Scugog.
Scugog is a Durham Region township anchored by Port Perry on the southwest shore of Lake Scugog — a shallow, weed-rich lake of about 68 km² (average depth 1.4 m) on the Trent–Severn Waterway, drained north by the Scugog River into Sturgeon Lake. Scugog Island sits near the centre of the lake and is home to the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, a Mississauga (Anishinaabe / Ojibwe) Nation whose reserve community returned to the island in 1844 under Chief Crane and which today owns the Great Blue Heron Casino on reserve land east of Port Perry.
The township was created in 1974 by the amalgamation of the original Scugog, Reach, and Cartwright townships and the town of Port Perry; Port Perry's Victorian-era downtown is a Township-designated Heritage Conservation District anchored at the lakefront by the Old Grain Mill (1874). Lake Scugog is a productive shallow-water fishery on Fisheries Management Zone 17 — largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike, and muskellunge in the open-water and ice-fishing seasons (walleye has been closed since 1 January 2016).
Inland, the Kawartha Region Conservation Authority manages Durham East Cross Forest on the Oak Ridges Moraine, with over 7 km of marked sustainable trails open to hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
Today's read.
Real-time conditions updated; AI field notes unavailable.
On the record.
Every claim sourced. Click through to the original.
- 01Lake Scugog is an artificially flooded lake of approximately 68 km² with an average depth of 1.4 m, fed by the Blackstock and Cawkers Creeks and the Nonquon River, and drained by the Scugog River north into Sturgeon Lake and the Trent–Severn Waterway.Source ↗
- 02The Township of Scugog was created in 1974 by the amalgamation of the original townships of Scugog, Reach, and Cartwright together with the town of Port Perry, in the Regional Municipality of Durham.Source ↗
- 03Walleye fishing on Lake Scugog has been closed since 1 January 2016 under FMZ 17 due to walleye-population decline; largemouth and smallmouth bass, black crappie, yellow perch, sunfish, northern pike, and muskellunge remain in season.Source ↗
- 04The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation are a Mississauga (Anishinaabe / Ojibwe) Nation whose reserve is on Scugog Island in Lake Scugog; the community returned to Scugog Island in 1844 under Chief Crane after earlier displacement.Source ↗
- 05The Great Blue Heron Casino on Scugog Island is owned by the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation; OLG manages slot operations and the Baagwating Community Association (a non-profit charitable organization formed by MSIFN) manages the table games.Source ↗
- 06Durham East Cross Forest is a Kawartha Region Conservation Authority conservation area in Scugog Township on the Oak Ridges Moraine, with over 7 km of marked sustainable trails — including the 1.7 km Blair Martyn Memorial Trail and the 2.3 km South Forest Loop — open to hiking, mountain biking, birding, snowmobiling (with valid OFSC permit), snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.Source ↗
7. activities
worth your time
StrongHiking
Durham East Cross Forest, a Kawartha Region Conservation Authority conservation area in Scugog Township on the Oak Ridges Moraine, runs over 7 km of marked sustainable trails — including the 1.7 km Blair Martyn Memorial Trail and the 2.3 km South Forest Loop — through kame and kettle forest with two trailheads (4560 Devitt's Road on the north and 4531 Boundary Road on the south). North of Port Perry, the Nonquon Crown Lands network on Scugog Line 10 and Line 12 carries boardwalks across the Nonquon River wetland. Inside town, the Port Perry Waterfront Trail adds about 5 km of flat lakeshore walking from the marina past Palmer Park.
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StrongWalking & Strolling
Port Perry's Victorian-era downtown is a Township-designated Heritage Conservation District anchored on Queen Street, the commercial spine running west from the Lake Scugog shoreline. Restored 19th-century brick storefronts, cast-iron street lamps, and the Old Grain Mill (1874) at the lakefront define the streetscape. The Port Perry Waterfront Trail runs about 5 km along Lake Scugog from the marina through Palmer Park, with views across the south basin toward Scugog Island. The Scugog Shores Museum Village on the lakeshore adds a short heritage-village walk.
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StrongPaddling — Flatwater
Lake Scugog itself — about 68 km² and averaging 1.4 m deep — is the regional flatwater anchor: shallow, weedy, and full of marsh-edge backwaters that paddle differently from the deeper Kawartha lakes downstream. Public launches on the southwest shore at the Port Perry waterfront put a canoe, kayak, or SUP straight into the south basin. The Nonquon River flows into the lake from the west through a Kawartha Region Conservation Authority watershed of about 145 km², with quiet flatwater through marsh corridors. To the north, the Scugog River drains the lake into Sturgeon Lake and the rest of the Trent–Severn Waterway — a longer paddle-and-portage route into the Kawartha Lakes chain.
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StrongSailing & Boating
Port Perry Marina on the southwest shore of Lake Scugog is the harbour anchor — slip moorage, fuel, and hut rentals for the winter ice-fishing season. Lake Scugog itself is shallow open water suited to small craft cruising and casual sailing; from the lake, the Scugog River drains north into Sturgeon Lake and connects through to the rest of the Trent–Severn Waterway navigation system, with Parks Canada lock service running roughly mid-May through mid-October. The named Trent–Severn lift locks (Peterborough Lift Lock, Kirkfield Lift Lock) sit downstream and upstream in adjacent municipalities — Scugog is the southwest entry point into the Trent system from this side of the watershed.
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▲ SignatureFreshwater Fishing
Lake Scugog is the township's anchor fishery — a shallow, weed-rich lake of about 68 km² on the Trent–Severn Waterway, managed under Fisheries Management Zone 17, with a documented multi-species fishery of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike, and muskellunge. Walleye fishing has been closed since 1 January 2016 under FMZ 17 due to a walleye-population decline. Year-round access runs through Port Perry Marina on the southwest shore — open-water angling from May through October and ice fishing from hut rentals through January and February for early-season black crappie, panfish, and perch. The lake's shallow weed beds also fish through the south basin near Scugog Island and into the Nonquon River and Scugog River margins.
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StrongIndigenous Experiences
The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation are a Mississauga (Anishinaabe / Ojibwe) Nation whose reserve sits on Scugog Island in Lake Scugog — the host First Nation of the Lake Scugog basin and an in-township sovereign Indigenous community. The Nation moved into the basin around 1700 from territory north of Lake Huron, was displaced in the early 19th century, and returned to Scugog Island in 1844 under Chief Crane. MSIFN owns the Great Blue Heron Casino on reserve land east of Port Perry — slots are managed by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and the table games are managed by the Baagwating Community Association, a non-profit charitable organization formed by the Nation. The MSIFN homepage and the Township of Scugog's MSIFN page are the authoritative starting points for the Nation's published programming.
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StrongHeritage & Culture
Port Perry's downtown is a Township-designated Heritage Conservation District: a Victorian-era commercial core anchored on Queen Street with restored 19th-century brick storefronts running west from the Lake Scugog lakefront. The Old Grain Mill (1874) stands at the lakefront beside the marina. The Scugog Shores Museum Village on the Lake Scugog shoreline preserves a cluster of relocated 19th-century buildings as a community heritage site. Beyond Port Perry, the township carries the Mississauga and Anishinaabe history of the Lake Scugog basin through the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, whose reserve community has been on Scugog Island since 1844.
Read field guide arrow_outward13. more outings
surveyed.
Activities supported across Scugog without a featured write-up.
- 01
Trail Running
Durham East Cross Forest - 02
Nature & Discovery
birding · nature-interpretation - 03
Cycling
road · mountain-biking - 04
Mountain Biking
cross-country - 05
Swimming & Beach
lake-swim - 06
Cross-Country & Nordic
classic-xc - 07
Snow Adventure
snowshoeing · ice-fishing · snowmobiling - 08
Seasonal Phenomena
fall-colours · spring-migration - 09
Wildlife Viewing
waterfowl - 10
Motorized Touring
scenic-drive · snowmobiling - 11
Food & Drink
small-town-restaurant - 12
Geology & Discovery
Oak Ridges Moraine kame and kettle terrain through Durham East Cross Forest - 13
Arts & Craft
artist-studio-tour
Local operators.
Trusted outfitters, guides, and experience providers in Scugog.
2B Fishing
Guided Kawartha Lakes fishing charters across eight lakes for bass, walleye, pike, and muskie
View on AER arrow_outwardBATL Grounds Pickering
Indoor axe throwing, knife throwing, archery, and a rage room in Pickering, Ontario.
View on AER arrow_outwardCombat Pursuit
Outdoor paintball, airsoft, and low-impact MicroBall fields near Toronto, played weekends mid-March through mid-November.
View on AER arrow_outwardGTA Lake Rentals
Sea-Doo jet ski rentals on Lake Ontario from Frenchman's Bay Marina in Pickering.
View on AER arrow_outwardJesse Kerr Fishing
Guided musky, walleye, and bass charters on Cameron, Balsam, and Sturgeon lakes from Fenelon Falls in the Kawartha Lakes
View on AER arrow_outwardKingtracker Sportfishing
Guided Lake Ontario charters for Chinook and Coho salmon and steelhead trout out of Whitby.
View on AER arrow_outwardR&J Stables
Therapeutic horseback riding, summer camp, and private trail rides on a 60-acre Kawartha Lakes farm
View on AER arrow_outwardRiverview Kayaking
Guided Nonquon River kayaking paired with infrared sauna, reiki, and reflexology at a family-run wellness centre in Seagrave
View on AER arrow_outwardRooted Heart
ANFT-certified forest bathing and private yoga in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, led by an ecologist-trained guide
View on AER arrow_outwardTreetop Trekking Stouffville
Ziplines, ropes courses, and North America's largest outdoor suspended trampoline at Bruce's Mill Conservation Area, 32 km from Toronto
View on AER arrow_outwardEgan Houseboat Rentals
Houseboat rentals, Trent-Severn cruises
Visit website arrow_outwardReel Mistress Sport Fishing
Salmon and trout fishing charters on Lake Ontario
Visit website arrow_outwardTreetop Eco-Adventure Park
Aerial adventure park, ziplines (5 incl. 734ft big zip), challenge courses, iBounce trampoline nets, junior/kids courses
Visit website arrow_outwardTreetop Trekking Oshawa
Zip lines, aerial treetop challenge courses
Visit website arrow_outwardKey resources.
- scugogfirstnation.comMississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation
- kawarthaconservation.comKawartha Region Conservation Authority — Durham East Cross Forest
- ontario.caOntario Fishing Regulations Summary — Fisheries Management Zone 17
- portperrymarina.caPort Perry Marina — boating, fishing, and ice-fishing hut rentals
- scugog.caTownship of Scugog — Parks, Trails, and Conservation Areas
- kawarthaconservation.comKawartha Region Conservation Authority — Lake Scugog watershed
- parks.canada.caParks Canada — Trent–Severn Waterway National Historic Site
- scugog.caTownship of Scugog — Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation page