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Visit West Hawk Lake

No matter the season, there's always something fun to do in the Whiteshell Provincial Park in southeastern Manitoba, Canada!

From swimming, canoeing, skiing (water, downhill and crosscountry) and fishing (ice and the warmer summer kind) to snowshoeing, snowmobiling and hiking you'll find a fun activity for you, your family and your friends as soon as you step outside your cottage door at Crescent Beach Cottages.

 

Summer Activities
Winter Activities
History of the Meteor Lake

Summer @ West Hawk You'll Lake it alot!

Hunt Lake Hiking Trail

Falcon Creek Self Guiding Trail

McGillivray Falls Self Guiding Trail

Alf Hole Goose Sanctuary

Falcon Lake Golf Course

West Hawk Lake offers a great summer getaway no matter whether your looking for an action packed holiday or the more low key “getaway from it all life style”.

Looking for an adventure? Why not explore the wide and diverse trail network in the area or visit the tunnels at Caddy Lake.

If speed and adrenaline are more your style? Try wakeboarding or tour the Lake on a Personal Watercraft. If you love the lake Life and Wilderness then slip into a canoe or find a spot in the beautiful high rocks overlooking Crescent Beach to just meditate or catch up on that book that your busy life has prevented you from finishing.

Please check with our staff, as they will be happy to map out the perfect adventure that will suit your needs.

Summer Activities Include:

Swimming, Fishing, Boat Rentals, Horseback riding, Mini Golf, Tubing, Tennis, Wakeboarding, Scuba diving, and ATV trails, Mountain bike trails, Lawn bowling, Fish Hatchery tours

West Hawk has the following fish species-Walleye, Northern Pike, Bass, Lake Trout, Whitefish, and Perch.  Within a close proximity there are stocked Trout lakes, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout including the Whiteshell River fly fishing area.

Winter @ West Hawk It's Snow Fun!

Whiteshell Snowmobile Trails

South Whiteshell Cross Country Ski Map

“WHOEVER SAYS WINTER IS BORING, HAS NEVER SNOWMOBILED IN THEIR LIFE.  GET OFF THE COUCH AND EXPERIENCE WINTER.”

 Shaun Harbottle, 2010

Winter is one of the most underrated seasons in Manitoba. Pure adventure awaits you in the Whiteshell with kilometers of cross-country ski trails through some of the most scenic spots in the Whiteshell, not accessible in the summer months. Need more Power? The Whiteshell offers some of the best snowmobile trails in Western Canada (Snowgoer Magazine). Come check out the trails, you won’t be disappointed. Has that large fish escaped you all summer? Why not try on the frozen pond!  There is no escape for that tricky fish with Ice Fishing. Ice fishing offers many different opportunities in the area including Walleye, Northern, Brown Trout along with Lake Trout and many other species in the Whiteshell. Come experience Winter Wonderland in the Whiteshell Provincial Forest.

The West Hawk Lake area is perfect for spending a winter day with friends and family.

Downhill Skiing, Snowboarding, Sleigh Rides, Snowmobiling, Snowshoeing, Ice Fishing, Ice Diving and more are available in the immediate area.

A little bit of space set aside for some history Meteor Lake

West Hawk Lake is located on the Southeast corner of the province of Manitoba at a latitude of 49º 46'N and a longitude of 95º 11'W.  It is 100 million +/- years of age and is approximately 3.6km in diameter.  It has a central depth of approximately 111 metres.

Unlike many Canadian impact features this Crater Lake is easy to reach.   West Hawk Lake is located a mere 2km north of the Trans Canada Highway and 4km west of the Manitoba-Ontario border.  Interest in West Hawk Lake was initiated because of its great depth in comparison to surrounding lakes in the area (Falcon Lake 21m and Caddy Lake 5.8m) and because of its circular shape.  A gravity survey showed an anomaly indicating the rock beneath the lake had been severely fractured, as in other known meteorite craters.

From January to March 1965 Canadian astronomers Halliday and Griffen supervised the drilling of a test hole at the centre of the lake.  The hole reached a depth of 727m below the lake level.  The bottom of the lake was found at 108m and soft sediment encountered to a depth of 151m.  Boulders were then encountered for the next 3.3m which made drilling difficult.

The transition from sediments to fragmented rock occurs at the 202m mark.  Study of the fragments near the 457m mark show micro fractures in the quartz crystals, similar to that of the Barringer crater in Arizona and other impact craters.

Early in 1966 Halliday and Griffen returned to West Hawk Lake and supervised the drilling of three more holes.  From this date the best estimate for the original rim diameter of the crater is 2.4km.  This indicates that severe erosion has moved the present shoreline about 600m beyond the pear of the original rim which may well have stood 100m above the present lake level.

Reasonable estimates suggest the crater was formed by a meteorite 150m in diameter impacting the Earth at 16km/sec (58000km/hr or 36000miles/hr).

Think of it!  This meteorite was about the size of two football field's (150m) and it blew a hole almost 2km in diameter.  A 32 story building such as the Richardson Building could be placed in the center of the lake and it would barely break the lake's surface.  Similarly, the top of the "Golden Boy's torch on top of Manitoba's Legislative Building would be 34m (109ft.) below the lake's surface. ( For purposes of conversion: 1metre is equal to 3.28 feet.

Researched by Robert Harbottle

Contact Us!

Start planning your visit to
West Hawk Lake with one phone call!

1 (866) 349-2214
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Mailing Address

P.O. Box 70
Whiteshell Post Office
Manitoba, Canada
R0E 2H0

  • Store Hours - Summer

    Mon - Sun | 8am - 9pm

  • Store Hours - Winter

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