Cast a line, pour a tall glass of lemonade, splash your feet in our crystal waters.... Come and enjoy the best things in life, and the finest part of summer living at Maple Bay Cottages.

We have two comfortable, clean and cozy cottages available for those special families wishing to get away from it all and experience summer the Muskoka way. Located on the beautiful shores of Skeleton Lake we are a short 2 hour drive from Toronto and would welcome the opportunity to acommodate you as our guest.

Skeleton Lake is one of Muskoka's best kept secrets, well off the "beaten path". Located approximately 20 kms. west of Huntsville, it is thought to have been formed as a result of a meteorite impact. About half a million years ago, a meteor came careening out of the sky and landed on the ground now covered by the lake's crystaline waters. The limestone base of the lake makes the waters some of the clearest in all of Canada. On a calm day it is possible to see up to 30 meters underwater with the naked eye. Skeleton Lake is said to have received it's name because from overhead, it resembles the portrait of a skull. However it is also believed that it was given its name because when surveyers were working on the north shore, they came upon two skeletons resting on the rocks. When they inquired of a local Indian chief who these two persons might have been, they were told that he and his people had camped one winter on Skeleton Lake and when food became scarce the tribe decided to move elsewhere. One mother, with a fourteen-year-old son too weak to move, refused to accompany them. They died together of starvation, and the lake was given its name in memory of this mother and her son. There are many species of fish that inhabit this lake, which include smallmouth bass, lake trout, speckled trout, brown trout, rock bass and walleye. Although Skeleton Lake is the fourth largest lake in Muskoka (measuring approximately 6 km. by 4 km), the open body of water in Skeleton Lake is the largest open body of water in all the Muskoka Lakes. It is one of the most pristine lakes left in Ontario. Many cottagers love this lake for its crystal-clear water and abundance of rocky headlands and islands. It also boasts over 30 islands waiting to be discovered. For the boating enthusiast, the shoreline has an abundance of coves and inlets to explore. Skelton Lake is the perfect spot for boating, canoeing, sailing, fishing, snorkelling, swimming, or just listening for the call of the loon.