37 Fun Facts About Lake Ontario For Nature Lovers

Lake Ontario is one of the famous five Great Lakes in North America that you should know about. 

In north, west, and southwest, Lake Ontario is bordered by Canada, while in the southern and eastern frontier, it is bordered by New York, USA, with their water borders meeting in the middle of the lake.

With a surface area of 7,340 sq mi (19010 sq km), Lake Ontario is the smallest of all the Great Lakes, yet its waters are deeper than expected, with a maximum depth of 800 ft (244 m).

It has roughly four times the water capacity of Lake Erie, which is at 393 cubic mi (1638 cubic km). Lake Erie is similar to Lake Ontario in terms of its length and breadth, which makes facts about lake Ontario all the more interesting.

Lake Ontario's water levels reached their greatest level in 100 years in 2017. Massive flooding and ground degradation resulted as a result of this.

Lake Ontario gets its famous name from the Huron term ontarí:io, which stands for 'great lakes.' War has impacted Lake Ontario's recent history as Britain seized control of the lake during the French and Indian Wars.

At the same time, the American Revolution promoted trade, shipping, and colonization in the area. The cities of Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario's major industrial and urban centers, are located on its Great lakes' shore.

The lake is usually oval in shape, with its primary axis that runs nearly east to west and a maximum breadth of 53 mi (85 km).

The lake's drainage basin has a total size of 24,720 sq mi (64,025 sq km), excluding the lake's surface area of 7,340 sq mi (19010 sq km). The Niagara River is the lake's principal feeder, with the Genesee, Oswego, and Black rivers coming in from the south and the Trent River coming in from the north.

The lake's 30 mi (48 km) wide eastern end is bridged by a chain of five islands, where it empties into the Saint Lawrence River near Kingston, Ontario (Canadian Province).

Lake Ontario is 243 ft (74 m) above sea level, with a mean depth of 283 ft (86 m) below the sea level and a maximum depth of 802 ft (244 m). A prevalent surface current of 8 mi (12.8 km) per day flows eastward, with the largest current along the south coast.

The Welland Canal (naval) and the Niagara River (natural) provide links to Lake Erie to the southwest. Near Trenton, Ontario, the Trent Canal connects Lake Ontario to the New York State Barge Canal in Oswego, New York, and Lake Huron's Georgian Bay (Canadian Province).

The Rideau Canal connects Kingston and Ottawa in northeastern Ontario. Keep reading to know more lake Ontario facts.

History Of Lake Ontario

In pre-European times, the lake served as a boundary between the Huron and their vassal states and the Iroquois Confederacy. Étienne Brûlé was the first confirmed European to visit the lake in 1615. In addition, artifacts thought to be of Norse origin have been discovered in the area, indicating possibly earlier European visits.

• Fort Rouillé in 1750 and Fort Oswego in 1722 were trading posts founded by both the British and the French. The British captured all of the forts after the French and Indian War.
• The castles on the American bank of the lake remained British until the Jay Treaty was signed in 1794 when they became American.
• Before the American Revolution, a non-military, permanent European colony had formed on the other Great Lakes. Following the War of 1812, it became a focus of commercial activity, with canal construction on both sides of the border.
• It was widely traversed by lake steamers, which peaked in the mid-nineteenth century until being surpassed by railway lines.
• The Laurentide Glacier originally encompassed the whole country of Canada.
• It began to dissolve some 14,000 years back.
• The glacier retreated, leaving behind Lake Iroquois, a bigger form of current-time Lake Ontario.
• If you've ever gone down Davenport Road in Toronto, you've probably seen the steep ridge that separates the north from the south side of the road. This is the original shoreline of Lake Iroquois.
• Water from Lake Iroquois flowed out to the Atlantic Ocean when a portion of the Laurentide Glacier in the Saint Lawrence River valley disappeared.
• Lake Admiralty, a smaller lake, was left behind.
• The historic Lake Admiralty shoreline, a 'scarp' or bluff that stretches offshore Hanlan's Island in Toronto to Scarborough Bluffs, is now underwater.
• The rock beneath the Thousand Islands east of Kingston and the lake eventually settled, forming Lake Ontario as we know it today.
• Throughout the years, the lake has suffered various identity problems. French explorers gave the region many names, including Lac Frontenac, Lac de St. Louis, Lacus Ontarius, and Ondiara.

Fun Facts About Lake Ontario

Some amazing Lake Ontario facts are:

• Nine million individuals depend on Lake Ontario for their drinking water.
• The Lake Ontario watershed is home to more Canadians than any other watershed in the country.
• Because of its depth, the lake never completely freezes. However, Lake Ontario has frozen over at least five times, the most recent being in 1934.
• Every 11 minutes, water sloshes back and forth in Lake Ontario, creating a 'seiche,' a natural rhythmic motion.
• Between 10,000 to 14,000 years ago, glaciers formed the lake.
• The lake is one of the famous five Great Lakes, containing 21% of the world's freshwater surface.
• One of the famous great lakes, Lake Ontario, is the world's 14th largest lake.
• Before reaching the Atlantic Ocean, all Great Lakes water passes via Lake Ontario.
• It takes approximately six years for water to move from Lake Ontario to the St. Lawrence River.
• Lake Ontario is the most endangered among all the Great Lakes.
• The Niagara River empties into Lake Ontario.
• Thousands of years before Europeans came, the lake was home to the Iroquois and Huron First Nations.
• One of the Great Lakes, 'Lake Ontario' literally translates to 'lake of bright waters.'
• Lake Ontario is split between the United States and Canada.
• The Great Lakes used to have 150 different fish species.
• The American Eel used to be the most frequent fish in Lake Ontario.
• On Lake Ontario, there are over 100 beaches.

Flora And Fauna Of Lake Ontario

Some of the fish that inhabit Lake Ontario include Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, walleye, steelhead, and rainbow trout. Invasive mussels have seized up much of the lake's bottom in the coastal portions.

Because of the favorable environment for fruit trees near Lake Ontario, the area has become a significant producer of peaches, plums, apples, pears, and cherries.

Lake Ontario attracts a large number of migratory birds due to its position. Swans, grebes, loons, geese, ducks, and other waterfowl are some of the animals that call Lake Ontario home. In addition, hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey are frequent in the area.

Climate change's impact on the lake is as below:

• The lake has an eleven-minute oscillating wave (natural seiche) rhythm. Earth movement, winds, and air pressure fluctuations can dramatically amplify the seiche effect, which is generally only around two cm.
• The lake rarely freezes in the winter due to its depth. The only times the lake was covered in ice were during the winters of 1934 and 1976.
• The Great Lakes have some of the world's nicest beaches. The world's most extensive freshwater dune system, for example, is found at Prince Edward County's Sandbanks Provincial Park. Plants, animals, and migrating birds use these distinct seashore habitats as a refuge.
• Because of serious environmental degradation, 43 villages on the Great Lakes were declared 'Areas of Concern' in the 1980s. Bay of Quinte, the Rochester Embayment, Eighteen Mile Creek, Port Hope Harbour, Hamilton Harbour, Oswego River, and Metro Toronto constitute the Lake Ontario Areas. Urban development, energy generation, and sewage and stormwater pollution pose the most significant risks to Lake Ontario today.

Travel Attractions Near The Lake Ontario

On the lake and in bigger cities like Rochester, New York, you can discover some fantastic Lake Ontario vacation rentals such as condominiums, apartments, cottages, hotels, and mansions.

• You can take your family to Rochester's Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse for some beautiful views and picture opportunities.
• Arney's Marina rents boats, while Sodus Point Bait Shop sells everything else.
• You can also look for loons at the lake's edge and listen to them while relaxing on the veranda of your comfortable lakeside holiday rental.