Cottages For Sale in Land O' Lakes & Frontenac

Buying a cottage in Land O' Lakes & Frontenac

Frontenac and Lennox and Addington are two long counties that start on Lake Ontario and run north onto the Canadian Shield. Kingston, Napanee and the Loyalist Parkway towns are on the lake. North of Highway 401 the land rises into rock, forest and water. Highway 7 crosses the middle at Kaladar and Sharbot Lake. Highway 41 runs up the west side to Cloyne and Denbigh, and Road 38 links Kingston to Sharbot Lake.

This is classic eastern Ontario cottage country, with far more lakes than towns. South Frontenac has big, busy lakes such as Loughborough, Buck and Bobs, all within an easy drive of Kingston. Central Frontenac centres on Sharbot Lake. North Frontenac and Addington Highlands are wilder, with Mazinaw, Kashwakamak, Big Gull and Skootamatta lakes and large blocks of Crown land. Cottages range from rustic cabins to full-time lake homes.

Many lake properties are on private lanes that owners maintain together, and winter plowing is not a given. Almost every cottage has its own septic system and a well or lake intake. Shorelines are often steep granite, so look at the path to the water. North Frontenac is a Dark Sky Preserve, which says a lot about how quiet it is. Services thin out as you go north, so note the drive to groceries, fuel and a hospital.

Getting there: About 2.5 to 3.5 hours from Toronto.

• Bon Echo and Mazinaw Rock
• Sharbot Lake
• Frontenac Provincial Park
• Dark skies
• Crown land
• Wolfe Island