The Schuitwater is a 313-hectare nature reserve in North Limburg. It lies between the towns of Swolgen, Broekhuizenvorst, and Broekhuizen, and west of Lottum. It belongs to the municipality of Horst aan de Maas. The Schuitwater is managed by the Dutch Forestry Commission (Staatsbosbeheer).
The name of the area is believed to derive from "beschutten" (sheltering), specifically the sheltering of livestock. However, it can also refer to the flat barges used to transport dredged peat.
The Schuitwater nature reserve is a remnant of several old Meuse branches. These gradually silted up. From the 18th century onward, peat was dredged in the Schuitwateren. This was then transported using flat barges. After peat extraction ceased, silting up resumed.
It is a wooded and water-rich area surrounded by higher sandy soils, with pine, drifting dunes, heathland, and birch forests. The barge waters within this area are: Lottumer Schuitwater and Schuitwater Broekhuizerbroek.