Lake Bernard is a lake in Parry Sound District, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, between Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and North Bay

North Bay, Ontario

North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...

. It measures roughly 2.5 km (1.5 mi) across and 7 km (4.3 mi) long. The town of Sundridge

Sundridge, Ontario

Sundridge is a village in central Ontario, Canada, approximately 75 km south of North Bay, Ontario along Highway 11, on the shore of Lake Bernard. Sundridge is a tourist destination in both winter and summer, with boating and snowmobiling providing the main attraction. Algonquin Provincial Park is...

 lies on the northern shore of this clean freshwater lake, which is otherwise surrounded by the municipal township of Strong

Strong, Ontario

Strong is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as the name of a community within the township. Located in the Parry Sound District, the township surrounds but does not include the village of Sundridge....

.

It is claimed that Lake Bernard is the holder of an interesting geographical record: it is the largest freshwater lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 in the world without an island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

.

Lake Bernard used to go by the name of Stoney Lake, due to the large number of rocks around the southern and eastern shores of the lake. Years ago, the lake was primarily used as a logging

Logging

Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...

lake, and one may still see many logs which have become waterlogged and sunk to the bottom of the lake.

Fish species in the lake include smallmouth bass, lake trout, whitefish, yellow perch and rock bass. Because Lake Bernard is large and deep, fishing is relatively poor for bass, but quite good for lake trout and whitefish. Ice fishing is very popular during the winter.

Though many sightings have been claimed, no one has been able to get a picture of the supposed "Bernard Monster".

The shores of the lake have been developed with non-permanent residences and cottages as well as permanent residents. Several resorts have also made Lake Bernard their home, including Shady Nook Cottages, Layolomi Beach Inn, and the Northridge Inn & Resort.