Red Lake area
Red Lake, the Norseman Capital of the World
A gold-rush town at the end of Highway 105, surrounded by lakes, boreal forest and some of Ontario’s wildest parks.
The towns
Six communities around one lake
Red Lake
The main town, on Howey Bay, where the 1925 gold discovery started it all. Shops, the Heritage Centre and Norseman Park.
Balmertown
East of Red Lake, home to the big gold mines and many of the people who work them.
Cochenour
Named for Bill Cochenour of the Cochenour Willans mine. Home of Cochenour Cabin and the Red Lake airport.
McKenzie Island
An island community across Bruce Channel from Cochenour, reached by boat across the channel.
Madsen & Starratt-Olsen
Small mining communities south of Red Lake along Highway 618.
Ear Falls
About halfway up Highway 105, on the English River and the doorway to Lac Seul.
Things to do
History, floatplanes and the northern lights
Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre: First Nations history, the gold rush, bush planes and local stories, on Highway 105 as you come into town.
Norseman Park & Norseman Festival: a full-size Norseman floatplane on display, and a festival every July with bush-plane displays, music and family events.
Woodland Caribou Provincial Park: a huge wilderness park west of Red Lake, known for canoe routes, woodland caribou and rock paintings.
The northern lights: on clear nights, especially in late summer and fall, the aurora often dances right over the lake.
Fishing
Fishing Red Lake
Red Lake is a big, dark-water lake of about 41,500 acres with walleye, northern pike, lake trout and whitefish. There are good spots right around Cochenour Point and Bruce Channel, and boat launches in town. Use the interactive map with its depth view to find drop-offs, and check Ontario’s current fishing regulations before you go.
Want lakes with no roads, no other camps and far less fishing pressure? Our family’s fly-in lodge on Sydney Lake, about 40 miles southwest, is 30 minutes by floatplane from Kenora. See how Red Lake compares with Sydney Lake →
Fishing near Red Lake?
Visit our family’s fly-in lodge on Sydney Lake
The same family that cares for Cochenour Cabin runs Sydney Lake Wilderness Lodge, about 40 miles southwest of Red Lake. There are no roads in. You fly 30 minutes by floatplane from downtown Kenora, and it’s the only lodge on Sydney and Kilburn Lakes.
- Walleye first, plus trophy northern pike and lake trout
- Private housekeeping cabins with your own boat, motor and gas
- The family has been on Sydney Lake since 1933
