Late-season calm at Dorset on Lake of Bays

We did a road trip to the northeastern part of Muskoka near Algonquin Park, Ontario in September. Our base was the Foxwood Resort on Lake of Bays, a big lake with five hundred kilometres of shoreline. Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend and at Foxwood, it’s possible to cook your own turkey. The resort has cottages with fully equipped kitchens. This is the perfect time to travel Canada especially if you love a good road trip. Resort rates are lower than the busy summer season, especially in mid week, and the traffic is light.

Some serious fly-in transportation at Bigwin Island Golf Club

Lake of Bays is crystal clear. Its headwaters are the rivers and lakes of Algonquin Park. We toured a good portion of the lake by boat. It is beautiful and I hope it remains that way. Some summer residents seem bent on building HUGE “cottages” but at least the bulk of what we saw were tasteful in design. Many have also built elaborate boathouses. We saw several of these on our tour. We also passed the Bigwin Island Golf Club and its signature 18th golf hole. I was amazed at how much of the old Bigwin Inn is still standing, but Rob, our guide, says it has been condemned and will likely be torn down. Too bad. During the big band era, it was THE place to be. The old Bigwin water tower will likely stay and that’s a good thing. The tower is a reference point on this lake of many bays which we discovered is easy to get turned around on. The Dorset Fire Tower is another landmark you can see from the water. It’s popular with road trippers, especially in fall.  You can actually climb the tower and if you can handle heights, it’s worth the small price of admission. The view is out of this world.

One of many trophies at Robinson’s General Store in Dorset – 41 inches, 35 pounds, caught by Jack Bramm on Lake of Bays in 1966

We also stopped in the little village of Dorset and had an ice cream cone and checked out Robinson’s General Store. It has been operating since 1921 and sells everything under the sun.

The Bigwin steamboat being renovated

Dorset is photogenic, so if you like snapping pix, this is one town not to miss. While we were there we caught up with Bruce Davidson, a boat builder/local carpenter at the Lake of Bays Marine Museum. He’s helping restore The Bigwin, a 1920s steamer yacht that once ferried passengers across the lake from Dorset to Bigwin Island. The Bigwin sat on the bottom of  the lake until a short time ago. You can see its restoration in progress at the museum and if you feel so inclined make a cash donation to help the local heritage boat society complete its project.

Lake of Bays is Canadian Shield country – craggy outcrops of rock, towering white pine along rocky shoreline, all set against brilliant blue skies. My kind of place.

This post is supported by canada boat operator card.

The Ridge at Manitou, next door to the Inn at Manitou. Photo credit: Clive Barber

One of the advantages of working in the Canadian tourism industry is that I get to play a lot of golf on different courses across the country. In the province of Ontario where there are over 800 courses to choose from, we’re working with Resorts of Ontario this year. Many of its one hundred resort hotels, lodges, country inns and cottage resorts either have golf on site or they have playing privileges at private and public courses nearby. Several have famous golf architects attached to them like Brookstreet‘s Trent Jones course near Ottawa. It’s owned by Sir Terry Matthews who also owns the Celtic Manor in Wales, the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup. Others may not be as well known but they still offer challenging play. A couple of weeks ago, I asked the resort owners if they would send me their golf news for 2009. Many included their new golf packages as well and there are a number of good deals. Here’s is just a small sample of what I was sent:

Pine Vista Resort in the Kawartha Lakes, is partnering with Wildfire this year, a new McBroom-designed course just five minutes away. • Clevelands House in Muskoka, has its own executive 9 which is great for families and this year it is also packaging with The Rock, the redesigned Nick Faldo course, one minute away. Also in Muskoka, Deerhurst Resort has a new Island & Highlands golf package that includes a round of golf for two at Deerhurst Highlands and Bigwin Island. Its executive 9 is also good for families. • At Bayview Wildwood, guests can opt to play two out of five courses on a two night package offered all summer long with dinners and breakfasts included, starting at $344pp/do. The choice of courses are: Hawk Ridge, South Muskoka GC, Bonaire GC, Lake St. George GC and Settler’s Ghost. • Closer to Barrie,  Carriage Ridge Resort partners with Settler’s Ghost, Horseshoe Highlands, Horseshoe Valley and Hawk Ridge, and has an early spring rate starting at only $89pp/do. • The Briars on Lake Simcoe, has a mid week spring special that includes two nights, two breakfasts and two rounds of 18 for just $129 per person per night based on double occupancy. Cart is additional.

Lots more can be found at Resorts of Ontario