Kennisis Lake

Kennisis Lake, Ontario, Canada

With a surface area of approximately 1,640 hectares, Kennisis Lake is the second largest lake in the Haliburton Highlands. The lake is approximately 11.5km long, end to end. Framed by a landscape of rolling hills, dense forests, and rocky shores, the formation of Kennisis Lake can be traced back to the retreat of the last ice age, as glacial activity carved out its basin, resulting in its distinctive shape and varying depths. White pines, red oaks, and sugar maples are just a few of the tree species that occupy its shores, offering vibrant colors throughout the seasons.

Kennisis was originally named Lake Alexandra in honour of Alexandra, Princess of Wales. It was also an attempt to make the area more appealing to British settlers. "Kennisis" was adopted after early settlers recorded the name of Joe Kennisis, a First Nations man, whose family had lived by hunting and fishing around the lake.

Early settlers came to the area hoping to farm, but quickly found out it wouldn't be feasible on the Canadian Shield. The focus would turn to logging. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surrounding forests teemed with valuable timber (notably white pine, which would eventually be exhausted), and logging operations left their mark on the area. By the 1880s, a four-foot dam was built where the Kennisis River flows out of the lake to provide a few weeks longer of sufficient water to float logs down to the mills. The Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve continue to run forestry operations today.

It wasn't until better infrastructure and road access was built in the 1940's that the area became more associated with vacation properties as we know it today.