Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods holds more than fourteen thousand islands and about one hundred and five thousand kilometres of shoreline, more than Lake Superior despite being a fraction of the size, because the Shield broke the lake into an extraordinarily complex maze of channels and bays. It straddles Ontario, Manitoba and Minnesota. The Northwest Angle, a piece of Minnesota reachable by land only through Canada, exists because of a surveying error in the 1783 treaty that assumed the Mississippi rose further north than it does. The lake is a major walleye and muskellunge fishery, and Kenora is the main town.

What you actually see

• The island maze - over fourteen thousand islands in interlocking channels.
• The Northwest Angle - a piece of the United States accessible only through Canada.
• The fishery - walleye and muskie water with a long guiding tradition.
• The Shield shoreline - granite, pine and endless bays.

When to go

June to September for boating and fishing; the lake freezes solid in winter and ice roads and fishing huts appear. Blackflies are heavy in June. Autumn colour is good.

Honest expectations

Navigating the island maze is genuinely difficult and boats get lost; charts and GPS matter. Weather makes the open sections rough quickly. Lodges are remote and book ahead.

Nearby

Kenora is the main town; Quetico lies east.