A northern Ontario lake known for sandy beaches, cold-water fish and year-round provincial park recreation.
Windy Lake is an 11.29 km² lake approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Sudbury, Ontario. Its long sandy beaches, lake-trout fishery and year-round provincial park give it a recreational character distinct from the cottage lakes farther south (City of Greater Sudbury, n.d.; Ontario Parks, n.d.-a).
Windy Lake lies within the Onaping River watershed and is classified as oligotrophic based on the City of Greater Sudbury’s long-term phosphorus monitoring. The city reports 57 permanent residents and 91 seasonal or recreational residents around the lake. Windy Lake Provincial Park occupies part of the northern shoreline and provides extensive public recreation facilities (City of Greater Sudbury, n.d.; Ontario Parks, n.d.-b).
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Reading the shoreline
Windy Lake has a broad, irregular basin with several islands, projecting shorelines and indented bays visible on municipal lake mapping. Its shape provides a mixture of open water and more enclosed shoreline areas (City of Greater Sudbury, n.d.).
The northern shore stands out for its extensive sandy character. Windy Lake Provincial Park contains two long sand beaches, contrasting with the forested and developed shoreline found around other portions of the lake (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 1988).
Windy Lake offers unusually strong year-round recreation. Summer activities include swimming, boating, canoeing, fishing, hiking and camping, while winter visitors use a 15-kilometre cross-country ski network, snowshoe trails and heated yurts. The provincial park also includes the three-kilometre Transition Hiking Trail (Ontario Parks, n.d.-a).
Windy Lake Provincial Park provides a large cement boat launch, dock and parking area. Sailing, windsurfing, motorboating, canoeing and waterskiing are among the established summer activities, giving Windy Lake a broader public water-sports focus than many cottage-only lakes (Ontario Parks, n.d.-a, n.d.-c).
Twelve fish species are documented in Windy Lake. The community includes lake trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, walleye, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, cisco and burbot. Ontario Parks specifically identifies lake trout, walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass among the lake’s major recreational fisheries (City of Greater Sudbury, n.d.-b; Ontario Parks, n.d.-a).
Windy Lake Provincial Park contains more than 1.5 kilometres of sandy beach shoreline and a large buoyed swimming area. This extensive public beach access distinguishes Windy Lake from many northern cottage lakes where swimming is concentrated at private properties (Ontario Parks, n.d.-a).
Onaping Falls, Levack and Greater Sudbury
The provincial park is located about four kilometres from Onaping Falls and roughly 50 kilometres northwest of Sudbury. Its current mailing and physical address are associated with Levack, making these communities the principal access and service points for Windy Lake (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 1988; Ontario Parks, n.d.-b; City of Greater Sudbury, n.d.).
City of Greater Sudbury. (n.d.-a). *Windy Lake*. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://www.greatersudbury.ca/play/beaches-and-lakes/lakes/local-lake-descriptions/windy-lake/
City of Greater Sudbury. (n.d.-b). *Fish species: Windy Lake*. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://www.greatersudbury.ca/play/beaches-and-lakes/lakes/local-lake-descriptions/windy-lake/fish-species/
Natural Resources Canada. (2021, February 16). *Windy Lake*. *Canadian Geographical Names Database*. https://toponymes.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique?id=FDEID&wbdisable=false
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. (1988). *Windy Lake Provincial Park management plan*. Government of Ontario. https://www.ontario.ca/page/windy-lake-provincial-park-management-plan
Ontario Parks. (n.d.-a). *Windy Lake Provincial Park: Activities*. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/WindyLake/activities
Ontario Parks. (n.d.-b). *Windy Lake Provincial Park*. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/WindyLake
Ontario Parks. (n.d.-c). *Windy Lake Provincial Park: Facilities*. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/windylake/facilities
Lake keepsakes
Artwork and keepsakes inspired by the distinctive outline of Windy Lake.
Signature Lake Map
An unframed Windy Lake Ontario map poster celebrating the Northern Ontario shoreline and the memories connected to days by the water.
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A Windy Lake framed map featuring the lake’s distinctive outline in a clean, finished design. Ready-to-display wall art for the cottage, home or a meaningful gift.
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A Windy Lake coloured map T-shirt featuring its recognizable northern shoreline with several shirt colours available.
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Price range: $34.99 through $36.99
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A Windy Lake map T-shirt featuring its recognizable shoreline in a clean everyday design inspired by northern lake memories.
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