9 great reasons to visit (and fish!) Charleston Lake

Located just east of Kingston, Ontario, Charleston Lake is carved out of the Frontenac Axis—a narrow extension of the Canadian Shield bedrock. So while it’s officially in southeastern Ontario, the lake’s granite bluffs and lush pine forests make it feel very northern. It has something like 100 islands, and its multitude of points and bays add up to 150 kilometres of shoreline. This, in addition to the lake’s mix of shallow and deep water (plunging to 300 feet in places), provide a lot of angling options, for lake trout, northern pike and largemouth and smallmouth bass. And Charleston Lake Provincial Park, part of Ontario’s excellent park system, has 235 campsites and 10 backcountry sites, plus four yurts and a cabin (more on that in a moment), and all the amenities you’d expect.