Where to Stay in Bala, Muskoka

Bala is a small village at the southern tip of Lake Muskoka, where the lake drains into the Moon River and drops over Bala Falls. The falls are a short walk from the middle of the village, and the surrounding water makes this one of the most straightforward places in Muskoka to stay if the plan is simply to be on a lake.

The area is also cranberry country. Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery, a short drive away, runs cranberry marsh tours and makes fruit wines, and the bogs turn red at harvest in autumn, one of the region’s better-known seasonal sights. Accommodation is small-scale: cottage resorts, a motel with cottages, a bed and breakfast and a handful of rentals.

Nothing here is large, and summer weekends book early. Hardy Lake Provincial Park and the Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve are both within a short drive for walking and stargazing. Bala suits travellers who want a village and a lake rather than a town with a lot of services.

Bracebridge and Gravenhurst are both within about half an hour for supplies, and the drive in along Lake Muskoka is part of the appeal.