Cottages For Sale on Sharbot Lake

Owning a cottage on Sharbot Lake

Sharbot Lake is a lake with a real village on it. The township office, a grocery store, a pharmacy, a bank, a medical clinic and a library all sit at the water's edge, so a cottage here can be minutes from errands by car or even by boat. That is unusual in Frontenac County, where many cottage lakes are a long drive from the nearest store.

It is also a good lake for people who like big-boat days. Ontario Parks calls Sharbot well suited to larger boats and waterskiing, while neighbouring Black Lake, inside the provincial park, suits canoes and small craft. The fishing list is broad, with lake trout in the deeper water and walleye, bass and pike in the rest.

Highway 7 runs past the village and Road 38 heads south toward Kingston, so this is one of the easier lakes in the region to reach year-round. The trade-off is that the village end gets summer traffic from the public beach, the launch and the campground.

• Village on the lake
• Provincial park
• Highway 7 access

History of Sharbot Lake

The lake and village take their name from the Sharbot family, who lived in the area. The name shows up in print in Lovell's Gazetteer in 1874.

Sharbot Lake grew as a stop on the Kingston and Pembroke Railway, which ran north from Kingston through Frontenac County and connected with the Canadian Pacific near Sharbot Lake and Tichborne. The CPR took over the K&P in 1913, and the line was abandoned in stages from the 1950s. Its old bed through the village is now the K&P Trail.

Sharbot Lake Provincial Park opened on the northwest shore in 1958. In 1998 the old townships of Oso, Olden, Hinchinbrooke and Kennebec were merged into the Township of Central Frontenac, which runs its office from the village.

Big-boat water next to a paddling lake

Ontario Parks describes Sharbot as ideal for large boats and waterskiing, and it has docks at the park. Black Lake, right beside it, is better for smaller boats, so families who want both a ski boat and a quiet paddle have options within a few hundred metres. The provincial park has two boat launches and canoe rentals, and the township beach in the village has its own launch and docking area.

Lake trout, walleye and bass

Sharbot holds a wider mix of fish than many lakes nearby. Ontario Parks notes walleye, bass, northern pike, perch and sunfish in both Sharbot and Black Lake, but lake trout only in Sharbot. Trout stay deep once the water warms in summer, while the other species are found along weed edges and rocky points closer to shore. Check the Fisheries Management Zone regulations for seasons and limits before you fish.

The village beach and provincial park

Sharbot Lake Beach, on Medical Centre Road, has a sandy shore, a play structure, washrooms, free parking and free Wi-Fi in summer, with restaurants a short walk away. It also connects to the K&P Trail.

Sharbot Lake Provincial Park covers 80 hectares on the northwest shore beside Highway 7. Most of the park follows the shoreline of Black Lake, where its two sandy beaches are. It runs as a campground with car, electrical and walk-in sites.

Services, health care and getting there

Day-to-day needs are covered in the village: grocery, pharmacy, bank, medical clinic, post office and a branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library. For a hospital, the closest options are east along Highway 7 in Perth or south via Road 38 in Kingston.

Highway 7 is part of the Trans-Canada route and is maintained year-round, which makes winter visits easier than on many back lakes. Properties down private lanes are a different story, so ask about snow clearing.