Cold Lake (Alberta)

Cold Lake
Kinosoo Beach on the edge of Cold Lake.
Cold Lake Cold Lake
Location	Bonnyville No. 87, Alberta / Beaver River No. 622, Saskatchewan
Coordinates	54°33′N 110°03′W
Type	Mesotrophic
Primary inflows	Martineau River, Medley River
Primary outflows	Cold River
Catchment area	6,140 km2 (2,371 sq mi)
Basin countries	Canada
Surface area	373 km2 (144 sq mi)
Average depth	49.9 m (163.7 ft)
Max. depth	200.1 m (656.5 ft)
Surface elevation	535 m (1,755 ft)
Islands	Murray Island
Settlements	City of Cold Lake

Cold Lake viewed from Meadow Lake Provincial Park, Saskatchewan.

Major rivers of western Canada

Cold Lake is a large lake in Central Alberta and Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The lake straddles the Alberta / Saskatchewan border, and has a water area of 373 km² (144 sq mi). It is also one of the deepest lakes in Alberta with a maximum depth of 200.1 m (656 ft). It has around 24 known species of fish in it and is a major ice fishing lake. It is also major stop for many migrating birds, and is home to one of the largest warbler populations in Alberta. A surface of 248 km² (96 sq mi) lies in the province of Alberta.

The city of Cold Lake is located on the shore. Excepting the western shore, the lake is surrounded by protected areas such as the Cold Lake Provincial Park in Alberta and the Meadow Lake Provincial Park in Saskatchewan. The Cold Lake 149 A and B Indian reserves of the Cold Lake First Nations are established on the western and southern shores respectively. Cold Lake House was a trading post built by the Montreal traders in 1781 near present day Beaver Crossing, Alberta, south of Cold Lake.

The Martineau River flows from Primrose Lake into Cold Lake, which in turn discharges through the Cold River. The Cold River travels through a series of lakes in Meadow Lake Provincial Park and ends as it empties into Lac des Îles. The Waterhen River, which is a major tributary of Beaver River, is the primary outflow for Lac des Îles and it continues east where it meets Beaver River, a major tributary of the Churchill River.

The lake has a native legend of a large lake monster kinosoo, of which many residents claimed to see evidence or sightings of. Although some sources claim it has 91m max depth, sonar scans of certain areas of the lake have yielded depths of over 600 feet, and evidence of glacial ice under the lake, would yield an even greater depth if one wanted to count it as water depth as well.

Fish species

Fish species include walleye, sauger, yellow perch, northern pike, lake trout, lake whitefish, cisco, burbot, white sucker, and longnose sucker. Both Alberta and Saskatchewan angling licences are valid on the entire lake.

See also

• List of lakes of Alberta
• List of lakes of Saskatchewan
• Tourism in Saskatchewan

External links

Media related to Cold Lake (Alberta) at Wikimedia Commons