Go Home Lake
| Go Home Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | west central Ontario |
| Coordinates | 45°0′30″N 79°50′40″W / 45.00833°N 79.84444°WCoordinates: 45°0′30″N 79°50′40″W / 45.00833°N 79.84444°W |
| Primary inflows | Musquash River |
| Primary outflows | Gibson River, Go Home River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 5 mi (8 km) |
| Max. width | 0.75 mi (1 km) |
| Surface area | 4.8 sq mi (12 km2) |
Go Home Lake is a lake in west central Ontario in the Township of Georgian Bay, District of Muskoka. Go Home Lake was created in the 1950s by the construction of two dams. It was named after Go Home Bay, immediately downstream. Loggers would send timber down the Musquash River and meet steamers at Go Home Bay, which would transfer timber to various mills around the Great Lakes and then "go home", hence the name.
Go Home Lake is approximately 5 miles (8 km) long and ranges from 1/2 to 3/4 miles (800 - 1,200 m) wide. Of Muskoka's 1600 lakes, it is the 14th biggest by size. Its length runs in a north-south orientation. The lake is fed at its most northern point by the Musquash River. It then empties back into the Musquash River through a control dam at the south end of the lake, and into Go Home River at the north end of the lake. Both the Musquash and Go Home Rivers empty into Georgian Bay. Go Home Lake was opened up and divided into lots which were sold beginning in 1958-59. Go Home Lake is considerably more rugged and rockier than other Muskoka lakes. Both the "New Cut" (a man made channel), and the "Haunted Narrows" link the south end of the lake to the north. The "Haunted Narrows" received its name from the eerie sound caused by the movement of rocks on the bottom of the channel that can be heard in the dead of night due to the strong current flow.
There are approximately 450 cottages on Go Home Lake, the vast majority of which are water-access, as well as two marinas. The closest marina to the Hwy. 400 exit is Minor's Bay marina, which is built upon the location originally called 'Potter's Landing' in the 1950s. The further marina from the Hwy. 400 exit is Go Home Lake Marina. While both marinas offer dockage, parking, boat launching, only Go Home Lake Marina has a general store with refueling facilities to cottagers. Minor's Bay marina also has a public telephone, as well as marine mechanical services.
The Go Home fire tower once stood on the NW side of the lake overlooking the channel. It was one of the last manned towers used in Southern Ontario and came under the jurisdiction of the Parry Sound Fire District in the early 1970s when the Ministry of Natural Resources was once called the Dept. of Lands and Forests.
Recreational activities are popular on this lake, including: fishing, canoeing, cliff-diving, water-skiing, wakeboarding, tubing as well as the annual regatta.