LAY OF THE LAND
Ontario cottage regions and pricing
From sandy beaches to rocky cliffs to meandering rivers, Ontario's cottage country has it all. So how do you
pick out your piece of paradise? We’ve looked at 26 different regions to give you a head start. And for a
closer look where to find the best deals, check out the March
2007 issue of Cottage Life magazine.
Sunset Country
Lake of the Woods
Rainy Lake
Two big lakes dominate cottage country in northwestern Ontario: Lake of the Woods (LOTW) and Rainy Lake. Both areas include abundant Crown land - which also means cottages aren't easy to come by. The 3,150-sq.-km LOTW is speckled with more than 14,000 islands, innumerable sandy beaches along its south shore, and countless coves throughout, all making it a favourite playground for boaters. Most LOTW cottagers hail from Winnipeg (a two-hour drive) or the U.S., which isn't surprising considering parts of the lake are in Manitoba and Minnesota. The 4,000-member-strong Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association has an active presence, most recently taking steps to tackle almost annual blue-green algae blooms that cloud areas of otherwise clear water.
The 128-km-long Rainy River links the southern tip of LOTW with the western end of Rainy Lake, which also shares the Minnesota border. Americans make up a large portion of cottagers in this area, as do residents of northwestern Ontario. At 741 sq. km, Rainy Lake is considerably smaller than its neighbour to the northwest, but it still boasts more than 1,300 km of shoreline on the Ontario side. Fishing is great - you'll find walleye, pike, trout, and crappie - and every July the lake is home to the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championships. As at LOTW, the plentiful wildlife includes moose, deer, eagles and, for lucky spotters, lynx and marten. About 175 cottagers and year-round residents are members of the Rainy Lake Conservancy, which works with consultants, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to monitor water quality (good news so far), and the Nature Conservancy of Canada to protect the diverse flora and fauna.
Want a virgin island of your own? No can do. All vacant islands owned by the Crown were designated as
conservation reserves in 2002, which means that no new development can take place.
- Bonnie Schiedel
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North of Superior
There are two main cottaging choices in the Thunder Bay area: You can opt for the shores of Lake Superior, with its spectacular cliffs, crashing waves, and pebbled or sandy beaches. Or you can head to one of the numerous inland lakes of varying sizes that lie within an hour's drive of the city, such as Dog, Shebandowan, One Island, Hawkeye, Loon, and Trout. Kayakers and sailors love to explore Superior's rugged coastline. The water is famously cold, but sheltered, shallower bays enable you to take a dip without turning blue. If you throw out your back waterskiing or blueberry picking on any of these lakes, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, which opened in 2004, isn't far away. There's plenty of Crown land, which means development is limited, and only a handful of properties come up for sale every year. Many cottagers are from Thunder Bay, although Americans are starting to discover the area, increasing demand and pushing up traditionally low prices.
Further afield, the terrain is even more pristine, but its remoteness means facilities such as health-care
centres and marinas are scarce. To the north lies Lake Nipigon, with few access points and a small number of
cottages that rarely come on the market. Popular spots include Lac des Mille Lacs to the west, Whitefish Lake
to the southwest, and the town of Rossport on the eastern shore of Lake Superior. Dozens of sparsely
populated cottage lakes radiate out from small towns such as Ignace, Atikokan, and Dryden. No matter where
you cottage in the area, you're guaranteed to have lynx, bears, moose, and eagles as neighbours, not to
mention killer mosquitoes and blackflies, given the rugged terrain, isolated location, and number of suitable
breeding areas surrounding many of the cottages in the region.
- B.S.
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Timiskaming & Temagami
Temagami is a land of old-growth pines, deep lakes, and lofty summits. Ancient portages still stitch together the waterways, and 30-metre fire lookouts still tower (and in some cases, teeter) atop the hills. A region that inspires strong emotions, Temagami has been a focus for land-use debate. During the 1980s and '90s, a battle was waged between environmentalists and logging companies, as well as between the Temagami aboriginal community and the government. Disputes still flare up from time to time over new logging licences and lingering land claims.
For cottagers, the grail of the region is sprawling, multi-armed Lake Temagami (the name means "deep water by the shore"). The lake's mainland is, for the most part, off limits, owing to a long-standing "skyline reserve" (a buffer of trees), meaning nearly every cottage is on an island. That said, there are plenty of islands - more than a thousand - but demand is high for the few that go on the market.
Lady Evelyn Lake, to the north, is nearly as big, but less populated, as well as less convenient to
access. Properties here are cheaper, but even harder to come by. There are numerous other cottaging options,
however. Properties can be found on smaller neighbouring lakes such as Cassels, Net, and Rabbit, while
farther east and north, the Montreal River, Lake Timiskaming, and Elk Lake are worth considering. Crown and
park land are abundant; Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park spans 72,400 hectares, and parts of Lake
Temagami may receive waterway park status in coming years, pending First Nation approval. The large numbers
of rental houseboats on Lake Temagami can be an occasional nuisance.
- Jim Moodie
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Algoma & Sudbury
Granite-rimmed lakes. Windswept islands. Boulder-strewn and beach-scalloped bays. All can be found in this broad swath of north country between Sudbury and "The Soo." Lakes like Panache, near Sudbury, and Matinenda, near Blind River, are both sprawling, attractive, and largely boat-access, where a $100,000 cottage is not uncommon. A train-access property in the Algoma hills, north of Sault Ste. Marie, is cheaper to buy or lease, though complicated to reach, as is a spot smack-dab on the shore of Lake Superior (awe-inspiring views, dread-inspiring dock maintenance).
The population, apart from the two big cities at either end, is thinly spread. That said, communities like Espanola, Blind River, and Elliot Lake offer many services.
Probably the most salient feature common throughout the region, regardless of price, is privacy. Cottages
here don't climb over top of one another; even on the recently freed-up lakes near Elliot Lake only 20 per
cent of the shoreline will be developed. They also tend to be modest. Crown land is plentiful, as are pike,
bass, trout, and walleye. And, regrettably, blackflies. Bug jackets recommended in early summer.
- J.M.
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French River & Lake Nipissing
After a tough upstream battle on the Ottawa and Mattawa rivers, the voyageurs welcomed the bug-dispersing breezes of Lake Nipissing and a swift downstream journey on the scenic French. Today, after battling up highways 400 and 11, cottagers also breathe a sigh of relief when they reach this relatively untrammelled region. Yes, there are resorts and houses now, not to mention the city of North Bay, but the rugged terrain is virtually unchanged from the days of the fur trade, and much of it is still unpopulated.
French River Provincial Park, created in 1989 and slated to expand by over 20,000 hectares, allows the private properties already in existence to remain, while ensuring that the river's long stretches of wild shoreline will remain undeveloped. Lake Nipissing is not part of this waterway park, although much of the south shore west of South Bay is proposed either for a French River Provincial Park addition or is part of South Bay Provincial Park, and much of the north shore is reserve land belonging to the Nipissing First Nation.
Lake Nipissing is a vast body of water, some 70 km long and containing numerous bays and islands, but it's also remarkably shallow and, consequently, often choppy. Expect a teeth-rattling boat ride on windy days. Water quality is good for recreational purposes, as little industry exists here (particularly since the container-board mill in Sturgeon Falls shut down in 2002), and the moderately enriched conditions support a healthy fishery. Nipissing is famous for its walleye.
The French River is 110 km long, but contains many braids and channels, especially in the labyrinthian
delta where it empties into Georgian Bay. The shoreline is composed of lichen-flecked gneissic rock, topped
with pine, maple, and pockets of hemlock. Rapids exist, but mostly in one eight-kilometre section; elsewhere,
the current is negligible. Some cottages have road access, particularly between the Chaudière Dam and Hwy.
69, but many are reached via marinas at Dokis, Wolsey Bay, the French River supply post, or Hartley Bay.
(Some are also on land leased from the Nipissing and Dokis First Nations.) West of Hwy. 69, in the delta
region of the river, cottages are primarily boat-access, tend to lack hydro, and have a more rustic
character.
- J.M.
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Parry Sound Central
North of Muskoka, stretching east from its namesake town, the Parry Sound Central region comprises heavily forested, rolling landscapes and lakes that link the stark beauty of Georgian Bay's Canadian Shield islands with the varied woodlands of the interior.
Its inland waters - from Horseshoe Lake in the south, and northward to Manitouwabing, Whitestone, and Harris lakes - are dotted with rocky, pine-covered islands, and seemingly countless bays that offer wind-whipped anglers shelter at the turn of the tiller. Hundreds of kilometres of snowmobile trails criss-cross the region (as do many cross-country ski routes), while the Magnetawan River, which cuts a swath through the northern part of the region from Ahmic Lake west to Georgian Bay, and the Seguin River, further south, offer paddlers an opportunity to explore the area by canoe or kayak.
The new West Parry Sound Health Centre, bringing CT scans and 180 additional beds to the area, opened in
late spring 2005.
- Pat Lynch
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Almaguin Highlands
More remote than Parry Sound Central, the Almaguin Highlands are just beyond desired striking distance for a majority of cottage seekers travelling from southern Ontario. Stretching north from Novar and Dunchurch to Port Loring and Restoule, and east to the border of Algonquin Park, the region retains a relatively low profile, both in terms of cottage demand (and, hence, prices) and geography. Topographically, it's more mellow than its counterpart to the west, with shallower, slightly less rocky lakes and more forgiving shorelines; its larger waterbodies, including lakes Bernard, Ahmic, Cecebe, and Eagle, blend classic Canadian Shield features with the occasional sandy beach and often-weedy bays. The Magnetawan River offers great paddling, as well as cottage properties perched on both its rugged, steeper shores and lower-lying areas.
A pair of provincial parks, Restoule and Mikisew, reside here in the shadow of the neighbouring giant Algonquin.
Towns such as Burk's Falls, Sundridge, Powassan, and South River may not possess all the conveniences of
more populated regions but, aside from a full-service hospital, the Almaguin Highlands lacks little in the
way of cottage essentials. Grocery, liquor, and hardware stores can be found at many stops along the major
north-south route, Hwy. 11.
- P.L.
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Muskoka
This region's population triples during the summer season, to around 150,000, an easy stat to believe just counting cars merging onto Hwy. 400 from 11 on a mid-August Sunday evening. Wealthy visitors skip the traffic and arrive by floatplane.
With history, geography, and close proximity to Canada's wealthiest and most populous city on its side, Muskoka is home to tiny and large lakes, historic summer homes dating back generations, rustic cabins, and the villas of the super-rich.
The Muskoka experience begins with the "big three" lakes, Rosseau, Joseph, and Muskoka, but the entire
region offers stunning views, charming cottage communities, and the attractions of such a settled
vacationland; the trade-off is higher prices for starter cottages and, in many areas, heavily congested boat
traffic. Excellent golf and boating facilities, summer-long music festivals, theatre, and fine dining options
add to the refinement of Muskoka cottaging. If you're looking to build a monster cottage of your own, beware:
Recent restrictions on development in Muskoka Lakes township (where "Mo, Jo, and Ro" are located), including
a greater shoreline buffer zone and a 7,500-sq.-ft. cap on gross floor area, may hinder your efforts.
- John Degen
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Haliburton
The list of accolades for this chunk of cottage country, with its wide swaths of Crown-owned wilderness, is long indeed. The granite shorelines can be steep and rugged and are flanked by white pines and leafy trees that turn fiery bright every fall. Many lakes are sparsely inhabited and filled with a range of fish species, bass being the most popular. In summer, nighttime calls of the loon are all but guaranteed, and in winter, hundreds of kilometres of groomed snowmobile trails are a draw for recreational sledders. However, Haliburton's true claim to superiority may be the drive. Avoid the multi-lane highway, if you like, and the route is as good as a cottage drive can get: two-lane highways and county roads that wind past grain silos, grey barns, and blue lakes.
For many years, in fact, Haliburton was undervalued. While it was popular with buyers from Oshawa to Ottawa, Torontonians shied away, preferring Georgian Bay and the better-known lakes of Muskoka. However, as more buyers from the Big Smoke discover this Shield country, within three hours of the city, those days are coming to an end. A boat-access cottage that cost $7,000 in the early 1970s could easily fetch several hundred thousand dollars in today's market. And that's if you can find one - boat-access cottages might be cheaper, but they don't come on the market very often. The million-dollar cottage, a species once found only in Muskoka, has now started popping up on various shores as retirees build four-season homes with full basements.
That said, Haliburton is still a deal, and cottagers continue to be drawn to its smaller, quiet lakes,
though Kennisis, Kawagama, and Kashagawigamog offer big stretches of water for sailors and windsurfers.Be
aware that many lakes in this region are reservoirs for the Trent system further south, so water levels are
controlled by a series of dams and fluctuate from one to 2.5 metres or more over the course of a
season.
- Mark Schatzker
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Lake Simcoe & Lake Couchiching
Once called Lac de Taronto, Lake Simcoe, one of Ontario's largest lakes, adds a bit of wildness to the area's more urban cottaging experience. Summer storms can whip up one- to two-metre swells on the open water, and the resulting breakers have been known to punish docks. Close proximity to Toronto's sprawl has burdened the lake with ever-increasing boat traffic, so quiet afternoons by the water have all but disappeared, especially on weekends. And yet, the appeal of buying on Simcoe and adjoining Couchiching will not wane, considering the promise of a relatively short trip from downtown to dock. Added attractions include being on the Trent-Severn Waterway, fine sport fishing (including some of Ontario's best ice-fishing), and the growing cultural centres of Barrie and Orillia.
The high-density shoreline on Simcoe's western edge has seen an increase in year-round homes. Even backlot cottage properties command a steep price. Prices on Couchiching - locals call it "Cooch" - vary depending on proximity to Orillia. More-affordable cottages are available on the less densely populated northeastern shores of both lakes, though the prices are rapidly catching up. Cottage properties exist on Simcoe's larger islands, but rarely make it to market. However, there are approximately 300 island cottages on lands leased from the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation. -J.D.
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Kawarthas
The Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) defines cottaging in the Kawarthas: You're either on the Trent or you're not. The middle section of the 386-km-long boat path cuts through the region, roughly dividing the farmland and limestone plains of the south from the rocky Shield country to the north.
Generally, you'll pay a premium to be on the TSW, with the highest prices on Balsam, Sturgeon, Stony, and Clear lakes, where sales in excess of $1 million are not unheard of. While the boating and fishing are good, swimmers may turn up their noses at some of the shallow, murky, and weedy parts of the Kawartha lakes. The lake levels on the TSW are controlled by dams and locks and, as a result, remain at a constant level over the boating season.
Peterborough and Lindsay, the two biggest communities in the area, both have expanding, full-service hospitals. Dozens of smaller towns lie clustered along the TSW, many of them providing essential services and boat-access points.
Most cottages in the region have road access, with more water-access properties to be found in the northern areas, and many have been converted to year-round use, often with lakeside retirement in mind. Stony Lake is one exception to the road-access rule, with a large number of highly desired island properties. In this long-established cottaging area, vacant lots are hard to come by.
Kawarthas cottagers from southern Ontario are blessed with a wide range of options for getting to the lake. Highway hogs can follow the 401 to the 35/115 combo and take advantage of the four-laned 115 running all the way into Peterborough. Or you can take a scenic drive through rolling farmland by criss-crossing along a variety of backroads. -A.B.
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Lake Scugog & Rice Lake
Lakes Scugog and Rice can be reached in as little as an hour by car from Toronto. As a result, the two lakes, particularly Scugog, have largely become bedroom communities for people who live on the water and work in the GTA, and the number of strictly recreational properties is steadily dwindling. Hospitals, shopping, and other essential services are readily available. The growing town of Port Perry is perched on the southwest shore of Scugog, while Rice Lake lies directly between Peterborough and Cobourg.
The lakes' other big draws are boating - both are on the Trent-Severn Waterway - and fishing, which is year-round on Scugog. The generally eutrophic conditions - shallow, warm water prone to algae and weeds - are ideal for many sportfish, though not so pleasant for swimming. However, zebra mussels have helped clean up Rice Lake's murky reputation.
Neither body of water has a lake-wide property owner's association, though small road and social groups exist and Scugog is home to a local chapter of the Kawartha Fisheries Association.
Cottagers on Scugog Island can be forgiven for harbouring uncharitable feelings towards a casino at the north end of the peninsula (which was, in fact, once an island). Traffic delays are common leaving the single access road at the south end. Creating a second access point is a priority for the township but, with an environmental study underway and funding needed, this project probably is still at least a couple of years away. -A.B.
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North Channel & Manitoulin Island
Although it lies within view of the stark quartzite hills of Lake Huron's north shore, 2,766-sq.-km Manitoulin Island feels more like a piece of the pastoral south. Cedar fences flank quiet country roads, while mixed forests (spectacular in the fall) cap its many limestone bluffs. Manitoulin is, in fact, an extension of the Niagara Escarpment, as well as the world's largest freshwater island.
While the deeply notched coastline offers pleasing vantages on both Lake Huron and the North Channel, not to mention access to fine sailing and salmon fishing, the inland lakes are coveted for their relative warmth, calm, and clarity. There are more than 100 of them, many spring-fed. The largest, Lake Manitou, reaches depths of 50 metres and teems with lake trout.
Manitoulin has a vibrant Anishnabe culture. Its six First Nations, which host powwows and art exhibits in the summer, account for nearly half the permanent population of 13,000. Whitetailed deer are nearly twice as numerous as people on Manitoulin. There are two hospitals and exactly one stoplight, which can be found at the swing bridge linking the island to the mainland at Little Current. The other way to reach Manitoulin in the summer is via the M.S. Chi-Cheemaun ferry, which sails between Tobermory and South Baymouth.
Compared with neighbouring areas of the north, blackflies and mosquitoes are scarce on Manitoulin, and its limestone base neutralizes the impact of acid rain. There are numerous hiking trails, and an excellent sand beach at Providence Bay, but virtually no Crown land. Unless you're coming from points north, the commute can be long (from the Toronto area, for example, count on six hours, whether you take the ferry or drive around through Sudbury). Patience may also be required if you want to buy a place on one of the "big three" lakes of Manitou, Mindemoya, and Kagawong where cottages don't come on the market as often.
There are other cottaging opportunities off the Island itself: St. Joseph Island, near Sault Ste. Marie, is like a mini-Manitoulin — all limestone bedrock, largely clad in sugar bush, and accessible by bridge from the mainland. -J.M.
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Georgian Bay North
The Group of Seven were among the first to publicize the sublime beauty of Georgian Bay's Thirty Thousand Islands, a vast paradise of blue water, wind-bent pines, and undulating pink granite islands stretching from Severn Sound to the French River. Of course, it didn't take long for cottagers to see the area's potential, especially the rare mix of protected water next to open stretches of Georgian Bay. Boating options range from sea kayaking and canoeing among tiny islands to big-water cruising. An endless vista looking west across the bay has made sunset watching a favourite pastime in these parts.
In recent years, cottagers have been coming to the area in ever-increasing numbers, facilitated by the widened highways 400 and 69. More traffic volume, however, is accompanied by creeping prices, especially as the region takes in spillover cottagers fleeing the Muskoka real estate market.
That said, the spectrum of cottage properties is wide, ranging from multi-million-dollar private islands at Pointe au Baril to rustic hideaways near Killbear Provincial Park. It can be easier here to find a good stretch of shoreline since so many cottages are on islands. Hydro and telephone service are increasingly common. Winter cottaging can be challenging. -M.S.
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Georgian Bay South
Few cottage areas are as rich in recreation options as the south shore of Georgian Bay. Summer offers big-water boating, sailing, fishing, and long sandy beaches, not to mention waterparks, mountain biking, and golf. Come winter, the action (and traffic) is just as intense, as city dwellers head to the ski hills, snowmobile routes, and snowshoe trails of Collingwood. Add the 11/2-hour drive to Toronto and amenity-friendly small towns - plus chain stores, supermarkets, and hospitals in nearby Barrie, Collingwood, and Midland - and it's easy to see why more and more people are looking to buy here, especially boomers considering retirement options.
Yet, it's these same qualities that repel some cottagers. On summer weekends, traffic on highways 400 and 26 can be migraine-inducing. Pressure for waterfront has driven up prices and, in the summer, centrally located Wasaga Beach can become a Daytona-like collection of muscle cars, bikinis, and thumping bass.
Many buyers will settle on a backlot (some in subdivision-style developments), particularly if they are looking for more affordable property or a place to double as a ski chalet. Cottages often have neighbours who live there year-round, and those with municipal sewers and water command higher prices. -M.S.
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Bruce Peninsula
A massive rocky thumb jutting into Lake Huron, the Bruce Peninsula has easily defined geographic boundaries. Its character changes considerably, however, depending where you are. Along the eastern shore, precipitous limestone cliffs tower - cantilever even - over the chilly depths of Georgian Bay. On the Lake Huron side, the water is 5°C warmer and the pebble and flat rock coastline ragged but less dramatic, although the sunsets offer their own drama. Small, shallow inland lakes with sandy stretches, including Miller, Berford, Gillies, and Cameron, offer yet another cottaging option.
The overriding feature, though, is the Niagara Escarpment. The peninsula encompasses the northernmost leg of the Bruce Trail, and development on the Georgian Bay side is closely monitored by the Niagara Escarpment Commission among others - a blessing if you value wilderness and enjoy hiking, a potential pain in the neck when you have to go through the approval process to get a building permit. The escarpment here is home to rare, ancient cedars, and more than 40 varieties of wild orchids. The Caribbean-clear (and shoal-strewn) waters off the Bruce's northern tip also contain a trove of sorts - a plethora of shipwrecks. Fathom Five National Marine Park, at Tobermory, is a scuba-diving mecca.
There are hospitals in Lion's Head and Wiarton, as well as in nearby Owen Sound. The Bruce has traditionally drawn cottagers from southwestern Ontario, although Torontonians seem to be increasingly catching on. Prepare for a meandering commute on two-lane highways, with a variety of route options and little gridlock. - J.M.
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Lake Huron
Cottagers along this 200-km stretch of beach share a preference for poplars and sand over pines and rock. Most cottage communities along Lake Huron are clustered around small towns, such as Grand Bend, Port Elgin, and Goderich, with many inhabitants taking advantage of municipal water systems, garbage and recycling pickup, and convenient access to shops, health centres, and organized events. However, you'll also find cottages all the way up to Sauble Beach, strung like pearls along the shore, backed by farmland.
You'll pay a premium for a waterfront property on a sand beach. More affordable are backlot cottages or those on less-hospitable shoreline, with high bluffs, pebble beaches, or breakwalls. Vacant waterfront properties are scarce.
Sailors and windsurfers love Lake Huron for its gusty wind, which is less appealing to canoeists and kayakers, who seek out nearby rivers and creeks. Boaters protect their craft from the crashing surf by mooring them at local marinas or hauling them out nightly.
Beaches are sometimes posted with warnings about high E. coli counts, caused by agricultural and municipal runoff and waterfowl on the beach.
Most Lake Huron cottagers travel from southwestern Ontario - London, Kitchener, and other areas about an hour's commute - or from the U.S. (crossing the border at Sarnia), with an increasing influx of Torontonians venturing to the area. -Leslie Garrett
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Lake St. Clair & Western Lake Erie
While many of the old summer places along Lake St. Clair have been converted into year-round homes and tend to be more expensive, you can still find the occasional original cottage for less on Lake Erie. Lake St. Clair is a bustling boating area, with a number of marinas. However, over the years, the poor water quality of the lake, thanks in part to petrochemical industry in the area, and of Lake Erie, due to agricultural runoff, has often resulted in beach postings or closures and has discouraged swimming.
The 80 km of Canadian shoreline includes marshland to the north, which, with Walpole Island at the mouth of the St. Clair River, is a popular destination for spotting migrating birds. The cottage area lies along the south shore.
As you move south to western Lake Erie, you'll find a mix of sandy shoreline, high bluffs, and pebble beach. Cottages on sandy beaches command a premium. Western Lake Erie itself has particularly good yellow perch fishing, warmer water than the other Great Lakes (it's shallower - seven or eight metres on average), and small but bustling communities along its shore. This end of the lake is also where much of the farmland is located, lending a restful pastoral air to the area. Americans make up a significant portion of cottagers.
Like Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie has undergone a boom and many of its summer resort towns and surrounding cottages have become year-round havens. -L.G.
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Eastern Lake Erie
Eastern Lake Erie is a booming, diverse area, running from west of Long Point, well known for its more than 350 different bird species and one of only four UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Ontario, to Crystal Beach, noted for its colourful history as a summer playground of Americans. Like western Lake Erie, the nature of the shoreline varies, ranging from sand, bluff, and rock to erosion controls such as breakwalls. Seasonal cottages have morphed into year-round homes and are priced accordingly. The area remains attractive to Americans, who can travel quickly and easily to their Canadian cottages. It's also being discovered by Torontonians fed up with the northbound traffic, who realize they can reach Lake Erie within two-and-a-half hours.
The many communities that dot the shoreline are busy with the usual summer fare - fish fests, theatre, music festivals, and the like.
Boating and watersports are popular, as is scuba diving to scout the lake's shipwrecks. Generally, the water quality has improved from the days when the lake was considered "dead" from phosphorus-loaded runoff. However, invasive species such as quagga mussels are disrupting the lake's native ecosystem. As well, sewage contamination and agricultural runoff sometimes lead to beach postings. -L.G.
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Bancroft area
With 800-plus lakes, some of the smaller ones motor-free, the Bancroft area is ideal for cottagers whose prime pleasures are paddling and trout and bass fishing. There is a lot of Crown land, and nature lovers will find abundant wildlife - elk, for example, were reintroduced to the area in 2000. The whole region has more of a "frontier" feeling than neighbouring Haliburton and Muskoka, with fewer towns and more Shield country to get lost in. The town of Bancroft is the region's key commercial centre. Essential services include a Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, liquor and beer stores, and a 24-hour emergency hospital. Called the mineral capital of Canada, Bancroft is known worldwide by rock collectors since more than 90 per cent of the world's mineral varieties can be found in its vicinity.
Shorelines can be rocky or sandy, often with both variations on the same lake. In the southern end, the surrounding forests are a mix of pine, hemlock, birch, and maple. North toward Barry's Bay, conifers begin to dominate, the lakes become colder, and the rocky terrain is more rugged, like that of nearby Algonquin Park.
Cottage prices are lower on L'Amable, Dickey, Wollaston, and other mid-sized lakes. Expect to pay more on larger, sought-after lakes such as Baptiste and Bark. -Kirsteen MacLeod
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Upper Ottawa Valley
Once one of the province's best-kept recreational secrets, the Upper Ottawa Valley is an interesting blend of northern and southern landscapes. Half an hour beyond the rolling hills that nestle the picture-perfect village of Eganville lies Pembroke, where the granite and conifers of the Shield emerge. Whether travelling two hours from the nation's capital on Hwy. 417, via the four lanes recently opened from Ottawa to Arnprior, or from the 401 on Hwy. 41, prepare for a gorgeous road trip. You'll catch regular glimpses of the dark-blue Ottawa River along Hwy. 17 north of Deep River, with the foothills of Quebec's Laurentian Mountains as a stunning backdrop. This is typical Shield country, with well-treed shorelines, rugged rockface, and sandy-bottomed lakes that make for great swimming.
The Ottawa River is renowned for whitewater rafting, terrific fishing, boating, birding, and swimming, with stretches of gleaming, sandy Crown-owned beach on the Quebec side a mere boat ride away. To the south, numerous lakes and rivers offer many of the same pleasures (Round, Golden, and Doré lakes and the Bonnechere and Madawaska rivers are just a few). Cottage styles range from simple cabins and bungalows to log Pan-Abodes, A-frames with cathedral ceilings, and multi-level homes with extensive decking. It's possible to find deep-water lots on rivers and lakes, but avoid the "bargain" prices if you're averse to muck and weeds. -Tracy Read
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Prince Edward County & Eastern Lake Ontario
A deeply peaceful feeling permeates this pastoral southern region, which includes Prince Edward County, the Bay of Quinte, and the north shore of Lake Ontario from Brighton to Cobourg. Thanks to the early settlers, United Empire Loyalists who arrived first in the 1780s, the wilds here have been tamed for generations. Area farmers tend their orchards and vineyards, or grow flowers and fresh produce in the rich soil - and cottagers buy up the bounty at markets and wineries along the road.
Prince Edward County, a 1,000-sq.-km island severed from the mainland by the creation of the Murray Canal in the late 1800s, is connected by bridges at Belleville and Deseronto. The picturesque Glenora car ferry links Hwy. 33 to the mainland further east. Towns such as Bloomfield, Wellington, and busy Picton retain an old-fashioned charm with their antique shops and museums, but have practical amenities and a thriving artisan trade as well.
Other areas on the island, such as Mountain View, Long Point, and southeast of Picton, consist of little-used pastures underlaid by solid rock and now occupied by tracts of red cedar. The shoreline is varied, including marshes on the Bay of Quinte, sandy beaches at the west end, and limestone cliffs in the east. Cottage properties can be found at Long Reach, nestled between year-round homes, and Wellers Bay, along a sandbar good for swimming. Interior lakes include sandy-bottomed West Lake and muckier East Lake, both of which link to Lake Ontario.
In recent years, the Waupoos and Hiller areas have been touted as up-and-coming wine regions, and an influx of vintners are buying land, helping to drive up the region's popularity and its real estate prices in the process. -K.M.
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River Country
Sitting at the southern edge of the Shield, River Country includes the Trent and Moira rivers to the Lake Ontario shore and the lower portion of the Crowe River, one of the Trent River's major tributaries, which flows through Crowe Lake near Marmora and joins the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) just north of Campbellford. The area is characterized by gentle farmland, wildflower meadows, and historic villages. The less-than-two-hour drive from Toronto only sweetens its allure for big-city buyers.
Many summertime visitors enjoy the countryside from the decks of their boats as the TSW eases them through a series of locks into the Bay of Quinte. Home to bass, pickerel, pike, muskie, and more, the rivers are an angler's paradise. While the Trent has made its reputation as a large-boat thoroughfare, the shallow, limestone-based beds of the Crowe and Moira rivers are better suited to canoes and kayaks; the whitewater created by their many dams and waterfalls makes for interesting paddling. Powerboats are more common where the rivers widen at Crowe Bay, Percy Reach, and Moira, Stocco, and Seymour lakes, for example.
Is it a cottage or a home you want? In this part of the country, they're sometimes one and the same. On the Crowe, there is a finite selection of seasonal cottages that started out as fishing camps and have since been upgraded. Increasingly, people are buying or building year-round homes with water frontage. Property is more expensive along the Trent than the Crowe and Moira, where cottages are still available for those who appreciate the subtle pace of life on the river. -T.R.
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Land O' Lakes
Receding glaciers sculpted the scenic, varied terrain of this largely undiscovered region, which extends north of the 401, roughly between Belleville and Kingston. Farmland in the south gives way to rocky pastures and hayfields. From south of Hwy. 7 all the way up to the northern towns of Denbigh and Ompah, the Shield's pine and rock predominate.
Happily for cottagers, glacial ice sheets carved out some 5,000 lakes in the 4,000-sq.-km region. Mazinaw Lake, for example, is one of the deepest in Ontario at 144 metres. Other sought-after lakes include Sharbot, Big Gull, Skootamatta, Crow, Bobs, and Kashwakamak.
Cottagers enjoy the canoeing, boating, hiking (many multi-use trails, including old pioneer routes and the Trans Canada Trail, pass through this region), and wildlife sightings. The fishing is good (lake trout, bass, pike, and the elusive walleye), as is birding (350 species, including the endangered loggerhead shrike) and stargazing, with little light pollution.
About a three-hour drive from Toronto, and two hours from Ottawa, the region is sparsely populated, with virtually no industry. Although you'll find towns offering essential services scattered throughout the area, the closest hospital is in Napanee, the Land O' Lakes' largest municipality. On the upside, lack of development means clean water and vast tracts of Crown land that guarantee plenty of unspoiled wilderness for those who value their solitude.
Prices are on the rise, with many people buying vacant lots or renovating existing cottages for year-round use. As a result, waterfront properties with cottages are less common than they used to be. -K.M.
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Rideau Canal and lakes
When the War of 1812 showed the British the vulnerability of trade and travel on the upper St. Lawrence, Colonel John By built a bypass from Kingston to the Ottawa River. Today, cottagers can enjoy a sojourn along this canal of connected lakes and rivers as it meanders across eastern Ontario, ascending and descending 47 historic locks, just as it did when it first opened in 1832.
The southern Cataraqui River section of the canal wends through Canadian Shield enriched with forests of hickory, beech, and oak that cradle granite crags topped with wind-bent pine. This lake-speckled reach of the canal - including nearby lakes such as Sydenham, Loughborough, and Gananoque - is an easy distance (about 30 minutes) for Kingston-area residents.
The largest lake on the canal system is the Big Rideau, where from your dock you're likely to spot classic boats, cottagers on their wakeboards, and cabin cruisers, all enjoying the open waters of the lake. Within an hour of Ottawa, this prestigious lake has a plethora of century cottages and hockey-star havens, and sees the area's highest prices.
The region's many villages and towns - Westport, Portland, and Perth, to name a few - are a delight to
explore, with their heritage buildings, antique shops, and numerous summer festivals.
-Don Ross
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Thousand Islands & St. Lawrence River
As explorers often remarked, the upper and lower portions of the St. Lawrence River are vastly different. East of Brockville, the river flows wide, broad, and nearly island-free, and long ago rushed down massive rapids. From Brockville west to Kingston, it flows even wider around a bewildering maze of islands. Nearly damming the eastern end of Lake Ontario, the Thousand Islands are the remnants of billion-year-old mountains, where the Canadian Shield lifts its ancient backbone through the plains of southern Ontario.
There have been cottages on the Thousand Islands for more than 100 years, and many are under fifth- and sixth-generation ownership. Communities date from Loyalist and American Civil War days, with strong ties across the border. Summer people today, just as in decades past, cottage on both mainland and island shores, drawn to the granite landscape, rich forests, and myriad channels large and small.
This is a land of superlatives, with perhaps Canada's richest ecology: Five of the continent's forest regions converge here. The islands, more than 20 of which are owned by the St. Lawrence Islands National Park, attract visitors from around the world and boaters from all over Lake Ontario, who camp on them or drop anchor in their sheltered bays, making the area busy and boisterous on summer days. A downside for cottagers is that security along the Canada-U.S. border means mandatory government check-in on both shores, no matter how short the visit. Regardless of this inconvenience, a large number of Canadian waterfront cottages are sold to Americans. Many properties, particularly on the mainland, are year-round homes. -D.R