Muskoka

Muskoka is granite, pine and around sixteen hundred lakes about two hours north of Toronto, and it has been cottage country since the 1870s when steamships carried summer visitors from the railhead to resorts around the big lakes. Two of those ships survive and run: the RMS Segwun, launched in 1887 and the oldest operating mail steamship in North America, and the Wenonah II. The Muskoka chair, a wide-armed wooden lounger, takes its name from here. Autumn colour on the maple hills is the second season, drawing traffic on the highways from late September. Property prices in the area are among the highest in Canada.

What you actually see

• The RMS Segwun - an 1887 steamship still carrying passengers.
• The Shield lakes - granite shores, pine and around 1,600 lakes.
• The autumn maples - colour peaking late September into October.
• The cottage architecture - boathouses and lodges on the big lakes.

When to go

June to October; July and August are peak cottage season with heavy highway traffic on Friday and Sunday. Late September and early October for colour. Winter is quiet with most things closed.

Honest expectations

Highway 11 traffic on summer weekends can double the drive. Most of the shoreline is private cottage property with limited public access. The region is expensive.

Nearby

Killbear lies northwest; Algonquin Park is east.