Muskoka Guides · Updated October 2026

Two series put these lakes in front of a lot of Americans. The cottages were already here. Here is where they filmed, which shore the Hamptons line means, and what a first trip takes.

• 110%+BBC, searches
• 15%BBC, new bookings
• 3.2MNat Geo, a year
• Big 3Muskoka, Rosseau, Joseph

The cottage on the screen

One finale had people searching for a private lake house the next morning.

Heated Rivalry, from Rachel Reid's Game Changers books, was made for Crave by Jacob Tierney. In a November 19, 2025 release, Warner Bros. Discovery says HBO Max in the United States opened the series on November 28, with the finale on December 26. Deadline, on December 1, titles that episode "The Cottage." The script puts the retreat in Quebec. CBC News, on January 13, 2026, says the scenes were filmed at Barlochan Cottage in the Muskoka Lakes, about 140 kilometres north of Toronto, in a house designed by Trevor McIvor. Condé Nast Traveler describes the glass. BBC Travel says Airbnb stays were to open on March 3, 2026. The house is not a Homeseeker cottage.

BBC Travel reports that searches for Muskoka District cottages jumped more than 110 percent after December 26, and that 15 percent of new bookings came from the US and elsewhere. Cottage Life, on March 4, citing InsightTrendsWorld, reports the same search jump. Val Hamilton, of Muskoka Tourism, told the BBC the winter had been busier than usual. CBC reported Toronto billboards, including towards Pearson, and Discover Muskoka's line that you might not book that one cottage. A second season was reported as renewed in January. By February, the BBC had it slated for 2027.

Sterling Point is fictional

A Metroland report by Itai Buenahora (August 21, 2026) writes that Sterling Point, on Prime Video, was filmed in Muskoka, that the island is fictional, and that the story is set around Lake Muskoka. The same piece says Jimmy Fallon, interviewing Ella Rubin on The Tonight Show, called Muskoka "the most beautiful place on earth," and that Amazon has confirmed a second season. Filming around Lake Muskoka ran between June and October, with other Ontario shoots in summer 2025. Citing The Location Guide, the report names Mortimer's Point Marina in July 2025, Sparrow Lake Camp in Severn, and Lakes Joseph and Rosseau. The report adds that Megan Park spent summers here in the 1990s.

Where the Hamptons line lands

The nickname is older than either show. A National Geographic caption (March 20, 2026) calls Lake Muskoka, largest of the Big Three with Rosseau and Joseph, "the Hamptons of the North." The Sunday Times (September 13, 2025) uses the phrase for "8,300 miles of shoreline belonging to some 1,600 lakes," and writes from Lake Rosseau. BlogTO (July 15, 2023) attaches it to Millionaire's Row on a Lake Muskoka cruise, and names a newer Billionaire's Row on the northern tip of Lake Joseph. The Times calls Port Carling "the hub of the lakes."

Port Carling is the lock town between Muskoka and Rosseau. Bala is on the west side of Lake Muskoka. Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville are the larger eastern towns, and Fairburn told National Geographic that Bala and Port Carling are quieter. National Geographic estimates 3.2 million visitors a year, including drivers from Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York.

Just get in the lake. Swim, boat, paddle. That's the heart of it.

Toben Kochman, The Pearl in Bala, to National Geographic, March 20, 2026

The comparison only goes so far. The Sunday Times describes granite, pines, loons, and locks between the three lakes. National Geographic points to the steamship Segwun, built in 1887. BlogTO writes about the boathouses. The shore is Shield rock, not a barrier beach. The Times also names homes of Tom Hanks, Cindy Crawford and Steven Spielberg, and treats a Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell visit as rumour.

Buying is a different set of numbers

Royal LePage (March 26, 2026; survey February 20 to March 19) says 25 percent of Ontario recreational experts saw more American buyer inquiries, and 36 percent saw more domestic ones. The 2025 median Ontario recreational waterfront price fell 5.0 percent, to $809,900. John O'Rourke, in Muskoka, said luxury demand was stable and 2026 looked subdued, with rental rules pushing buyers towards personal use. The Toronto Star (May 16, 2026, updated June 2) quotes Brad Bird on more US buying calls, and John Fincham on a slower sale: waterfront days on market from 63 to 95, months of inventory from 14.4 to 17.5, compared with the previous first quarter. Jack Janssen told the Star of 17 private sales over $10 million around Rosseau and Joseph, missed by the MLS.

Royal LePage and the Star both say most recreational properties are exempt from Canada's foreign-buyer ban.

A first trip from the United States

BBC Travel says fly into Toronto Pearson, then use Huntsville, Gravenhurst or Bracebridge as a base. National Geographic says roughly two hours from Toronto, with a stop at Webers on Highway 11. The Sunday Times says 2.5 hours by road to a Lake Rosseau dock, or about 35 minutes by seaplane. The RASC describes the highway as 400 to Barrie, then Highway 11 to Gravenhurst. Pearson sits west of downtown, so add that leg. Friday traffic rarely matches these averages.

These drives are estimated from downtown Toronto, so add time if you land at Pearson:

• Bayside, Midland, Georgian Bay: about 2 hours 15 minutes.
• Good Times, Morrison Lake near Gravenhurst: about 2 hours 30 minutes.
• The Mara, Muskoka River near Huntsville: about 2 hours 45 minutes.
• Hemlock Hideaway, Parry Sound: about 3 hours 10 minutes.

The Canada Border Services Agency recommends a valid passport for US citizens of every age. A NEXUS card can be used, and the agency still says to carry the passport. US permanent residents flying in need proof of citizenship and of US status. Children need identification, and a consent letter if one parent stays home. Prices are in Canadian dollars.

National Geographic puts the busy season at May through October, with the peak in June and July. Pack for a swim, and for a cooler morning on wet rock. Locks join the Big Three, and Sean Menzie told National Geographic that some lakes allow motors and others do not. Torrance Barrens, about 11 kilometres west of Gravenhurst, became the first RASC Dark-Sky Preserve in 1999. From Good Times, Torrance Barrens is about 26 minutes away. In that March issue, National Geographic said the Northlander was due back to Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville in late spring or early summer.

What that kind of cottage looks like

Millionaire's Row is a shoreline you see from a cruise. The four houses below are ones you can sleep in, and we photographed them. None is Barlochan, and none is on Lake Joseph or Lake Rosseau. Glass, a hot tub, a dock at dusk, a boathouse, and Shield rock: that is the look the nickname is after. Bayside and Hemlock Hideaway sit on Georgian Bay, cottage country alongside the Big Three. If the week has to be on Lake Joseph, these four are on other water.

The Mara

Town of Huntsville, on the Muskoka River near Port Sydney. Sleeps 8. Finnish sauna, hot tub, and a hammock behind floor-to-ceiling glass, plus a theatre, a game room, and a fire pit with firewood included. Kayaks and canoes. Downtown Huntsville is about 25 minutes. Pets: small, hypoallergenic, non-shedding pets; larger dogs need weight and breed for approval.

Cottage page

Good Times

Morrison Lake, near Gravenhurst. Sleeps 12, in six bedrooms. Covered hot tub, two kitchens, two waterfront decks, kayaks, paddleboards, a paddle boat, and a fire pit. Floor-to-ceiling lake windows. Downtown Gravenhurst is about 30 minutes. Good Times does not allow pets.

Cottage page

Bayside

Town of Midland, on Georgian Bay. Sleeps 12. A sand beach with a shallow entry, a boathouse, a seasonal dock, kayaks, a fire pit, and gas fireplaces. The boathouse and dock sit on Georgian Bay, not on Lake Muskoka. Downtown Midland is about 10 minutes. Pets: small, hypoallergenic, non-shedding pets; larger dogs need weight and breed for approval.

Cottage page

Hemlock Hideaway

Parry Sound, on eastern Georgian Bay. Sleeps 7. Dock, beach, a red canoe, an outdoor hot tub, a pool table, and a fire pit with firewood included. The second photo is that Shield rock, up close. Downtown Parry Sound is about 7 minutes. Pets: small, hypoallergenic, non-shedding pets; larger dogs need weight and breed for approval.

Cottage page

None of these four lists a motorboat, and the boathouse in the photos is the building and the dock. No parties at any cottage. Day visitors have to be registered and approved ahead of time.

Questions about a stay? Call 705-996-6799.