South Beach sits at the southern gateway to Clear Lake, just north of Lock 27 at Young's Point, around mile marker 104.8 on the Trent-Severn Waterway. The anchorage occupies a wide shelf of deep water — 20 feet or more — along the southern shore, offering one of the deepest natural holding grounds on Clear Lake. The bottom provides good holding, and the generous depth means you can tuck in comfortably without worrying about swinging into the shallows.
This is your first opportunity to anchor after locking through Young's Point, and it shows. The water here carries the clarity that gives the lake its name — you can often see bottom in the shallows near shore, with visibility that puts most Kawartha Lakes to shame. Clear Lake itself is unusually deep for the chain, with depths reaching well over 100 feet through its central basin.
South Beach works well as either a lunch hook or an overnight stop for boats heading north toward Burleigh Falls. The anchorage is close enough to Young's Point to row in for supplies if needed, but far enough onto the lake to feel like you have left the canal behind.
| GPS Coordinates | 44.4859°N, 78.2219°W ⚠ Unverified |
| Water Body | Clear Lake — South Beach |
| Region | Kawartha Lakes |
| Mile Marker | MM 104.8 (from Veterans Skyway Bridge) |
| Depth Range | 6.1+ m 20+ ft — Waterway Guide |
| Holding Quality | Good |
| Nearest Lock | Lock 27 — Young's Point (~2 km northeast) |
| Overnight | ⚠ Conditional |
South Beach offers reasonable protection in calm to moderate conditions but is open to the north across the full length of Clear Lake. In southerly or westerly winds the shoreline provides a natural lee. Northerly winds can build an uncomfortable fetch, making this anchorage best suited for settled weather patterns or as a fair-weather overnight stop.
| Dinghy Access | ✗ No |
| Shore Access | No formal public shore access at the anchorage. The shoreline is predominantly private cottage properties. Young's Point village and lock station are accessible by dinghy heading south. |
| Pet Friendly | No votes yet |
Nearest provisioning: Young's Point General Store is located at Lock 27, roughly 1.5 km south by water. The store has been operating for over 100 years and carries fresh groceries, Kawartha Dairy products, bread, baked goods, ice, beer, wine, liquor, fishing tackle, bait, postal service, and an ATM.
Scenic notes: Clear Lake earns its name. The water clarity here is among the best on the Trent-Severn, and the emerald-green hue near shore is distinctive. The southern shoreline is predominantly cottage-lined but well treed, giving the setting a natural feel without the wilderness isolation of the upper lakes.
Clear Lake sits between Lock 27 at Young's Point and Lock 28 at Burleigh Falls, forming one of the deeper and more scenic sections of the Kawartha Lakes chain on the Trent-Severn Waterway. The lake is roughly six kilometres long and known for exceptional water clarity and depths that reach well over 100 feet in places — far deeper than the typical Kawartha lake.
South Beach is positioned near the southern end of Clear Lake, making it the first anchorage opportunity after locking through Young's Point. Boats heading north have approximately 10 kilometres of lake cruising ahead before reaching Burleigh Falls, where Lock 28 lifts vessels 8.2 metres (27 feet) toward Stoney Lake and the upper Kawarthas.
| Lock | Name | Direction | Distance | Lift |
| #28 | Burleigh Falls | Upstream | ~13 km | 7.32 m24 ft |
| #27 | Young's Point | Downstream | ~2 km | 2.13 m7 ft |
South Beach is where Clear Lake introduces itself, and the introduction is a good one. After the confined channel work between Lakefield and Young's Point, dropping the hook in 20-plus feet of clean water with a sand-and-rock bottom feels like a reward. The depth here is genuinely unusual for the Kawarthas — most anchorages on the TSW run 6 to 12 feet, so having this much water under the keel is a luxury.
The trade-off is exposure. South Beach sits on the open southern shore of the lake without significant island cover, so a sustained north wind can build a fetch across the full length of Clear Lake. In settled weather this is a non-issue, and the deep water means you can set a proper scope without dragging. In unsettled conditions, consider MacKensie Bay or Cassidy Bay further north for better all-around protection.
If you are arriving late from Peterborough or Lakefield and just want a clean, simple hook for the night, South Beach delivers. No channel dodging, no rock-picking — just turn north off the waterway after clearing the Lock 27 cut and find your spot in deep water.
Watch the depth transition near shore — the deep water drops off to rock shelf quickly in places along the southern shoreline. Give the shoreline adequate clearance when setting the hook to avoid swinging onto rock in the shallows.
Have photos of South Beach — Clear Lake?
💌 Email captain@trentsevernguide.comSouth Beach — Clear Lake — Video Guide Coming Soon
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