Salerno Lake, formerly Devil's Lake, is a 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 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....

's cottage country

Cottage country

Cottage country is a common name in Eastern Canada for areas that are popular locations for recreational properties such as cottages and summer homes. The name is often applied locally; that is, any major population centre may have its own popular "cottage country" area...

. It is an approximately 2 and a half hour drive away from 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...

. Salerno Lake is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long. It is a narrow lake that resembles a large river. The lake is in a big valley, and the water level drops off rather quickly. Most places in the lake are about 25 feet (7.6 m) deep, but there are two spots where it can get as deep as 45 feet (13.7 m). The lake falls in two municipalities: Highlands East

Highlands East, Ontario

Highlands East is a township located in Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada.-History:The township was incorporated in 2001, upon the amalgamation of the former townships of Bicroft, Cardiff, Glamorgan and Monmouth.-Communities:...

 and Minden Hills in Haliburton County

Haliburton County, Ontario

Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County was established in 1983, but had existed as the Provisional County of Haliburton since 1874...

.

To reach Salerno Lake from the GTA, take the following highways, always travelling north or east: Highway 48

Highway 48 (Ontario)

King's Highway 48, also known as Highway 48, is a provincially-maintained highway in southern Ontario that extends from Major Mackenzie Drive in Markham, through Whitchurch-Stouffville, to Highway 12 south-east of Beaverton, Ontario. Prior to 1998, Highway 48 extended from Highway 401 in Toronto to...

, Highway 12

Highway 12 (Ontario)

King's Highway 12, commonly referred to as Highway 12, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway connects the eastern end of the Greater Toronto Area with Kawartha Lakes , Orillia and Midland. It forms a part of the Trans-Canada Highway system from north...

, Highway 48, Highway 35, Highway 45, Highway 503 to Irondale.

Close towns to the lake include Kinmount

Kinmount, Ontario

Kinmount is a village with a population of approximately 500, located on the Burnt River in Ontario, Canada. The village is now part of the City of Kawartha Lakes. The village's hinterland covers large sections of both Haliburton and Peterborough counties for which it is a shopping and cultural...

 and Gooderham. Haliburton is slightly further away, but still within a reasonable drive (25–35 minutes).

White Lake empties into Salerno Lake, which empties into the Irondale River, which empties into Burnt River

Burnt River (Ontario)

The Burnt River is a river which flows from its source at Miskwabi Lake in Highlands East, Haliburton County south into the Kawartha Lakes region. It empties into Cameron Lake in the City of Kawartha Lakes, part of the Trent-Severn Waterway. The town of Burnt River is located near its southern...

. Like all of the water bodies in this system, the lake was used to transport logs to Toronto in the 19th and 20th Century.

Originally named Devil's Lake, the name was changed to Salerno after the Italian city of that name after the Salerno landings during 1943, in respect of which the Canadian Army played a prominent role. The name change was suggested by the government of Ontario and published on a federal map in 1944 as a distinctive name in order to eliminate the common name "Devil". The name Salerno Lake was eventually approved by the Canadian Board on Geographical Names in 1953.

Fish and wildlife

Salerno Lake is home to smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass

The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...

, largemouth bass

Largemouth bass

The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...

, perch

Perch

Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...

, walleye

Walleye

Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...

, and muskie

Muskie

Muskie may refer to:*Ed Muskie, American politician*Muskellunge, freshwater fish native to North America...

. It also has rock bass

Rock bass

The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...

, sunfish

Centrarchidae

The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...

, mussels, and crayfish

Crayfish

Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...

.

Cottagers' Association

The Salerno/Devil's Lake Cottagers' Association is over 40 years old. It consists of a board of directors that deal with issues and organize events such as the annual canoe race and the Canada Day

Canada Day

Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...

fireworks. The association encourages all cottagers to become a member, and sends out a newsletter by mail.