Discovering Muskoka’s Rich Heritage by PWC

We get up close and personal with Ontario's waterways

In the heart of Explorers’ Edge, Muskoka’s variety of waterways offer spectacular scenery and a unique heritage, making it a great place to explore by personal watercraft. The crown jewel of Ontario’s cottage country,the region’s rock formations and lakes made the area poorly suited to agriculture, but the abundance of fish to catch and game to trap made it an ideal area for nomadic first nation’s people to frequent prior to European settlement. In the late 1800s the area became a popular destination for city dwellers to escape the hustle and bustle of urban living, laying the foundation for what became a thriving tourism industry prior to that term even existing.

A few friends and I recently decided to follow this same path by heading north to Gravenhurst for a few days. While our experience was indeed different than it would have been back when the rich and famous would arrive at luxury resorts by train and then steamship, remnants of this history can still be seen and experienced. Rather than a sweaty, grueling day of travel, we were able to escape Toronto in a Jeep Wrangler Altitude Edition and be in Gravenhurst in under two hours, even with a stop at Webers on Highway 11 for a few charbroiled cheeseburgers.

The Mariott Residence Inn was our home during our stay in Gravenhurst.

Steeped in history as a playground for the elite and thought to be largely out of reach for the average family, we arranged accommodation at the Mariott Residence Inn, which is not only beautiful and conveniently located to restaurants, shops and activities, it is financially accessible for us middle-class folks. You would never guess that the bay where it resides was once an industrial area home to boat manufacturers and lumber processing mills. Featuring 105 rooms, all of which are time shares and longer-term rentals, each unit is like its own self sufficient condominium complete with living room, kitchen and balcony. While most guests typically stay for three days to a week, the Inn has become home to long-term guests who came and stayed, effectively becoming part of the fabric of the establishment. The ability to also cook your own meals, use laundry facilities, take advantage of free coffee and a daily breakfast buffet feast in the lobby allow one to keep the daily budget to a minimum.

Ontario PWC Riding Between Mattawa & Temiskaming Shores

A man by the name of Alexander P. Cockburn is largely responsible for a good part of what Muskoka looks like today. The founder of the Muskoka Navigation Company, he saw the massive potential the area had to draw tourists from congested cities like Toronto, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Cockburn struck a deal with the government that if they constructed locks between what are known as ‘The Big Three’ lakes (Muskoka, Joseph and Rosseau) to improve navigation of the area, he would assume responsibility of building a steamship to transport passengers to resorts and camps once they arrived by steam-driven train. Carrying the name ‘Wenonah,’ meaning ‘Eldest Daughter’ in Ojibway, the first ship was launched in 1866 to serve from the Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst.

With sunsets like this, it’s no wonder people flock to Ontario’s cottage country to get away from the big cities.

Cockburn’s vision came to life as the rich and famous flocked from urban centres to visit the many luxury resorts that popped up in the area. Pristine wilderness and remote hotels have been replaced over the years by multimillion dollar mansions, some featuring elevators and in-ground swimming pools, tennis courts, helicopter landing pads and mammoth, ornate boathouses home to toys like wakeboard boats and jet skis.

The Mariott Residence Inn is also in close proximity to Muskoka Wharf Marine, managed my Greg De Marco. “We’ve noticed the demographics changing over the last few years,” says De Marco, “We’ve seen a lot of new Canadians coming to the area who haven’t experienced boating before, as well as people who want to enjoy the cottage experience for a week or a weekend without being chained to the massive cost and obligation of cottage ownership and maintenance.” It was with this opportunity in mind that De Marco created Lifestyle Packages, which allow visitors to the area or locals alike to purchase time to be used on Yamaha WaveRunners, pontoon boats, kayaks and canoes. “We wanted to offer our customers complete flexibility so they can experience the beauty of the area by water during their stay in whichever means they wish.”

Muskoka Wharf Marine rents out a variety of craft for use in the local waterways, including a fleet of Yamaha WaveRunners.

We opted to borrow a couple VX series WaveRunners from De Marco and his team. Undeterred by cool temperatures and choppy waves with steep white caps driven by high winds, we couldn’t resist taking the machines we’d rented for a spin. Admittedly it has been a while since I rode a Yamaha, so after loading our gear in the watertight storage areas, I spent a few minutes playing around and getting accustomed to the RIDE (Reverse with Intuitive Deceleration Electronics) function. The opposite handlebar position was counter intuitive at first, but became second nature after a while and made docking seamless, even in windy conditions. Since the weather was less than optimal for the average pleasure boater, De Marco’s son Cayle offered to take us on a tour of the lake. Initially surprised by the size and inconsistency of the swells, once soaked to the bone we embraced the unsettled conditions and had some fun launching the machines over the waves. On several occasions we had them completely airborne for what felt like much longer than I’m sure it was in reality.

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You can’t help but play around on a PWC when you hit the water.

Smiling from ear to ear but shivering, we decided to spend the afternoon touring the Muskoka Boat and Heritage Centre, which is located directly next door to the inn. The museum chronicles the unique history of the area through artifacts, videos and interactive displays. The boathouse features the Grace & Speed exhibit, displaying a range of miraculously restored wooden boats originally built by legendary local companies Grevette Boat Works and Ditchburn.

Setting off again early the next morning under sunny skies and more favourable temperatures, we were able to cover more area, riding past the famous Millionaires Row en route to Port Carling, before passing through the locks to Lake Rosseau. Navigating these interconnected waterways along the same routes traversed by steamships transporting mail and passengers over 100 years ago, not to mention the cedar strip canoes of first nations people before them, is a fast, efficient and fun way to explore. Aboard the quick and nimble WaveRunners we were able to cover more area, looping up and around to the town of Rosseau before returning to Port Carling for lunch on Turtle Jack’s massive patio.

Turtle Jack’s has places to tie up personal watercraft, making it a great place to stop in for a bite to eat.

There are endless areas to explore around these lakes, with many unique places to visit and sights to see that you won’t find in the tourism brochures, like the Muskoka Cottage Sanatorium. Originally constructed as an institution to treat Tuberculosis patients, the buildings were abandoned and fell into a derelict state until recently being revived as a home for Police K9 training. Another unique spot to visit is the large Esso fuel station sign that mysteriously sticks out of the water which local cottagers allegedly installed as a rock marker.

PWC Riding Through Ontario’s Famous Thousand Islands

There is also the massive and understandably controversial 14-foot high statue named ‘Koilos’ on Baxter Island. Cottage owner Andrew Cumming had the 2,000-pound structure installed on his dock, which is…interesting. Cruising from lake to lake you are able to get a sense of the cottaging community and witness the shockingly ornate cathedrals people have constructed as summer homes.

Understated is not how we would describe this dock accessory.

As we returned to the marina, we came across not one, but two legendary steamships providing sightseeing excursions to tourists. Known as the R.M.S. Segwun and Wenonah II, it was an incredible experience to come across these floating monuments to the past in person. They have been painstakingly restored to keep history alive and you can’t help but think about what it would have been like to experience the area in the late 1800s. Literally following in the wake of these beautiful ships brings those glory days to life. Visitors can experience this bygone era, living the life of the elite vicariously and with modern convenience and affordability. As we watched the sun set over the bay that evening from our private patio, we couldn’t help but feel like millionaires ourselves.