Good Spirit Lake

Not to be confused with Spirit Lake (Saskatchewan).

Good Spirit Lake^[1] is a lake on the eastern side of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is a shallow lake notable for its naturally sandy beaches, parks, and sand dunes. One of Saskatchewan's six founding provincial parks, Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park, surrounds the western and southern shores of the lake. The lake is in the RM of Good Lake No. 274 and Yorkton, 48 km (30 mi) to the south, is the nearest city.^[2][3] The hamlets of Burgis Beach^[4] and Canora Beach–the only two communities on the lake–are located on the eastern shore.^[5] The southern shore of the lake is accessed from Highway 229 and the northern shore is accessed from Highway 651. Highway 47 runs north to south west of the lake and Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park.

Good Spirit Lake
Good Spirit Lake Show map of Canada Good Spirit Lake Show map of Saskatchewan
Location	RM of Good Lake No. 274,  Saskatchewan
Coordinates	51°34′00″N 102°40′02″W / 51.5667°N 102.6671°W / 51.5667; -102.6671
Primary inflows	Spirit Creek
Catchment area	Whitesand River
Basin countries	Canada
Surface area	4,501 ha (11,120 acres)
Max. depth	10 m (33 ft)
Shore length^1	40 km (25 mi)
Surface elevation	481 m (1,578 ft)
Settlements	Canora Beach, Burgis Beach
^1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Good Spirit Lake's main inflow, Spirit Creek, flows into the lake at the northern end. At the southern end of the lake is a dam that was built to regulate water levels. The lake's outflow is from a channel that leads away from the dam and into a tributary of the Whitesand River.^[6]

History

In the winter of 1774–75, Matthew Cocking of the Hudson's Bay Company stayed at the lake and called it "Witch Lake". In the late 1800s, the local postmaster Robert Russell Smith named it Devil's Lake as the naming was a misinterpretation of the Cree / Salteaux word "manitow", which actually means "good spirit". The European settlers of the time could not believe a spirit could be "good" so the term "Devil" was used. The local post office continued to use the name Devil's Lake until it closed in 1954.^[7]

Near the end of the last ice age, a river ran through the area now occupied by the lake. The river had deposited the sands that make up the lake's sandy shores and bottom and the dunes at the southern end of the lake. The dunes, which reach a height of up to five storeys, are within Good Spirit Provincial Park and there are interpretive hiking trails that traverse them.^[8]

Parks and recreation

Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park^[9] is located along the lake's entire western and southern shores and it has three campgrounds with over 200 sites, a beach, picnic area, boat launch, and hiking trails.^[10] A section of the Trans Canada Trail winds its way around the park and the Dune Discovery Interpretive Trail goes through sand dunes.^[11][12] In the winter season, many of the trails are groomed for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.

Other parks, campgrounds, resorts on Good Spirit Lake include:

• Mistik Resort Cabin Rentals
• Good Spirit Bible Camp^[13]
• Donald Gunn Subdivision^[14]
• Sandy Beach^[15]
• Parkland Resort^[16]
• Canora Beach Resort^[17]
• Bella Sands Resort^[18]
• Good Spirit Petting Zoo^[19]

Fish species

Fish commonly found in the lake include northern pike, perch, and walleye.^[20][21][22]

See also

• List of lakes of Saskatchewan
• List of protected areas of Saskatchewan
• Tourism in Saskatchewan
• Good Spirit Acres

References

1. "Good Spirit Lake". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
2. "Good Spirit Lake Fishing Map". Gps Nautical Charts. Bist LLC. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
3. "Good Spirit Lake". Geoview.info. Geoview. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
4. "Burgis Beach". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
5. "Canora Beach Resort". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
6. "Good Spirit Lake Scour Hole". Assiniboine Watershed. AWSA. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
7. Hayward, Debbie (4 July 2012). "Names have a past". SaskToday. Glacier Media Group. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
8. "Good Spirit Dunes Discovery Trail". All Trails. AllTrails, LLC. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
9. "Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
10. "Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
11. "Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park Trails". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
12. "Good Spirit Lake". BRMB. Mussio Ventures Ltd. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
13. "Good Spirit Bible Camp". Good Spirit Bible Camp. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
14. "Donald Gunn". Geoview.info. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
15. "Sandy Beach, Good Spirit Lake". My Sandy Beach. KD Butz Developments Inc. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
16. "Parkland Resort". Campgrounds of Canada. Campgrounds of Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
17. "Canora Beach Resort". Good Spirit Lake. Canora Beach Developments Ltd. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
18. "Bella Sands Resort". Bella Sands Resort. Bella Sands Resort. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
19. Daniels, Calvin (11 July 2020). "Petting Zoo popular place for youngsters". SaskToday. Glacier Media. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
20. "Good Spirit Lake". Angler's Atlas. Angler's Atlas. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
21. "Fishing in Good Spirit Lake". FishBrain. Fishbrain. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
22. Daniels, Calvin (5 September 2012). "Good Spirit not so good for shore fishing". SaskToday. No. Week XVI. Glacier Media Group. Retrieved 12 May 2022.