It is the source of the 1,609-kilometre (1,000 mi) long Churchill River, which flows east into Hudson Bay.

[7] The outflow is at the southern end through MacBeth Channel,[8] which flows south into Lac Île-à-la-Crosse.

[2] The village of Buffalo Narrows is on the south-western shore near Kisis Channel and the Churchill Lake Indian reserve is at the northern end.

[10] Access to the lake is from Highway 155 (which crosses Kisis Channel) and Buffalo Narrows Airport.

[11] John Franklin's Coppermine Expedition map of 1819–1822 shows details of the fur trade route from Île-à-la-Crosse to the Methye Portage.