Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery and Bala Cranberry Festival Transfers by Chauffeured Car

Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery in Bala: how do you get there and who drives home?

Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery is the working name of the cranberry farm that many people still call Johnston's Cranberry Marsh. Its website says it is the home of Johnston Cranberries, and its Hours and Directions page gives the address as 1074 Cranberry Road, Bala, P0C 1A0. The farm offers wine tasting, a wine and cheese patio, a Bog to Bottle Discovery tour, trails, and in autumn the harvest and the cranberry plunge. It is also the marsh at the heart of the Bala Cranberry Festival.

Wine tasting and driving do not mix, and a farm on a rural road outside the village is not a place you reach by regular bus. Those two facts explain most of the requests we receive for this page. We are not a street taxi: the car is booked in advance, the chauffeur is licensed and commercially insured, and the booker shows one fixed fare before you pay. Nothing on board is promised; the point is that no one in your group has to drive after the tasting.

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How far is the farm from Pearson, Gravenhurst and Bala?

The farm is about 200 km from Toronto Pearson by road. Off-peak that is 2 h 25 to 2 h 50; on the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend or a summer Friday afternoon, allow 3 h 30 to 4 h 30. The route is Highway 427 or 401 to Highway 400, north to Highway 11 at Barrie, Highway 11 to Gravenhurst, Highway 169 west to Bala, and then the local roads to Cranberry Road.

All distances are rounded from our own route checks. Check Ontario 511 (511on.ca) for cameras, incidents and construction on the day, and read our guide to Highway 400 and 11 cottage traffic for the weekly pattern.

Getting to the farm: car, coach or festival shuttle?

On festival weekend, Discover Muskoka describes in-town shuttles that run continuously from Windsor Park to Ted Smith Construction with several stops around Bala, accessible buses, and a pre-registered ride to and from Gravenhurst when you buy an online ticket, with the 2026 details marked "coming soon". The same page says you must book your own passes in advance for events at Johnston's Cranberry Marsh. A private car is not necessary for the festival itself; it earns its place on the first and last leg, on a marsh day, and when your group wants to move on to a cottage or a dinner.

Our Northlander guide explains the planned train to Gravenhurst and why you should confirm it before building a trip around it.

Hours, seasons and the harvest: when should you visit?

The farm's Hours and Directions page lists three seasons. Winter and spring, from the end of harvest through 30 June, are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Summer, from 1 July to the start of harvest, is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Harvest runs from two Saturdays before Thanksgiving to two Sundays after, with 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. hours. By that rule the 2026 harvest runs from about 3 to 25 October, since Thanksgiving falls on Monday 12 October, but confirm the dates with the farm. The farm is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with shorter hours on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and its main site says it is open 363 days a year.

Seasonal activities named on the site include Maple Mayhem, the Ice Trail, snowshoe trails, the Cranberry Harvest, the Cranberry Plunge and the Bala Cranberry Festival. The practical meaning: this is not only an October stop. Winter and spring trips are quieter, easier on the roads, and a good time for a tasting without the festival crowds.

The Bala Cranberry Festival weekend

The festival is always held on the weekend after Thanksgiving. In 2026 it runs from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October. The festival's own site, balacranberryfestival.on.ca, lists Friday hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and says well-trained leashed dogs are welcome in outdoor areas, with service animals allowed throughout the grounds. Discover Muskoka puts the festival on Maple Avenue in Bala, with the marsh activities booked separately at the farm.

The overlap with the harvest is the reason to plan carefully. In festival weekend the village and the farm road are crowded, parking is limited, and the Sunday drive south is the slowest of the autumn. See Thanksgiving and long weekends in Muskoka for the traffic pattern, the Bala page for the village, and the festivals and events page for what else is on. Peak dates, such as long weekends and big weddings, may carry a different cancellation deadline, printed on your confirmation.

What to do at the farm, and what the car should plan for

The farm says entry to the store is free, but activities have fees. The tour involves about a half-kilometre walk on gravel paths, muddy in spring and snowy in winter, and about an hour on your feet. The wagon ride has three steps with handrails, wine tasting requires standing, and getting to the Cranberry Plunge involves a steep hill and about half a kilometre on uneven gravel. Washrooms during harvest are portable toilets. The café offers a seasonal local cheese plate, treats, drinks and wine by the glass. Cards are accepted.

For a group, that means:

1. Mobility. Say at booking if anyone needs an easier pickup point or has limited mobility. The store and parking are on mostly level ground, but the tours and the plunge are not.
2. Footwear and weather. Spring mud and winter snow change the day. Bring shoes you do not mind wearing in a car afterwards.
3. Purchases. The farm sells wines, ciders, preserves, dried and chocolate berries, juice and tea; some are also sold at the LCBO, Ontario's provincial liquor store. A Business SUV takes up to six passengers and six bags and has room for a case or two; a sedan has less.
4. The order of the day. Tour first, tasting second, patio last, then the car. Book the pickup at the end of the patio time, not the end of the tour.

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A tasting day: how to build it with a driver

A farm tasting rarely stands alone. A typical day for a group of six staying at a cottage or resort might look like this:

• Morning pickup at the cottage, a Business SUV with a note about the farm.
• Arrive at the farm at opening for a tour and tasting before the crowds.
• A late lunch in Bala or Port Carling.
• An afternoon on the water or at the marina.
• Back to the cottage, or on to dinner.

On one booking you can add extra stops and a return, and the hourly mode keeps the car with you between stops. For groups interested in more than one producer, our brewery and winery tours page shows how we build a route, and the hourly chauffeur page explains the mode. Corporate groups can use the farm for an outing during a retreat; see corporate retreat transportation.

Which vehicle for the farm and festival

Each model is "or similar" and is confirmed when you book. Stretch limousines take minimal luggage and party buses only two large bags, and both depend on availability, so they suit the outing, not the airport run. The full list is on the fleet page.

What the booking includes

Airport pickups are flight-tracked, so a late landing shifts the car. Free waiting runs 60 minutes after an international arrival, 30 after a domestic one and 15 on other pickups. The Meet and Greet service is an add-on in the booker (ask the desk about an alias), along with child seats in three sizes and a note with the booking. Tell the desk about a pet when you book; pets travel in a carrier and trained service animals travel free. The fare is fixed and all-in, with 13% HST included; see how private car fares work. For context, try the Pearson airport page, the Muskoka hub, the attractions hub and the Torrance Barrens page, a late-evening pairing for the same day.