Cottages For Sale on Lake Joseph

Owning a cottage on Lake Joseph

Lake Joseph is the deepest and clearest of Muskoka's Big Three. The provincial fact sheet puts its maximum depth at about 93 m and its Secchi clarity at about 6.7 m, ahead of both Rosseau and Muskoka. It is also the western end of the chain, so there is no through traffic heading somewhere else. Boats on Lake Joseph are mostly people who live or stay on it.

The lake is long and full of islands, about 75 of them named, with more than 90 km of island shoreline. The shoreline is classic Canadian Shield rock and pine, broken up by sheltered bays. The south end around Port Sandfield, Minett and Foot's Bay is closest to services and public launches, while the north end, in Seguin Township, has its own association and a quieter, more spread-out feel.

Buyers come here for clean water and a quieter lake. Many island properties are reached only by boat. You still have easy access to the rest of the Big Three through Port Sandfield and the Joseph River into Lake Rosseau, then the Port Carling locks to Lake Muskoka. Public launches at Foot's Bay and Cox Bay, plus a string of marinas, handle boats for owners without their own launch.

• Island cottages
• Rocky shoreline
• Large lots

History of Lake Joseph

The area lies within lands covered by the John Collins purchase of 1785, the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850 and the Williams Treaties of 1923, and it is traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Wendat and Haudenosaunee peoples. After the glaciers retreated about 10,000 years ago, the basin sat under glacial Lake Algonquin. The lake's name comes from William Robinson, a member of the Upper Canada assembly, who named Joseph and Rosseau after his friend Joseph Rousseau, the father of a local fur trader.

Lake Joseph is where Muskoka cottaging started. In the 1870s the first private summer cottagers began buying islands at the north end, and the habit spread to the other big lakes. A cut at Port Sandfield later joined Joseph to Rosseau, removing an 18-inch difference in level between the two lakes. The Muskoka Lakes Association formed in 1894, and in 1996 the Lake Joseph North Association was set up to represent the north end and neighbouring Portage Lake.

Deep, clear water and what keeps it that way

A Dorset Environmental Science Centre review in 2011 still rated Lake Joseph's water as excellent, though phosphorus levels had shifted enough since the 1980s to prompt closer monitoring. The District of Muskoka and the Muskoka Lakes Association have sampled several sites around the lake for years. For owners, that means septic care and natural shorelines matter here, because the lake's reputation rests on its clarity.

Spiny water flea, an invasive zooplankton, has been recorded in the lake since 1989. Clean, drain and dry any boat that comes from another lake.

Lake trout and the winter sanctuary

Lake trout in Lake Joseph reproduce naturally, and the lake has not been stocked with them since 1967. Provincial staff noted a drop in lake trout numbers in 2009 and planned to watch for a longer decline. The 2018 fact sheet also lists a winter fish sanctuary from January 1 to the Friday before Family Day, so check the current regulations before ice fishing.

Smallmouth bass, northern pike, whitefish and walleye are the other main catches, with muskellunge and largemouth bass introduced. The province uses Lake Joseph as a trend lake for long-term fish monitoring.

Getting on the water: Foot's Bay, Cox Bay and Port Sandfield

Public launches are at Foot's Bay and Cox Bay, with additional township docks at Glen Orchard and Minett and numerous private marinas. Port Sandfield and the Joseph River connect to Lake Rosseau. Lake Joseph is the end of the line, so through traffic is light compared with the routes around Port Carling, but the long open reaches can still build waves in a strong wind.

Two townships on one lake

Most of the shoreline is in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, but the north end is in Seguin Township in the Parry Sound area. Planning, building permits, property tax rates and rental rules differ between the two. Before you make an offer, confirm which township a lot is in and get that township's zoning for the property.

Services and getting supplies

Port Carling is the closest full service village for the south end, with a community health hub, shops and the township office. North end owners also look toward Rosseau, which has a nursing station run by West Parry Sound Health Centre. Hospitals are in Bracebridge and Huntsville, both run by Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare.