Cottages For Sale on Lake Manitouwabing

Owning a cottage on Lake Manitouwabing

Manitouwabing is a long, many-armed lake northeast of Parry Sound, with the village of McKellar sitting at its north end. Its shoreline wanders for about 94 km, far more than you would guess from its size, so bays and points give a lot of owners a sheltered piece of water. A township road loops around the lake, and most cottages are reached by car rather than boat. That makes it a practical choice for families who want to come up on a Friday night without arranging a water taxi.

This is a warm-water, family-boating lake. The average depth is under 6 m, with a few deeper basins down past 30 m, so the water warms early and bass, walleye and pike are the fish people talk about. With more than 1,000 cottages and six resorts, it has a sociable feel and an active community association, the Manitouwabing Lake Community Association.

McKellar village has a public launch and dock at the north end, which is handy for visiting family or for owners who keep a boat on a trailer. Parry Sound, about 19 km to the southwest, covers bigger shopping and services, and the lake sits east of Highway 124. It feels removed from the busiest stretches of cottage country while still being a reasonable drive from the city.

• Long sheltered arms
• Boating
• Road access cottages

History of Lake Manitouwabing

The lake takes its name from an Ojibway family group who used the area before settlement. Early settlers used the water to move lumber and to reach homesteads cleared along its shores, and the drop in elevation at both ends of the lake powered grist, woollen and saw mills.

A dam was first built at Hurdville, at the outlet, about a century ago to help with logging drives. It raised the lake about 2.5 m above its natural level, so expect shallow, flooded bays in places. The modern dam is used for hydroelectric power downstream on the Seguin River system.

A dam-made lake with a long, twisting shoreline

The Hurdville dam raised the lake about 2.5 m, and its long arms and bays mean you can usually find calm water on a windy day. With a mean depth of only about 5.6 m, there are shallow spots off points and in back bays, so new owners should learn the channels before running at speed.

Parry Sound Generation Corporation owns and operates the dam for hydro power. The 2018 basin review prepared for the lake association notes that current water-level measurements were not being reported, so ask neighbours what a normal summer and fall level looks like at your dock.

Walleye, bass and a lake shaped by stocking

Walleye were stocked in 1938 and again from 1950 to 2010, and smallmouth bass were stocked in 1941 and from 1950 to 1966. Northern pike showed up in the 1960s after an unauthorized stocking, and carp have been present since around 1900. A 2004 survey found brown bullhead made up more than 70% of the catch by weight.

There are no lake trout on the species lists for Manitouwabing. It is a bass and walleye lake, not a deep, cold trout lake.

Water quality and clarity

The 2018 basin review measured an average total phosphorus of 11.5 µg/L. That puts the lake in the middle, or mesotrophic, range, and levels have not risen since 2001. Water clarity averaged about 2.4 m. The review did not expect the lake to support algal blooms at those phosphorus levels.

About 5% of bacteria samples exceeded the recreational guideline, so it is worth asking whether there has been recent testing near any property you are serious about. The report also suggests late-summer oxygen checks in water deeper than 7 to 8 m, where the lake can stratify.

Short-term rentals in McKellar

McKellar does not have a short-term rental licensing program. A 2022 township committee report noted that the zoning by-law at the time did not permit short-term rentals on Waterfront Residential properties. It recommended a homeowner rental agreement, tougher noise, burning and fireworks enforcement, and that a future council consider licensing. Confirm the current zoning with the township before buying with rental income in mind.

Getting there and getting groceries

The lake lies about 19 km northeast of Parry Sound, east of Highway 124. Parry Sound itself is about 225 km north of Toronto. McKellar village at the north end has the public boat launch and dock. Parry Sound is the nearest town for bigger shopping and services.