Guides to the Kawarthas

One Lakefield-based company stands out for absentee cottage owners needing ongoing property care — but the broader directory also includes surveyors, rental resorts, and real estate services that play supporting roles in cottage ownership.

Five businesses near Lakefield cover everything from paddle-powered day trips to full-service powerboat rentals — here's how they differ and what to consider before you book.

Six marinas serve the Lakefield area, spanning the Otonabee River, Katchewanooka Lake, Stoney Lake, Clear Lake, and Lower Buckhorn Lake — each with a different mix of services for transient boaters, seasonal slip holders, and cottage owners.

Three seasonal resorts and campgrounds on Pigeon Lake give Bobcaygeon-area visitors meaningful choices — from full-service seasonal ownership to family camping with floating docks. Here is what each one actually offers.

Kawartha Lakes has more than two dozen restaurants and cafés sitting directly on the water, from lock-side pubs in Fenelon Falls to lakefront dining rooms on Stony Lake and Lower Buckhorn Lake — here's what each one offers.

Twenty-nine properties across the Kawarthas offer docks or slips — but the range runs from full-service marinas with 95 berths to a single guest suite with a boat lift.

Seventeen waterfront properties across Kawartha Lakes welcome guests with dogs — but pet fees, policies, and on-site amenities vary considerably, so it pays to compare before you book.

Port Perry has an unusually dense cluster of food shops for a small lakeside town — two butcher shops, a dedicated gluten-free bakery, a century-old pastry counter, two farm markets, and a Saturday lakefront market running May through October.

More than 25 marinas across the Kawarthas offer slip rentals, but the difference between a seasonal berth and a transient mooring — and what's included in either — varies widely by lake and operator. Here's how to find the right fit before the season...