Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Fall/Winter 2019 | Page 12

COVER STORY
PHOTO: TOURISM MUSKOKA
Today, there are certain places on Earth that seem
untouched by time, places that allow visitors to catch a
glimpse of what the land offered for previous generations.
Despite its burgeoning popularity as a getaway destination,
Muskoka remains one of these unspoiled places. There’s
a timeless majesty and an innate “Canadian-ness” to the
region, qualities that draw in visitors from around the world.
Located approximately two hours and two turns from
Toronto, Muskoka is the gem of Ontario cottage country.
The region comprises over 1,500 freshwater lakes, fantastic
roads carved through rock walls of the Canadian Shield,
and majestic coniferous forests around every bend. There
are some 6,475 square kilometres of natural beauty here,
land that is dotted with small towns and communities,
gathering places made up of both the modest and the
obscenely… not so modest.
As our family lives so close to this region, holidays in
Muskoka have developed into something of a tradition. We
have rented cottages, stayed in lakeside resorts, successfully
ventured into the world of glamping and, most recently,
pushed our children out of the nest and into the soft landing of
summer camps. (Of course, these camps now seem like pint-
sized luxury resorts compared to my own cabin/outhouse/
survival-of-the-fittest summer experiences.)
The summers bring, on average, an additional 100,000
seasonal residents and tourists to the Muskoka region. Traffic
on the one major highway north of the Greater Toronto
Area, the notorious 400, has pummelled the savviest of
day-trippers and cottagers seeking to avoid the inevitable
gridlock. Business in the high season soars with everyone
trying to bank on a piece of the Muskoka pie. There are pop-
up restaurants, shipping container shopping mini-malls,
fruit stands, craft stands, T-shirt stands, boat tours, bike
tours, float plane tours and, of course, multi-million dollar
properties for sale or rent.
10 six star magazine
PHOTO: BRÜHMÜLLER STUDIO
But when the temperature drops and Labour Day is firmly
in the rearview mirror, Muskoka begins to better resemble
the area that previous generations discovered, cherished
and built their lives around. My challenge and pleasure in
creating this story was to find the “shoulder-season” gems in
the region—and to explore the natural elements that define
Muskoka as a playground par excellence.
There’s no question that water is the lifeblood of this
area. You would be hard pressed to drive any length of time
without seeing one of the hundreds and hundreds of lakes.
In Muskoka, if you’re not on the water, you’re near the
water—but being on the water is the truest way to explore
and experience the region. The big three lakes—Lake Joseph,
Lake Muskoka and Lake Rosseau—are the most wide-open
and deepest of them all. In the summer, they’re the prime
location for all sorts of watersports, from jet skiing to water
skiing to tubing. All year long, they are fantastic sightseeing
locations, where visitors cruise past mammoth cottages and
compounds looking for the Hollywood celebrities who have
made Muskoka their vacation home.
During the autumn season, after many of the boats
have been dry-docked for the season, there are still great
opportunities to enjoy being near the water. For example,
the Muskoka Steamboat Discovery Centre in Gravenhurst
is the home of the historic RM Segwun. This 130-year-old
steamship attracts thousands of visitors each season who
want to explore the waterways and see Muskoka in its best
light; this classic vessel and others like her operate right up
until after the Thanksgiving weekend. Another option is to
rent a classic wooden boat, something you can do through
an outfit called Muskoka Launch Livery; there’s nothing
“more Muskoka” than taking to the water in one of these
stunning examples of timeless craftsmanship. For those who
want to slow the pace even more, a crisp morning paddle in a
birchbark canoe across perfectly still water is just the ticket.