Lac des Îles is a lake in

Meadow Lake Provincial Park Meadow Lake Provincial Park is a northern Boreal forest of Canada, boreal forest provincial recreational park along the Waterhen River (Saskatchewan), Waterhen and Cold River (Saskatchewan), Cold Rivers in the Provinces and territories of Cana ...

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 ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

in the

boreal forest Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by pinophyta, coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. I ...

ecozone of Canada. The primary inflow is the Cold River and its outflow is the Waterhen River. The lake and associated rivers are part of the

Hudson Bay drainage basin The Hudson Bay drainage basin is the drainage basin in northern North America where surface water empties into the Hudson Bay and adjoining waters. Spanning an area of about and with a mean discharge of about , the basin is almost entirely wi ...

as the Waterhen River flows into Beaver River, which meets the Churchill River, a major river that flows into

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

, at

Lac Île-à-la-Crosse Lac Île-à-la-Crosse is a Y-shaped lake in the north-central region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan along the course of the Churchill River (Hudson Bay), Churchill River. At the centre of the "Y" ...

. As most of the lake is within a

provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...

, there are no cities along the lake's shore. At the western end of the lake is Big Island Lake Cree Territory

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." ...

and at the eastern end, near where the Waterhen River flows out, is Laumans Landing subdivision. The lake is accessed from Highways 950 and

954 Year 954 ( CMLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – A Hungarian army led by Bulcsú crosses the Rhine. He camps at Worms in the capital of his ally Conrad the Red, d ...

. While the primary inflow for the lake is Cold River, there are several smaller rivers, including Bear Creek and Sukaw Creek that flow into the lake. Upstream from Lac des Îles along the Cold River are several other lakes including Lepine Lake, Pierce Lake, and Cold Lake. Cold Lake straddles the border with neighbouring

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

and marks the western boundary of Meadow Lake Provincial Park. The Waterhen River starts at the eastern end of the lake and flows east into Waterhen Lake and then on to Beaver River.

Recreation

Lac des Îles is almost entirely within

and as such has many recreational opportunities, including four boat launches, camping, fishing, picnicking, hiking, and swimming. Murray Doell Campground is on the northern shore of Lac des Îles along Highway 950 and Bear Creek and offers 43 electric campsites. It is 15 kilometres west of the junction of Highways 224 and 950. Big Island Cove Resort is a resort in Meadow Lake Provincial Park on the southern shore of Lac des Îles. Founded in 1952, it offers 14 rentable cabins, 27 campsites, beach access, and water sport rentals. Rentals include fishing boats, paddle boards, and kayaks. There is also a general store that carries tackle, souvenirs, confectionery, and groceries. The resort has beach access and there are plenty of nearby nature hiking trails. Highway 954 provides access to the resort. Northern Cross Resort is also within the park's boundary on the southern shore of Lac des Îles, only a short distance west from Big Island Cove Resort along Highway 954. This resort offers full-service camping, modern cabins for rent, boating with rentals, and access to a sandy beach and nature trails.

Fish species

Fish species found in the lake include

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill fr ...

, and whitefish.

References

{{Authority control Lakes of Saskatchewan Beaver River No. 622, Saskatchewan Division No. 17, Saskatchewan

Recreation

Fish species

See also

References