Kennisis Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kennisis Lake |
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sunset in late summer
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 Kennisis Lake
Location in Ontario
Kennisis Lake
Location in Canada
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| Location | Haliburton Highlands, Ontario |
| Coordinates | 45°13′N 78°38′W / 45.217°N 78.633°W |
| Type | Cold Water Glacial Lake |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Surface area | 14.17 km2 (5.47 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 23.4 m (77 ft) |
| Max. depth | 95 m (312 ft) |
| Water volume | 332.05×106 m3 (269,200 acre⋅ft) |
| Residence time | 5.26 years |
| Surface elevation | 370 m (1,210 ft) |
Kennisis Lake is the second largest lake in the Haliburton Highlands area of Ontario, Canada. It covers over 1,640 hectares (4,100 acres) and is about 23 kilometres (14 mi) long from one end to the other. You can find it just southwest of Algonquin Provincial Park. There's also a smaller lake nearby called Little Kennisis Lake.
Most of the land around Kennisis Lake is privately owned, with many homes and summer cottages. The lake is surrounded by Haliburton Forest to the north and east, and a large area of Crown land (government-owned land) to the west. You can get to the lake by taking Kennisis Lake Road from the town of West Guilford.
Contents
History of Kennisis Lake
How Kennisis Lake Got Its Name
Both Big and Little Kennisis Lake are located in Haliburton County, Ontario. The lake was first named Lake Alexandra to honor Alexandra, Princess of Wales. This was an attempt by a company called the Canadian Land and Emigration Company (C.L. & E.C.) to attract British settlers. However, the name didn't stick for long.
The lake eventually got its name from Joe Kennisis, a First Nations man whose family lived by hunting and fishing around the lake. Early settlers recorded his name, and that's how Kennisis Lake got its permanent name.
Early Settlement and Roads
The land around Lake Kennisis was mostly hard granite, which made it difficult for farming. This meant that not many people stayed as permanent residents. Also, in the early days, there weren't many good roads to access the area. Roads like Bobcaygeon Road and Peterson Road were often hard to travel on for much of the year.
Things started to change in the 1940s when a new road was built from West Guilford. This made it much easier for people to visit and build vacation homes. By the early 2000s, with better roads and snow clearing, many cottages were built. This allowed people, especially retirees, to live comfortably by the lake all year round.
Kennisis Lake Cottage Owner’s Association (KLCOA)
The Kennisis Lake Cottage Owner’s Association (KLCOA) is a group that helps the people who own cottages on Kennisis Lake. It's a non-profit organization, which means it doesn't aim to make money. Instead, it works to provide services and activities for its members, cottage owners, and visitors. The KLCOA doesn't have any loans or debts.
Fun Events by KLCOA
The KLCOA organizes many fun events and contests every summer for people of all ages. Some of these include:
- Swimming lessons
- Fishing tournaments
- Island Clean-up, where volunteers help pick up trash from the island
- Regatta (a series of boat races and water games)
- Canoe lessons
They also hold celebrations for holidays like Halloween, Valentine's Day, and Canada Day. During these times, members and visitors gather for activities, barbecues, and firework shows.
How the Association Works
The KLCOA is run by an Executive Committee. This group includes a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and other Directors. Each person has a special job to help the Association and the cottage owners.
The Board holds meetings throughout the year to plan events and discuss how to improve things at Kennisis Lake. To be a member of the KLCOA, people pay a yearly fee.
Norah’s Island
Norah's Island is the biggest island in Kennisis Lake. It's about 22 acres in size and is 1000 meters from the closest shoreline. The island was named after Norah Carruthers, whose husband, Bruce Carruthers, owned the island for 32 years.
In 2007, Bruce Carruthers gave the island to the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust. This was done to protect the island's natural beauty and wildlife. Many KLCOA members have donated money to help maintain the island's natural habitat. Norah's Island is now seen as a special place that shows what the true ecosystem of Kennisis Lake is like. It has native trees and rare orchid species. The island's natural environment is protected, meaning no new buildings can be put there. All cottage owners can visit and enjoy the island.
Activities at Kennisis Lake
Skiing Adventures
If you love skiing, Kennisis Lake has trails maintained by local residents. These ski trails are about 10 kilometers long and are located off the west shores of Kennisis Lake, in an area called the Clear Lake Conservation Area. You can access them from West Shore Road. The trails wind around west of Kennisis and go down to the south of Red Pine Lake.
Fishing Fun
Kennisis Lake is a great spot for fishing! There are two public places where you can access the lake. One is near the southeast shore, and the other is close to the Kennisis Dam.
Since 1925, thousands of lake trout have been added to Kennisis Lake. The lake has plenty of oxygen at all depths, which is perfect for trout to grow and reproduce naturally. Even though specific breeding spots aren't always seen, it's clear that trout are reproducing because many unmarked lake trout are caught.
Besides lake trout, you can also find other fish like white sucker, longnose sucker, yellow perch, brown bullhead, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, and many types of minnows.
Planting Trees and Shrubs
A special program for planting trees and shrubs started in 2009. This program lets Kennisis members help restore open areas, stop soil from washing away, create windbreaks, make shorelines more natural, or create homes for wildlife.
The KLCOA offers different types of trees and shrubs for this program. You can choose from coniferous trees like white pine, white spruce, and balsam fir. Deciduous trees include red oak, white birch, and sugar maple. There are also shoreline shrubs like red osier dogwood and upland shrubs like staghorn sumac.
Once planted, these young trees and shrubs need care. This includes removing weeds around them and making sure they get enough water, especially during dry summers, to help them grow strong.
Sailing Lessons
The Ontario Sailing Association (OSA) offers a BOOM Sailing Program at Kennisis Lake during the summer. This program gives Kennisis residents and visitors five days of sailing lessons. You'll learn how to sail on the lake through both in-water and in-class sessions.
The OSA provides professional instructors, special teaching boats, and lifejackets for everyone. While the summer program is mainly for children aged nine to fifteen, the OSA also has an adult "learn to sail" program for a smaller group of participants.
Swimming Lessons
Swimming lessons are held at the Kennisis Lake Marina every summer for six weeks. These lessons are open to both members and non-members. To earn a swimming badge, students need to attend at least two weeks of lessons. However, attending doesn't guarantee passing the level, as students still need to show they've learned the skills.
Annual Regatta Fun Day
The annual Regatta is a super fun all-day event that brings everyone at Kennisis Lake together for games and activities. The day is packed with exciting things like a marathon swim, horseshoe tournament, battleship golf, mini putt, Frisbee, morning swim races, water balloon toss, bubblegum blowing contest, afternoon boat races, egg tosses, and log rolling contests! Many activities offer prizes, often trophies named after people who have generously supported the event.
Marathon Swim Challenge
In the marathon swim, all swimmers must have a boat with them as they swim from the island to the Marina Property.
Morning Swim Races
Kids compete in morning swim races based on their age groups. Boys race against other boys their age, and girls race against other girls their age. Some races combine boys and girls in wider age groups, like "fourteen years and under." Most of these are individual races, but there's also a T-shirt relay where four team members race together.
Adults (17 and older) also have age groups for their races. Men have groups like "seventeen to twenty-nine" and "thirty and over." There's also an "all-star" swim race for men. Women's age groups are similar, with their younger group starting at age nineteen, and they also have an "all-star" swim competition. For the Remax Cup, women and men aged fifty-five and over can race against each other.
Afternoon Boat Races
After some fun midday activities like water balloon tosses, the afternoon is filled with exciting boat races. Some of the usual boat races at Kennisis include:
- Pie Plate Race: This is a creative race where boats and canoes are moved using metal pie plates as propellers! Usually, four people are in each boat or canoe, and they bring their own pie plates to make their propellers.
- Paddle Boat Race
- Open Canoe Race: A canoe race with only one person in each canoe.
- Kayak Race: Kayak races are divided into different age groups. One group is for boys and girls sixteen years old and younger. The other group is for men and women seventeen years and older.
- Backwards Canoe Race: A team race where two men and two women race together in one canoe, paddling backwards!
- In and Out Canoe Race: A race where two team members race in one canoe, often involving getting in and out of the canoe.
- Canoe Race: This race involves teams of four, with two male and two female participants. Like many races, it has two age groups: youth (sixteen and under) and adults (seventeen and over).
- Family Members Canoe Race: A special race where members of the same family race together as one team.
Water Quality of Kennisis Lake
Kennisis Lake is located in the Canadian Shield, which means it's a deep lake with few minerals. This is because the hard granite rocks in the area don't erode (wear away) as much as other types of rock. Sometimes, the water might not look perfectly clear, but this isn't because of minerals or chemicals.
The amount of phosphorus in the lake water is usually very low. However, natural materials from nearby wetlands can dissolve in the water, making it a bit less clear. Also, heavy rainfall can wash sediment into the lake, which can also reduce clarity. But overall, these are small issues and don't cause major problems for the water quality itself.
Cool Facts About Kennisis Lake
- The Kennisis Lake got its name from Joe Kennisis, a First Nations man whose family lived by hunting and fishing around the lake.
- Around the 1880s, a four-foot dam was built where the Kennisis River flows out of the lake. This dam helped keep enough water in the lake for a few extra weeks so that logs could be floated down to sawmills.
- In 1955, a company called Hayward and Jones Ltd. bought the land along Big and Little Kennisis Lake. This started the development of cottages and homes around the lakes in 1957 and 1962.
- After Hayward and Jones Ltd. sold its land to Kennisis Lake Development Ltd in 1963, three bridges, electricity services, and a new dam were built, helping the area grow even more.
