Gilchrist Bay
Survey: summer and fall 2020Mapped plant growth
Local volunteers mapped patches of starry stonewort in this bay. The map shows specific patches, rather than treating the whole bay as the same.
See the bay map ↗Life on Stony Lake
- Getting to a cottage
Mainland cottages and boat-access properties involve different arrival routines. Island properties need a mainland place to park, launch and store a boat.
- Swimming & weeds
Starry stonewort, an aquatic plant-like alga, has been reported on Stony Lake. The older report does not show which cottage shorelines are affected today.
- Water levels
Parks Canada publishes a Stony Lake water-level record. Seasonal changes matter for the amount of water beneath a cottage’s dock.
Stony Lake water levels
Swimming & shoreline
What the local reports say, area by area.
Lost Channel
Report: 2019Dense growth reported
This wetland channel lies between Fairy Lake Island and the mainland. Cottagers reported dense starry stonewort in the channel and neighbouring bays in 2019.
Read the report, page 16 ↗Historical shoreline notes. They do not confirm today’s water conditions or permission to use private waterfront.
Lake facts & buying details
Lake size, shoreline & homes
Weeds & swimming · 2023
Check the bay and the bottom
The Kawartha Lake Stewards Association identifies sheltered, gently sloping shores with soft sediment and nearby wetlands as places more likely to support abundant plants. This is a shoreline guide, not a survey of every property on this lake. Visit the actual swimming area in late summer.
KLSA Aquatic Plants Guide, page 11Aquatic plants · 2022
Starry stonewort recorded
KLSA’s 2022 monitoring report includes possible starry stonewort observations on Stony Lake and describes the species as previously known there. This is historical presence information, not a current map of affected bays.
KLSA 2022 report, page 26What to check at the waterfront
Look at the bottom underfoot, water depth at the dock, the slope into deeper water and plant growth in late summer. Ask how spring and late-season water levels affect access. A sheltered bay can feel very different from an exposed point on the same lake.
KLSA guide to plants and shoreline conditionsWater clarity & testing history
Choose a testing location to see its dated results. These are not swimming-safety tests.
Loading water records…
Before buying a cottage here
Look at measured water levels
Parks Canada maintains a Stony Lake water-level gauge page. Check the dates and the published series before drawing conclusions about the water at a particular dock. A lake-wide gauge still needs to be interpreted alongside the lot’s shoreline and elevation.
Visit by the route you would use
For a road-access listing, drive the final stretch and review any private-road agreement. For an island or boat-access listing, identify the mainland parking, launching and storage arrangements. Walk through an ordinary arrival with groceries and guests, then consider deliveries, bad weather and winter storage.
Bring the listing into the financing conversation
The useful mortgage information is the property’s access, construction, water, septic and intended use. A lake name or a beautiful photograph cannot establish financing eligibility. Ask Jeff and Emily to review those details before you remove a financing condition.
Questions for the showing
- Are the mainland access and parking rights documented?
- What water-level range affects this dock?
- Are the well, septic and building records available?
Fish, depth maps and public access
Ontario’s Fish ON-Line brings together fish species, depth contours where available, access points and fishing rules.
Use Ontario’s lake-map guideSources & dates
Checked October 13, 2026. The summary draws on the sources below. Older observations keep their original dates; buying considerations are editorial guidance.
- Stony Lake water levels
- KLSA Aquatic Plants Guide, page 11 (2023)
- KLSA 2022 report, page 26 (2022)
- Parks Canada: Stony Lake water-level gauge
- Ontario Lake Partner data
- Ontario Lake Partner exports through 2025
- How we read the data
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Ontario.
A cottage on Stony Lake?
Bring the listing. We’ll work through the financing.