Ontario cottage country
Muskoka
Lakes, granite and red maples two hours north of Toronto, once the cottagers go home.
- Lakes
- Food
- Winter
Best in January–February · May–June · September–October
About this place
Muskoka is where Toronto spends July and August, and it prices accordingly. After Labour Day the lakes are still warm enough to swim, the resorts drop their rates, Algonquin Park is an hour up the road, and the maples peak in the first two weeks of October.
Things to do
Algonquin Park by Highway 60
The west gate is 45 minutes from Huntsville. Lookout Trail, Track and Tower and the Visitor Centre deck are all short; canoe rentals at Canoe Lake. Colour peaks in the last week of September, a week ahead of Muskoka itself.
RMS Segwun
North America’s oldest operating steamship sails from Gravenhurst from June to mid-October. The two-hour lunch cruise up Lake Muskoka is the best way to see the boathouses.
Bala cranberry harvest
Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery floods its bogs in October; the Bala Cranberry Festival is the third weekend. Wade-in-the-bog tours book out, so reserve early.
Arrowhead skating trail
A 1.3 km ice trail through the forest at Arrowhead Provincial Park, lit by torches on Friday and Saturday nights from January into February. Weekends need an advance day permit.
Torrance Barrens
A dark-sky preserve on open granite 20 minutes from Bala. Bring a chair; on a clear autumn night the Milky Way is obvious.
Breweries and the Group of Seven
Muskoka Brewery in Bracebridge and Sawdust City in Gravenhurst; Huntsville’s downtown murals reproduce Group of Seven paintings of the country you just drove through.
When to go
Mid-September to mid-October
Warm lakes, cool nights, colour building to a peak in the first two weeks of October. Thanksgiving weekend is busy; the weeks either side are not.
Late May to June
Before cottage season. Lakes are cold and blackflies are out until mid-June, but resorts are cheap and the trails are empty.
January and February
The skating trail, snowshoe trails, ice fishing and snowmobile routes. Resorts run winter packages at their lowest rates.
July and August
Cottage traffic on Highway 400 every Friday and Sunday, and rental prices two to three times the autumn rate.
How to get there
Drive from Toronto
Two to two and a half hours north on Highways 400 and 11 to Gravenhurst, Bracebridge or Huntsville. Toronto Pearson (YYZ) is the airport.
Bus
Ontario Northland coaches run several times daily from Toronto to Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville. Resorts can arrange pickups.
You will want a car
Lakes, trailheads and the park are spread out and there is no local transit. Winter tires from December to March.
Trips here
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4 packages
FeaturedMuskoka4 nightsAlgonquin Fall Colours Canoe Trip
Four nights canoe-camping through Algonquin at peak colour with a guide, gear and moose-spotting dawn paddles.
- Adventure
- Wildlife
- Guided
From $1,160 per person
approx. £616 / €719
Muskoka2 nightsAlgonquin Lodge & Day Paddle Weekend
Two nights at a lakeside lodge on the park edge with a guided day paddle and a wolf-howl evening.
- Wildlife
- Guided
From $560 per person
approx. £298 / €347
Muskoka3 nightsMuskoka Wellness Retreat
Three nights of yoga, sauna and cold lake plunges with forest walks at the height of colour.
- Wellness
- Guided
From $980 per person
approx. £521 / €608
Muskoka7 nightsMuskoka Lakes Fall Lodge Week
Seven nights across three Muskoka lodges with a steamship cruise, cranberry-harvest visit and hiking around Huntsville.
- Self drive
- Food
- Wellness
From $2,480 per person
approx. £1,318 / €1,538
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