Gander Lake is located in the central part of the island of
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
in the
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
of
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
. It is the third-largest lake in Newfoundland.
[ Gander Lake, Gander River and Gander Bay are thought to have gained their names from the wild geese that frequent the area.][
It is the main source of water for the towns of Gander, Appleton and Glenwood.
]
Access
Near the southeastern end of the lake, just over outside of the town of Gander, there is a small, quarry-cut, artificial harbour, commonly known as "Little Harbour". This area contains is a concrete public boat launch and a fire pit area for day trips. Camping is frowned upon, if not outright forbidden in the immediate area of the boat launch. However there are two pebble beaches which are used by tenters, accessible from the dirt roads surrounding the cove. Boaters have much better access to both pebble and sand beaches that run along both sides of the lake, such as one commonly known as the "fifteen mile brook", which are excellent for camping. Other well known areas throughout the lake include "Hunt's Cove", "Southwest", "Gander River" and "Denty's Pit".
References