Disclaimer: travelling with young children. Key attractions may have been missed due to tantrums, lack of snacks, bad timing, etc. 

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From London to Huntsville

Summer was barely over when people started suggesting we should try to go North in the Fall as it was the best time of year to experience the colours and the views. They weren’t wrong. So when the chance of a cottage stay near Huntsville came up, we jumped! Let’s put aside the five-hour journey in our extremely noisy Mitsubishi, with equally noisy kids shouting “are we there yet?!”, “I wanna get out!”. “You can’t, we’re on the highway, a car would knock you over”. For us Irish who aren’t used to any car ride over two hours without a stop, the excruciating journey was worth it. 

Arriving at 10pm meant we didn’t know what our surroundings were like; we just got the kids into bed, and went straight to sleep ourselves. A 5am wakeup call from the baby had me downstairs, peeking out the windows every five minutes in an attempt to see outside. As the sun started to rise over the lake, I quickly hopped the girls up into their coats and hats and ushered them out onto the deck so we could watch the beauty unfold. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve witnessed beautiful sunsets in different parts of the world before, but there was something so serene, so peaceful about watching the sun slowly rise over the lake, glimmering through the now almost bare branches of the trees, not a sound could be heard. It’s a memory with my girls that I will treasure forever. Two minutes later cue the silence erupting with shouts of “I’M HUNGRY! I WANT BREAKFAST! CAN WE GO BACK INSIDE NOW?!”. It was nice while it lasted. 


Exploring Limberlost Forest

When you travel this far North, the popular Algonquin Provincial Park is right on your doorstep. But we decided that it might be too much hiking for our 4 and 2 year-old and so we paid a visit to nearby Limberlost Forest instead. With lots of free access trail options around the lakes, we went for the easy to moderate Clear Lake trail. Although a cold day, the clear blue skies and sunshine made us feel like we were on a summer camping holiday, even with most of the leaves gone from the trees and on the forest floor. Apart from a few steep hills and some slippery footing, this 45 minute to 1 hour trail was easy for all of us to navigate.



Oxtongue River Trail and Ragged Falls

The next morning saw us attempt another of Ontario’s Provincial Parks: Oxtongue River and Ragged Falls. With around only 800 metres from the entrance to the waterfalls, we assumed it would be a straight forward hike. Never assume anything. Previous rainfall had made the trails muddy and treacherous, so navigating two young kids round it was no mean feat. In the end, Paul had to carry our toddler whilst I tried to put my trail run experience to good use guiding myself (weighed down with a baby in a sling), and a 4-year-old uphill on the trail. 
The rushing sound of the water is the first sense you get that you’re close, it’s almost deafening. The view itself of the waterfall is spectacular, and if you’re brave enough, you can even clamber onto overhanging rocks to take in more of the white water speeding down through the forest. 



Huntsville and Lions Lookout

On our last day we spent the morning by the lake before grabbing a quick brunch in Huntsville. The town itself is so quaint and inviting, and I couldn’t resist a trip into the One Stop General Store! The sign above the door reads “Browsers Welcome”. And that’s exactly what I did. I browsed ‘til I could browse no more, partly stopped in my tracks trying to control Grace and Aoife’s own browsing of sorts through all the dream catchers and wooden moose carvings. Anyway, this was THE place to go for some authentic Muskoka gifts! 


The last stop on the way home led us to Lion’s Lookout, which provides almost 360 degree views of Huntsville and the surrounding lakes. Because the weather was so good, the last of the fall colours were visible for miles, and made for some great photo opportunities!




Two days in Muskoka was not enough; I could easily have filled up two weeks exploring different parks and hiking trails, and taking in the endless breath-taking views around the region. There is definitely a sense of relaxed ‘cottage life’ around these parts: it feels like you’ve escaped the everyday routine of life and time somehow moved much more slowly. I wasn’t sure how easy a stay it would be with three young kids, but I actually think they enjoyed it as much as we did. Even the simplicity of walking a new trail, looking for wildlife and picking up pine cones was enough to spark the adventure in them. 


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Highlights

Travel time
- From London: between 4-5 hours, depending on stops and traffic
- From Toronto: around 2 hours

Limberlost Forest (Clear Lake trail): 
- 15-20 minute drive from Huntsville
- Free access to trails
- Easy to moderate with young children
- NOT stroller friendly. Bring a sling/baby carrier if necessary
- Mix of boardwalk, forest floor, roots, and some road

Oxtongue River/Ragged Falls:
- 20-minute drive from Huntsville
- Free access, limited parking
- Difficult with young children
- NOT stroller friendly 
- Some steep, slippy trail. Good hiking/trail footwear advised

Lions Lookout:
- 2-minute drive from Huntsville centre
- Free access 
- Easy with young children/Stroller friendly