The drive decides how often you use a cottage. A place two hours away gets used on ordinary weekends. A place four hours away tends to get used on long weekends and holidays.
Below are six areas within roughly one to two and a half hours of Toronto. Drive times are approximate ranges from downtown in normal traffic. A summer Friday afternoon on Highway 400 can add an hour or more, so test the drive at the time you would really travel.
Quick comparison
| Region | Approximate drive | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Simcoe | 1 to 1.5 hours | A big lake close to the city, with many year-round homes |
| Rice Lake and Northumberland | 1 to 2 hours | Fishing, farm country and an easy Highway 401 drive |
| Kawartha Lakes | 1.5 to 2.5 hours | Connected lakes, locks and small towns |
| Georgian Bay’s south shore | 1.5 to 2.5 hours | Sand beaches, big water and ski hills |
| Southern Muskoka | 2 to 2.5 hours | Granite, pine and deep clear lakes |
| Haliburton’s south edge | About 2.5 hours | Hills, forest and quieter lakes |
Southern Muskoka
Gravenhurst is the south gate to Muskoka and about two hours from downtown. The south end of Lake Muskoka, Sparrow Lake, Kahshe Lake and the Severn River are all in this part of the region. Bracebridge is a little farther up Highway 11.
This is Canadian Shield country: pink granite, white pine and dark, clear water. Lots are often rocky and sloped, so check the walk from the parking spot to the dock. The southern lakes give you the same rock and pine as the big-name lakes farther north, with a shorter trip.
See the Muskoka page for lakes and listings.
The Kawartha Lakes
The Kawarthas sit northeast of the city. Lindsay and the southern villages are about an hour and a half away, and Fenelon Falls and Bobcaygeon are closer to two hours.
Many of the lakes here are joined by the Trent-Severn Waterway, so you can boat from lake to lake through the locks and tie up in town for lunch. The land is gentler than Muskoka, with more level lots, lawns and farm fields behind the shoreline. Many of the lakes are shallower and warmer, which is good for swimming with young children and for fishing. It also means more weeds in some bays, so look at the shoreline in July or August, not only in spring.
The area has a lot of year-round homes on the water, which helps if you plan to move there full-time one day. Browse the Kawartha Lakes page.
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe is the closest big lake to Toronto. Innisfil and Barrie on the west side and Georgina on the south shore are about an hour to an hour and a half from downtown. Orillia, at the north end between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching, is a little farther.
It feels more like a lakeside community than a remote cottage area. Much of the shoreline is lined with year-round homes on municipal roads, and some have town water and sewers. The lake is large enough to get rough in wind, and it is busy with boats in summer and ice fishing in winter. It suits buyers who want four-season use and services close by more than those looking for seclusion.
Georgian Bay’s south shore
The south shore of Georgian Bay runs from Tiny Township and Wasaga Beach west through Collingwood, Thornbury and Meaford. Plan on about an hour and a half to two and a half hours, depending on how far west you go.
This is beach country. Long sandy shorelines and shallow water make it popular with families, and the open bay gives you big sunsets and big waves. It is also a winter area, with ski hills on the escarpment near Collingwood, so many owners use their places all year. Open water means more wind and wave action than an inland lake, and water levels on the Great Lakes rise and fall over the years. Ask about shoreline protection and past high-water damage.
Haliburton’s south edge
The southern part of Haliburton County, around Minden and lakes such as Gull Lake and Twelve Mile Lake, is the closest part of the Highlands to the city. Plan on about two and a half hours, and more for lakes farther north.
The feel is hilly, forested and quieter than Muskoka. Lakes are generally smaller to mid-sized, towns are small and there is less boat traffic. Roads to the cottage are often private or seasonal, so ask who maintains the road and whether it is ploughed. See the Haliburton page for more.
Rice Lake and Northumberland
Rice Lake lies south of Peterborough, with cottages and resorts at villages such as Bewdley, Gores Landing and Harwood. Port Hope and Cobourg on Highway 401 are about an hour to an hour and a half from downtown, and Rice Lake and the Trent River at Hastings are a bit beyond that.
Rice Lake is long, shallow and best known for fishing. The surrounding country is rolling farmland, not rock and pine. The lake and the Trent River are part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, so there is plenty of boating. The Lake Ontario shore near Brighton adds beach cottages. The drive avoids Highway 400 entirely.
How to choose between them
- Decide what the water is for. Deep, clear swimming off a rock points to Muskoka or Haliburton. Sandy wade-in beaches point to Georgian Bay. Fishing and lock-to-lock boating point to the Kawarthas and Rice Lake.
- Decide how many seasons you want. Lake Simcoe, the Kawarthas and the Collingwood area have the most year-round properties.
- Look past the region name. Two lakes ten minutes apart can differ in depth, water quality, boat traffic and price.
You can browse cottages by region or browse by lake to compare what is for sale in each area.