Living in Gravenhurst, Muskoka

What Gravenhurst is

Gravenhurst is a lower-tier town inside the District Municipality of Muskoka, which is the upper tier. The Town runs its own building and planning departments. Muskoka Airport sits within the town. For how the towns and townships fit together, see Muskoka towns and townships explained.

Housing figures for Gravenhurst were not published on the sources checked. Ask Kirby for current information on homes and land.

Lakes and water

The District’s lake stewardship page names ten lakes in its Gravenhurst section: Doeskin Lake, Clearwater Lake, Muldrew Lakes, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, Morrison Lake, Loon Lake, Turtle Lake, Bass Lake and Kahshe Lake. No river was named on the pages checked.

The Town lists 13 parks and six beaches. Its municipal trails include Brydons Bay Trail at 1.0 km, Chamberlain Trail as a 4.2 km loop, Hahne Farm Trail at 4.9 km and Old Stone Road Trail at 4.9 km. The same page lists the Cooper’s Falls section of the Great Trail at 7.3 km. Hardy Lake Provincial Park covers 808 hectares about 19 km west of Gravenhurst, with no visitor facilities and no camping.

Shoreline control rules were not stated on the pages checked. The Planning page mentions shore road allowance closings. Read more on waterfront and cottages in Muskoka.

Roads and getting around

Muskoka Road 169 is a District road, listed in Gravenhurst as Bethune Drive, Brock Street and Bay Street. The Ontario Parks page calls the access road to Hardy Lake Highway 169, while the District’s list shows Muskoka Road 169 as a District road. A route description for Highway 11 through Gravenhurst was not found.

The Corridor 11 Bus stops in Gravenhurst on weekdays only. A District on-demand service links rural areas to the town centre. The Town lists Ontario Northland and FlixBus. Describes an Air Canada Landline coach to Toronto Pearson as a “twice daily direct luxury coach”. No local transit was found in the Town’s pages.

Muskoka Airport (YQA) is at 1011 Airport Road. The District owns it and Muskoka Airport Incorporated operates it. Scheduled passenger service was not confirmed on the page checked.

Services

Gravenhurst Public Library is at 180 Sharpe St W. No hospital was found in Gravenhurst. The Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare site lists hospital sites in Huntsville and Bracebridge.

Property taxes and permits

The Town’s 2026 tax rate summary lists these residential rates: lower-tier general 0.553783%, upper-tier general 0.343640% and education 0.153000%. Separate charges are Waste Management 0.077280%, Healthcare Facilities 0.009040%, Water A 0.087000% and Sewer A 0.199200%. The Gravenhurst BIA rate is 0.000000% for residential.

The Building Department handles permits for construction, renovation, demolition, septic systems and signs at 705-687-3412 extension 2907 or bld@gravenhurst.ca. Installing, repairing or replacing a private sewage system needs a building permit. The Planning department handles site plan agreements at extension 2908.

What to check before you buy

• Which lake the property touches and what shoreline rules the Town applies.
• Whether a shore road allowance affects the lot.
• Whether the property needs a site plan agreement from Planning.
• The septic permit requirement for any sewage system work.
• The current tax rates that apply to the property.
• Which bus or airport connections are current when you plan to use them.

Ask Kirby to help you put these questions to the Town.