5. Check seasons and limits before you fish.

Water

Clarity was measured with a Secchi disk in 29 years between 1997 and 2025; the latest annual mean is 3.4 m.

Water clarity (Secchi depth, m)
Total phosphorus (µg/L)

Getting on the water

9 listed boat launches; 4 with parking listed. marks launches on the map.

North shore

Northeast shore

East shore