Muskoka Lakes, ON
“Once discovered, never forgotten” – this region served as the inspiration for many Group of Seven paintings.
We stayed in the village of Bala at this AirBnB cottage, “Petrichor”. It was modern yet cosy, and tucked away in a peaceful site beside Bala Bay, on Lake Muskoka. Rita was provided with a comfortable bed, bowls, toys and a towel. It was just the two of us this stay, but there were two bedrooms and plenty of space outside for lounging around the campfire with friends or family. A five-minute drive away is Muskoka Bear Wear, a very pet friendly store of local, high quality, trendy comfortable clothing, from loungewear to hoodies to caps. Rita and I decided to go matching with a pet bandana and a knitted hat! Cottage Friends next door also has some pet goodies.
We did some hiking at two nearby provincial parks. Killbear was the perfect destination for soaking in the emerging fall colours. We started with the Lighthouse Point trail, a short one leading to a lighthouse. Then we took the longer Lookout Point trail, for even more spectacular views over Georgian Bay. Both trails were rocky, interspersed with boardwalks. There are a couple of dog beaches at the park, one on-leash and the other off-leash, and the friends of the park Nature Shoppe has some gifts unique to the park.
South of Bala is Six Mile Lake, and although it sounds great for a long boat drive, we stuck to dry land. There’s a collection of trails in the north-west of the park, and we pieced them together to create a 2.5km route. The Living Edge and Marsh trails took us past wetlands frequent by beavers. The David Milne trail was named after an Ontarian artist who lived on the lake and used the scenic landscape to influence his paintings. These trails led through woodland, along boardwalks and across exposed, sparse rockface.
We spent our last afternoon in Muskoka at Muskoka Lakes Farm and Winery, home to Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh. There was lots to do here, and dogs are very welcome. In fact, resident golden retriever Joy took a liking to Rita and followed us around so much, another visitor thought she was also my dog! We pre-booked an all access pass to experience all the farm had to offer, and upon arrival received a schedule. The thunderstorm almost derailed our plans, but we ended up doing everything in a slightly different order.
To escape the rain, we started with the gift shop. Rita was welcome inside. Here, there were lots of cranberry gifts, alongside straight up cranberries. As we have just entered harvest season, some of the cranberries on sale very fresh. I purchased a candle, chutney and some tea.
Next up was our wine tasting. The farm cultivates both cranberries and blueberries, alongside maple syrup, and all the wines are made using these ingredients – no grapes! As expected, they ranged from being quite tart to quite sweet. My favourite was the Georgian Bay Rosé, which also included apples. Each of the bottles’ artwork was commissioned by local artist David Dawson.
We had some time until our next activity, so took the opportunity to grab some “tartwater” from the café (carbonated maple sap with added cranberry juice) and explore the trails on the property. The 2km Pioneer Trail led us across a pond, into maple forest. Then we joined the Cranberry Trail, which led to the plunge…
This is one of the more bizarre things I’ve done in Ontario. At the plunge pool, I pulled on a pair of chest waders, and waded into a pool full of floating cranberries! Why? Who knows. For Instagram? It was certainly a laugh. Dogs are not allowed in the pool (although Joy did sneak in a dip) but Rita was happy to be tied up alongside.
Our final activity was a wagon tour of the farm. Our narrator Bob was very entertaining as he explained the workings of Ontario’s only remaining cranberry farm. Did you know the fruit got its name as the flower reminded settlers of the head of a crane? We learned how the water level is controlled in the marsh to be optimal for the cranberries, and the methods used to harvest the fruit - dry rake, wet rake and beating. The farm has activities all year round, so be sure to check out what’s on whenever you’re in the area.
There’s lots to do in Muskoka, and if we’d had more time, we would have visited the town of Bracebridge. The Healing Room offers reiki sessions for pets, and you can bring your pooch along with you to Northern Escapade Mini Golf. For stargazing, hit up Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve.
