Cottages For Sale on Gull Lake

Owning a cottage on Gull Lake

This is the Gull Lake just south of Minden, not the one in Gravenhurst. It sits on the Gull River at the southern edge of Haliburton County, lower and closer to Toronto than most Haliburton lakes, with the hamlet of Miners Bay at its south end. At close to 1,000 hectares and about 49 m deep, it is a large, deep lake with enough cold water that the province designated it for lake trout management in 2006.

Gull Lake has one of the longest organized cottage histories in the region. Owners at the south end and the north end each formed groups around 1920, and the annual regatta they started in 1922 still runs. Minden, the main service centre for Minden Hills, is a short drive north, which makes this a practical choice for buyers who want a big lake without a long run to groceries, hardware and restaurants.

• Lake trout
• Shorter drive
• Close to Minden

History of Gull Lake

Before Minden was surveyed in 1858, the settlement on the river was simply called Gull River. Settlers came for the timber, and loggers used the Gull River to move logs to the mills. In the 1800s, lakes in the system were raised with cofferdams to keep the river flowing through the year, which helped loggers send logs downstream after the spring flood had passed.

Cottage life came early. By 1920 summer visitors at Miners Bay had grown enough that owners formed the Miner's Bay Property Owners Association, and a Kawartha Gull Lake Cottagers' Association formed at the north end. The University of Toronto used a survey camp on the lake near Minden starting in August 1921, and the first regatta was held there in 1922 to promote water safety. The two associations merged in 1972 to form today's Gull Lake Cottagers' Association, which marked its 100th year in 2022.

On the Gull River below Minden

The Gull River flows through Minden and on through Gull Lake. The river's drainage basin is an important reservoir for the Trent-Severn Waterway, and water levels are closely watched. Lakes in the system usually rise in the spring melt and again in late fall, return to normal by mid-June and reach their lowest in late winter. In Minden, the river also feeds the Minden Wild Water Preserve, an artificial whitewater course that hosted canoe events at the 2015 Pan Am Games.

A lake trout lake under provincial management

The province designated Gull Lake for lake trout management in 2006. In practice that means the trout population is watched closely and fishing rules can be stricter than on warm-water lakes, so check the current Ontario regulations for the lake before you head out. The cottage association has also held rock bass derbies, the same tactic Kennisis Lake owners use to thin out rock bass.

A cottage association with a 100-year regatta

The Gull Lake Cottagers' Association traces its roots to 1920 and has run its regatta every year since 1922. Its 1972 founding goals included preventing pollution and keeping the water clean, and today it focuses on lake health and safety, shoreline education and a climate change initiative launched for its centennial. Summer events have included the regatta, a golf tournament and a rock bass derby.

Minden Hills rules for owners and renters

Gull Lake falls in the Township of Minden Hills. Under By-law 24-31, any rental of fewer than 28 consecutive nights needs a licence, starting October 1, 2024. Sleeping cabins and bunkies cannot be used for rentals, and the bedroom count must match the sewage system approval. A named responsible person must answer calls within 60 minutes and be able to reach the property within 24 hours. A by-law officer may inspect for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, extinguishers and exits, and owners must keep a guest registry for three years.

Services in Minden and emergency care

Minden is the township's main residential and commercial centre, just off Highway 35, and its population swells in summer. Note that the Minden hospital's emergency department closed on June 1, 2023. Emergency services moved to the Haliburton hospital site, about 30 km north of Minden, and some Minden-area ambulance calls go to Bracebridge or Lindsay instead.