Lake St. Francis, New York USA & Canada

Also known as:  Lac Saint-Francois

Lake St. Francis is part of the 2,340 mile system of locks, canals, and channels that link the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River known as the St. Lawrence Seaway. The 31 mile long lake borders southeastern Ontario, southwestern Quebec, and northern New York State. Lac Saint-Francois, the French translation of Lake St. Francis, is a large expansion of the St. Lawrence…
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All About Lake St. Francis, NY / Canada

Lake St. Francis is part of the 2,340 mile system of locks, canals, and channels that link the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River known as the St. Lawrence Seaway. The 31 mile long lake borders southeastern Ontario, southwestern Quebec, and northern New York State.

Lac Saint-Francois, the French translation of Lake St. Francis, is a large expansion of the St. Lawrence River that was developed into a reservoir with the building of the Moses-Saunders Hydroelectric Dam on the western end and the on eastern end by the Beauharnois Hydroelectric Dam. With its water used for electrical production and commercial transportation, Lake St. Francis plays an important in the economy of Canada and the New York region. A single ship moving through the seaway can carry as much cargo as the equivalent of 870 truckloads but at a significantly cheaper cost of fuel.

Swimming, waterskiing, jet skiing, tubing, and boating are enjoyed along the shores of Lake St. Francis by residents, visitors and tourists. With multiple marinas, yacht clubs and boat launches providing easy access to the lake, pleasure seekers must remember for safety reasons that there is buoyed channel that has been dredged the length of the lake allowing for large commercial ships to pass and to always give way to these vessels.

Lake St. Francis is an anglers’ paradise. With such a large surface area, the lake supports a diverse warm and cool water fish community. Surveys have been conducted that document over 20 different varieties of sport fish, pan fish, and coarse fish that thrive here. The most popular fish include walleye, northern pike, muskie, lake trout, large mouth bass, small mouth bass, king salmon, steelhead, brook trout, rainbow trout, speckled trout, perch, catfish, white fish and crappie.

Villages, towns and cities are located along the lake in both Canada and New York that offer real estate opportunities for lake front living and vacation rentals. These rentals include motels, spas, resorts, vacation homes, cabins, villas, campgrounds, and bed and breakfast inns. To fully enjoy the beauty and excitement of Lake St. Francis, visit several areas and a different type of overnight accommodation at each stop.

Nature lovers will want to visit the Lac Saint-Francois National Wildlife Area on the southern shore. This reserve protects the wetlands which are a habitat for Red Head Ducks and other waterfowl. It is an important stopover spot for migrating water fowl also. The Charlottenburg Marsh and Cooper Marsh are protected wetlands on the northern shore.

Electrical output, cargo transportation, angler’s paradise, boating destination, vacation getaway, lakefront home – Lake St. Francis is a multi-purpose lake. Start packing your bags and take advantage of all that it has to offer for you.

Things to Do at Lake St. Francis

These are some activities in the Lake St. Francis, NY / Canada area visitors can enjoy:

  • Fishing
  • Boating
  • Swimming
  • Jet Skiing
  • Water Skiing
  • Tubing
  • Camping
  • Campground
  • Cabin Rentals
  • Wildlife Viewing

What Kind of Fish Are in Lake St. Francis?

Lake St. Francis has been known to have the following fish species:

  • Bass
  • Brook Trout
  • Catfish
  • Chinook Salmon
  • Crappie
  • Lake Trout
  • Largemouth Bass
  • Muskellunge
  • Northern Pike
  • Perch
  • Pike
  • Rainbow Trout
  • Salmon
  • Smallmouth Bass
  • Steelhead Trout
  • Trout
  • Walleye
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Find Places to Stay at Lake St. Francis

If you’re considering a Lake St. Francis lake house rental or hotel, we’ve made it super easy to find the best rates and compare vacation accommodations at a glance. Save time using this interactive map below.

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More Sites to Book a Lake St. Francis Vacation

Our interactive Lake St. Francis lodging map above is an easy tool for comparing VRBO rental homes and nearby hotels with Booking.com, but there could be times when you need to expand your search for different types of accommodations. Here are some other lake lodging partners we recommend:

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Lake St. Francis Statistics & Helpful Links

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Water Level Control: Canadian Hydrograhic

Surface Area: 67,213 acres

Normal Elevation (Full Pond): 151 feet

Average Depth: 20 feet

Water Volume: 2,269,997 acre-feet

Trophic State: Eutrophic


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