About The Resort Village Of Candle Lake
As the fastest growing resort community in Saskatchewan, Candle Lake offers a full range of services and amenities. Grocery stores, restaurants, fast food outlets, gas bars, mini golf and boat rentals. With a population of 840 year round residents (per 2016 Census Canada) and a 10,000 + population during the summer months the village holds a variety of activities and events throughout the year.
Whether visiting for the day, camping in a tent or trailer or spending time at the cabin, there are lots of things to do at Candle Lake. We have beautiful wild life, so watch for whitetail deer, elk, bear, wolves, coyotes, foxes, blue herons or loons during your visit to Candle Lake.
So Much To Do
The Resort Village of Candle Lake is one of the most popular all season resorts in Western Canada. It is located approximately 50 minutes NE of Prince Albert. The Provincial Park has over 535 acres (7,784 hectares) of recreational park and is year round.
There is an abundance of activities to do at Candle Lake. As a summer and winter getaway, we offer activities from swimming, boating, fishing, golfing, hiking, and biking to snowmobiling, cross country skiing and ice fishing. Experience crystal clear waters, sand dunes and nearly 30 km of sandy beaches.
Our History
Candle Lake lies east of Prince Albert National Park and is drained by the the Torch River into the Saskatchewan River. The name Candle Lake is derived from the cree Indian belief that a strange light can be seen on the lake surface. It is assumed that and Indian campsite used to be located at the site of the former Hudson Bay Trading Post, now called Fisher Creek. This was the original Indian burial ground and some graves may still be found. This light is nearly always seen in the direction of several Indian graves on the north shore of the lake.
On the east side of the lake are two islands named "Curly Islands" and on evenings a great light shines between them. It seems to cast a shadow on the water resembling a candle glow. Although the Indians sometimes hunt in the area, they will not settle by the lake as they consider this to bear an evil spirit, therefore haunted. A more scientific view is that the glow originated from phosphorescent decaying wood floating on the water. Nevertheless, the Indians quietly left the area leaving only the legend and the name "Candle Lake".
The Mosher Torch Trail dates back to 1912 when Dan Mosher and a party filed for homesteads at Paddockwood. Dan Mosher and Tom Creighton organized half a dozen homesteaders to cut a road from Paddockwood to Candle Lake, a distance of about 20 miles. After the road was completed, Mosher applied to fishing licenses on behalf of the group. The government at the time was surprised to find out that a road existed and they granted them licenses. They recieved a two year monopoly on the fishing rights in recognition of their resourcefulness in building the road. At the time, the fish (whitefish) were sent to Paddockwood and on to Prince Albert by horse drawn sleighs. They were hauled to the Outposts at Batoche and Duck Lake. Many of the streets in Candle Lake are named after these early pioneers.