Cottages For Sale on Shadow Lake

Owning a cottage on Shadow Lake

Shadow Lake is really a wide spot on the Gull River. The river enters at Norland at the north end and supplies almost all of the lake's water, then leaves at the south end through a set of rapids locals call the chute, into Silver Lake and on to Coboconk. The whole lake turns over in about 15 days, which is fast for a lake this deep.

It is the northernmost of the Kawartha lakes in the Trent River chain, and it sits where limestone gives way to the Canadian Shield. That shows in the shoreline, which runs from level, landscaped lots to rugged granite. The lake runs north to south and is narrow, so it rarely builds big waves, which makes it a good lake for waterskiing and tubing.

Highway 35 runs along the west side, so many properties are an easy drive in, and Norland's post office, library and parks are close at the north end. Most cottages are reached by year-round roads, some maintained by the city and some by road associations. Buyers get a small, clear lake with village services nearby rather than a remote retreat.

• Gull River boating
• Deeper water
• Quieter than the big lakes

History of Shadow Lake

Shadow Lake had some of the earliest settlers in Laxton Township. Augustine Angiers, a Frenchman, took up land on the west shore in the early 1860s and is the earliest known settler in the township. Norland, at the head of the lake, grew around a falls on the Gull River, where the McLaughlins built the first mill in 1857 and 1858.

Norland is named after Norland in Yorkshire, England, and its early growth came from the lumber trade. The falls and dam near the village centre were long a favourite summer swimming spot; today they power a small hydro station operating under a Parks Canada licence.

Boating the Gull River from Norland to Coboconk

You can boat upstream from Shadow Lake to the dam at Norland, where there is a municipal wharf below the falls. Downstream, you can run through Silver Lake as far as the dam at Coboconk. Shadow Lake is not on the locked Trent-Severn route, so you cannot continue into Balsam Lake by boat from here.

The connection between Shadow and Silver lakes runs through two rapids. Very low or very high flows can make that passage hazardous, so learn it in good conditions first. A few shoals on the lake are marked during the boating season, and summer weekend afternoons can get busy.

A river lake with fast-changing water

With the Gull River running through it, Shadow Lake behaves more like a river than a typical lake. Water comes and goes quickly, which is part of why it is known for being clear. It also means water levels follow the Parks Canada dam schedule upstream and downstream.

Levels are usually lowered in late fall, rise with spring runoff in early May and stay fairly steady through summer, though heavy rain can push them around. Waterfront owners should plan docks and boat lifts for that seasonal swing.

Fishing Shadow Lake

Smallmouth bass, walleye and muskellunge are the main catches. The lake is deep for the area, reaching about 22 m. Fisheries Management Zone 17 rules apply. The Gull River at Coboconk, below the dam, is a seasonal sanctuary that is closed in winter and into May.

Norland, Coboconk and services

Norland has a post office, a library in the old school, a recreation centre and municipal waterfront parks. Coboconk, at the south end of the river system, has a medical centre, school and community centre.

There is no hospital in either village. Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay runs the closest 24-hour emergency department. The Minden emergency department closed in June 2023, with services consolidated at the Haliburton hospital.