Lake Scugog

Lake Scugog combines lake recreation with the walkable waterfront of Port Perry. The Port Perry Waterfront Trail System follows approximately five kilometres of lakefront, while Palmer Park, Birdseye Nature Walk and Rotary Environmental Park provide places to walk and enjoy views of the lake. Scugog Island Crown Land also provides lake access, while boating and fishing are major recreational uses of the lake. (Township of Scugog, n.d.-a, n.d.-b)

Visitors interested in local history can also visit the Scugog Shores Museum Village and Archives, which interprets the history of the Lake Scugog area and includes exhibits concerning First Nations history and traditional use of the lake’s natural resources. (Township of Scugog, n.d.-c)

Lake Scugog has numerous public boating access points. On the Durham side, municipal ramps include Port Perry, Caesarea and Scugog Island, while the City of Kawartha Lakes maintains additional Lake Scugog launches around areas such as Pleasant Point, Washburn Island and Little Britain. (Township of Scugog, n.d.-d; City of Kawartha Lakes, n.d.)

Lake Scugog also connects to the larger Trent–Severn Waterway. Boats can travel north through the Scugog River to Lindsay, where Lock 33 provides access between Lake Scugog and the main Trent–Severn navigation channel. From there, the waterway connects with Sturgeon Lake and the other Kawartha lakes. Parks Canada notes that channel depths beyond Lindsay can vary considerably and that a fixed bridge has approximately 3.7 metres of clearance. (Parks Canada, n.d.)

What makes boating different: Scugog is dramatically shallower than lakes such as Muskoka, Rosseau or Joseph. Rather than deep-water island cruising, boating here involves shallow-water awareness and navigation toward the Scugog River and Trent–Severn system. Kawartha Conservation notes that the lake contains extensive shallow areas and aquatic vegetation. (Kawartha Conservation, 2010)

Lake Scugog is a warm-water fishery. Kawartha Conservation reports that no cold-water fish species are native to the lake and that its warm-water fish community is supported by natural reproduction. Species recorded in the lake include muskellunge, smallmouth and largemouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed, among others. (Kawartha Conservation, 2010)

Fishing remains important enough that the Ontario government includes Lake Scugog among the province’s 12 Provincially Significant Inland Fisheries that receive additional monitoring. A 2020 provincial recreational fishing survey found that fishing effort on Scugog was strongly oriented toward bass, sunfish and crappie. (Government of Ontario, 2026; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, 2023)

Lake Scugog also has special fishing regulations. Walleye fishing is currently closed year-round in Lake Scugog and the associated Scugog River waters covered by the exception, so visitors should always consult the current Ontario Fishing Regulations before fishing. (Government of Ontario, n.d.-a)

What makes fishing different: unlike the deep, cold-water lake-trout fisheries of Muskoka cottage country, Scugog is primarily a shallow, warm-water bass, panfish and muskellunge environment.

Public swimming is available at Kinsmen Beach at Palmer Park in Port Perry, which is included in Durham Region’s seasonal beach-monitoring program. The beach sits directly beside Port Perry’s waterfront parks and downtown, giving Lake Scugog a more community-oriented public waterfront than many cottage-dominated lakes. (Regional Municipality of Durham, 2023)

Lake Scugog has experienced blue-green algae blooms, and Durham Region has issued advisories in recent summers. This does not mean the entire lake is continuously unsuitable for swimming, but visitors should check the current Durham Region beach report and avoid water where visible algae or an advisory is present. (Regional Municipality of Durham, 2025)