Muskoka Guides · Updated October 2026
The Muskoka rating many towns last printed is Moderate, dated July 23. The burning rule under that rating changes from town to town.
Read this before the match
Bracebridge, Huntsville, and Muskoka Lakes are showing Moderate, last changed July 23, 2026. Gravenhurst leaves the rating line blank. Daytime burning is banned outright in some of those towns through October 31, and allowed with a permit in Muskoka Lakes. Parry Sound and Midland sit outside that Muskoka system. Call 705-996-6799 to ask about dates, and check the township page before you burn.
People ask if Muskoka has a fire ban this fall. Several towns are displaying a Moderate rating set on July 23, 2026, and Moderate means different hours in each town.
Bracebridge describes the rating as Muskoka-wide, the forest-fire danger rating in Restricted Fire Zone RFZ 27, its name for the District of Muskoka. The page says the rating is verified daily and updated when it changes. The newest line is still "Fire Danger Rating set to Moderate for all of Muskoka," dated July 23, 2026, which replaced the July 15 extreme rating and total ban. Huntsville prints the same Moderate rating and the same last-changed date. Muskoka Lakes prints Moderate "as of July 23, 2026."
That July line is a long silence from pages that say they update when the rating changes. Where a town prints a phone line for the current rating, it is 1-877-847-1577, the fire-rating line.
The public line still reads Moderate, dated July 23.
Bracebridge, Huntsville, and Muskoka Lakes
Bracebridge fire danger rating. Moderate, updated July 23, 2026. Daytime burning is not allowed at all from April 1 to October 31, whatever the rating. At Moderate, no open-air burning between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. in that season. Open-air fires are permitted between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. if they are municipally permitted, with tools and water to put them out, someone watching, and the burning by-law followed. The noise by-law allows fireworks only on Victoria Day and Canada Day, or the day immediately before or after those holidays. Thanksgiving falls outside those holidays. At Extreme, the page says a total ban, including no burning for cooking or warmth, and no fireworks.
Town of Huntsville fire page and the Huntsville fire outdoor burning page. Both show Moderate, last changed July 23, 2026. Both say no daytime burning, and that small fires are permitted in most areas if you stay with the fire and have tools and water. The outdoor burning page says recreational and non-recreational fires are permitted between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. from April 1 to October 31 at the ratings that allow them, and that Extreme is a total ban on recreational and non-recreational fires. The Mara is in the Town of Huntsville, so follow this page and the instructions for the stay. A note on the cottage page limits outdoor fires to June 1 through October 1, which ends before this weekend.
Gravenhurst fire danger rating. Under Current Fire Danger Rating, the page prints no rating word. Gravenhurst says the rating is the Muskoka-wide system for Ontario Fire Zone RF 27, and that daytime burning is not allowed at all from April 1 to October 31, whatever the rating. Open-air burning is governed by Burning Control By-law 2023-20, which sets the size, clearance, and supervision rules. The page also says the province may issue a separate restricted-fire-zone order, and that during such an order there is no burning and no fireworks. The page does not say such an order is in effect. Good Times is on Morrison Lake near Gravenhurst.
Muskoka Lakes fire rating. Current Fire Danger Rating MODERATE, determined by the Muskoka Association of Fire Chiefs as of July 23, 2026. The Moderate rules here differ from Bracebridge. Daytime burning from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. is permitted with a valid open-air fire permit. Small confined fires from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. are permitted without a permit. From April 1 to October 31, daytime burning is prohibited without a permit. At High, daytime burning is prohibited, permits are suspended, fireworks are prohibited, and evening small fires need extreme caution. At Extreme, no open-air burning, permits suspended, fireworks prohibited. The rating line on the page is 1-877-847-1577. None of the four cottages below is in the Township of Muskoka Lakes. The rule is here because people mix it up with Bracebridge.
Georgian Bay fire rating and burn permits. An alert on the page says the fire rating is Moderate, with no last-changed date beside it. The page says to check the rating, or call 1-877-847-1577, before burning. A burn permit is required for any open-air burning from January 1 to December 31. Daytime burning is permitted with a valid permit. Sending the application is not approval. Allow up to 3 business days, and wait for the permit. Campfires must be no greater than 1 cubic metre. At High, bonfires and fireworks are not allowed. At Extreme, no burning for any reason, including fireworks. Bayside is in the Town of Midland. The Township of Georgian Bay is a different municipality, around Port Severn, Honey Harbour, and MacTier.
Seguin current fire rating. The page displays Fire Rating: MODERATE. Burning depends on the current hazard. A permit may be required depending on the size of the fire and the time of day, and a restriction or a ban can be in effect. The page does not give daytime hours. Muskoka's July 23 line does not apply here on its own.
Parry Sound open-air burning. All burning in the town requires a fire permit. The page lists Low, Moderate, and High as permit-required, with campfires of natural wood allowed in an approved outdoor fireplace. It lists Extreme as no burning and no campfires, and a fire ban as no burning, no charcoal, and no wood, with propane and natural gas appliances still allowed. No current rating is named on the page. Signs are described at the north and south entrances to town and at the transfer station. Hemlock Hideaway is in Parry Sound, so this is the page to use. If the stay notes name a different municipality, follow those.
Midland fire danger rating. Current Fire Danger Rating LOW, with no last-changed date beside that word. The page says the rating is checked daily, and to confirm on the page or by calling 705-526-4275 before burning. That number is the Town of Midland's. No open-air burning is allowed year-round without a permit. Recreational backyard fires are allowed once you buy an open-air burn permit and follow the by-law. Bayside is in Midland, so the Muskoka daytime rule does not cover this cottage. The cottage has a fire pit and two gas fireplaces. The fire pit is the open-air burn. For a gas appliance, read Midland's page.
Ontario's outdoor fire restrictions page was updated April 1, 2026. It explains a Restricted Fire Zone as a temporary ministry order inside the Ontario Fire Region, separate from a municipal ban. If both apply, you comply with both. The page states maximum penalties of $50,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation, plus possible jail and firefighting costs. Those figures are the statute's maximums. The page does not name a current order for Muskoka or for zone 27.
The current-zone map linked from that page is the forest fire information map. A township that calls its weather zone RFZ 27 is naming the zone. A ministry Restricted Fire Zone order is a separate step. That map shows whether a ministry order is in effect.
Call 705-996-6799 to ask which nights are open. Burn permits come from the town.
Town of Huntsville, on the Muskoka River near Port Sydney. Sleeps 8. Sauna, hot tub, theatre, and a fire pit with firewood included. Downtown Huntsville is about 25 minutes. Pets: small, hypoallergenic, non-shedding pets; larger dogs need weight and breed for approval.
Cottage page · Airbnb · VRBO
Morrison Lake, near Gravenhurst. Sleeps 12. Covered hot tub, two kitchens, kayaks, paddleboards, and a fire pit. Downtown Gravenhurst is about 30 minutes. Good Times does not allow pets.
Cottage page · Airbnb · VRBO
Parry Sound, on eastern Georgian Bay. Sleeps 7. Dock, beach, red canoe, outdoor hot tub, and a fire pit with firewood included. Downtown Parry Sound is about 7 minutes. Pets: small, hypoallergenic, non-shedding pets; larger dogs need weight and breed for approval.
Cottage page · Airbnb · VRBO
Town of Midland, on Georgian Bay. Sleeps 12. Shallow sand beach, seasonal dock, kayaks, fire pit, and two gas fireplaces. Downtown Midland is about 10 minutes. Pets: small, hypoallergenic, non-shedding pets; larger dogs need weight and breed for approval.
Cottage page · Airbnb · VRBO
The Mara, in Huntsville, includes firewood. Hemlock Hideaway, in Parry Sound, includes firewood. Good Times, near Gravenhurst, has a fire pit, and the cottage notes do not list firewood as included. Bayside, in Midland, has a fire pit. Included wood does not override a ban, a permit rule, or a daytime ban. No parties at any cottage. Call 705-996-6799 to ask about events. Visiting guests must be registered and approved ahead of time.
The Mara, Hemlock Hideaway, and Bayside allow small, hypoallergenic, non-shedding pets; larger dogs need weight and breed for approval. Good Times does not allow pets.
For the colour around this same weekend, read where the fall colour is right now and Thanksgiving, October 10 to 12.
Bracebridge, Huntsville, and Muskoka Lakes are displaying Moderate, and each page dates that rating to July 23, 2026. Gravenhurst's Current Fire Danger Rating heading has no rating word under it. On those Muskoka pages, Moderate is not a total ban. Extreme is. The July line is weeks old, so check the township page the day you arrive.
Bracebridge says daytime burning is not allowed at all from April 1 to October 31, including between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., whatever the rating. The page shows Moderate, last changed July 23, 2026, and permits open-air fires between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. if they follow the burning by-law, with tools, water, and someone watching. Fireworks are limited to Victoria Day and Canada Day, or the day before or after those holidays. Thanksgiving falls outside those holidays.
No. Huntsville and Gravenhurst both say no daytime burning from April 1 to October 31. Muskoka Lakes, at the Moderate rating on its page, allows daytime burning from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. only with a valid open-air fire permit, and small confined fires from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. without a permit. Gravenhurst's page shows no current rating word. Use the page for the town the cottage is in.
Ontario's outdoor fire restrictions page, updated April 1, 2026, explains a ministry Restricted Fire Zone order and does not name a current order for Muskoka. Township pages use RFZ 27 as the name of the District of Muskoka fire-weather zone. RFZ 27 is the name of the zone, and a ministry order is a further step. If both are in place, you follow both. The provincial forest fire information map is where an order shows up.
No. The Mara and Hemlock Hideaway include firewood. Good Times and Bayside have a fire pit. Firewood and a ring do not override the town. Follow the township page and the instructions for your stay. The Mara's older seasonal note about outdoor fires from June 1 to October 1 does not cover this October weekend.
Bracebridge's fire page limits fireworks to Victoria Day and Canada Day, or the days beside those holidays. Other towns print their own limits, and several ban fireworks when the rating is high or extreme. No parties at any cottage. Call 705-996-6799 to ask about events. Visiting guests must be registered and approved ahead of time.
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