MuskokaLimousineServices.com runs pre-booked chauffeured cars to Baysville, Dorset, Dwight and every cottage road around Lake of Bays. The village sits where the Muskoka River leaves the lake, about 205 km north-east of Toronto Pearson by road, and it is far enough off Highway 11 that nobody passes through by accident. People come here on purpose, usually with luggage, groceries, children and a dock key.
This page is the practical version of that trip: which road you take, how long it really takes, where the public options stop, and when a private car is worth booking.
Do you need a limo to reach Baysville and Lake of Bays?
Not for a five-minute hop inside the village, where a local taxi or your own feet will do. A pre-booked car makes sense for the long legs: Pearson or Muskoka Airport to the lake, late arrivals, groups of three or more, cottage luggage, and any arrival with a fixed time to meet.
Baysville is not on any scheduled intercity route that we could find in the public timetables. The coaches and, one day, the train stop on the Highway 11 corridor at Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville. From there you still have roughly 24 to 40 km of two-lane road to cover. That final stretch is exactly what a booked car removes.
Where Baysville sits on Lake of Bays
Lake of Bays is one of the larger lakes in the District of Muskoka and the Township of Lake of Bays counts more than 100 other lakes besides. Its three main communities are Baysville at the south end, Dorset on the east side and Dwight at the north end, where the township office is located. Each has dining, galleries and small shops, and each publishes a self-guided heritage walk through Discover Muskoka.
Baysville is the oldest of the southern settlements and, by the township's own heritage guide, the second village ever settled on the lake, after Dorset. It grew around a sawmill at the point where the river leaves the lake. The name is honest: there are four bays within reach of the bridge. Muskoka Road 117, signed locally simply as Highway 117, runs through the middle of the village and over the river. The guide records that the road was built through here in 1956, and that a church had to be moved to make room for it.
Two details matter for a driver. The river and its dam divide the village; the present dam opened in 1960, replacing a 1918 dam that had raised the lake by almost 5 feet for log booms and lake steamers. And most cottage roads around the lake are narrow, private or seasonal. Properties carry a rural civic address, locally called a fire number, on a reflective sign at the road or driveway. Give us the number and the cottage name; your chauffeur navigates to the sign, not only to a pin on a map.
Distances and drive times to the lake villages
All distances below are road distances from a route planner, rounded, with off-peak driving time. Summer Fridays and the Sunday-evening return can add an hour or more; see our Highway 400 and 11 cottage traffic guide for what that looks like hour by hour.
| From | To Baysville | Typical time off-peak | Peak-day caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Pearson (YYZ) | about 205 km | 2 h 40 – 3 h 00 | allow 3 h 45 on a summer Friday afternoon |
| Downtown Toronto (Union Station) | about 206 km | 2 h 45 – 3 h 00 | allow 3 h 45 on a summer Friday afternoon |
| Muskoka Airport (YQA), Gravenhurst | about 31 km | 30 min | add 15 min on holiday weekends |
| Bracebridge | about 24 km | 25 min | add 10 min in July and August |
| Huntsville | about 24 km | 25 min | add 10 min in July and August |
| Dorset | about 27 km | 30 min | slower on fall colour weekends |
| Dwight | about 31 km | 35 min | slower on fall colour weekends |
The big-airport run is covered on the Toronto Pearson transfer page and the Toronto to Muskoka route planner. From Huntsville the short way in is Brunel Road, which meets Highway 117 at the edge of the village.
Baysville transport options compared
| Mode | Door-to-door time to Baysville | Cost note | Luggage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chauffeured car from MuskokaLimousineServices.com | about 2 h 45 from Pearson, off-peak | fixed fare via booker, quoted before you pay | up to the vehicle class; Sprinter carries 12 bags | families, groups, late flights, cottage luggage |
| Rental car or your own car | about 2 h 45 from Pearson, plus pickup time | rental rate plus fuel | as much as the boot holds | week-long stays where you want your own wheels |
| Ontario Northland coach to Bracebridge or Huntsville, then a lift | 3 h 30 or more including the last leg | fare on ontarionorthland.ca; last leg is extra | normal coach limits | solo travellers who have a friend with a car |
| Local taxi from Bracebridge or Gravenhurst | 25 to 40 min for the last leg only | metered | a few bags | short hops once you are already in Muskoka |
| Fly to Muskoka Airport, then drive | 30 min from the airport terminal | fixed fare via booker for the car leg | per airline plus car | skipping Highway 400 entirely |
When the bus, a rental or a local taxi is the better choice
If you are one adult with a backpack and a friend waiting in Bracebridge, take the coach and let the friend drive the last 24 km. If you are staying a week and expect to shop in Huntsville, a rental car pays for itself. If you need a ride from the marina to a restaurant five minutes away, a local taxi is the right tool.
The private car wins on the other days: three or more travellers with luggage (a Business SUV takes 6 passengers and 6 bags, an Executive Sprinter 12 and 12), a flight that lands after the last coach has gone, children who need a booster, toddler or infant seat, a key handover at a fixed time, and wedding schedules where guests must be on the dock at 3:30, not 3:50.
Arriving by car at a Baysville or Lake of Bays cottage
A lake cottage arrival is a small logistics project, and a few habits make it easier.
Shop before the last leg. A full weekly shop is easier in Bracebridge or Huntsville than in the village. Add the grocery stop as an extra stop in the booker so the fare reflects it.
Know your access type. Some cottages sit on a plowed road, some on a private lane the car can enter only part-way, and some are water-access. For water-access properties the car goes to the marina or landing and you continue by boat; put the landing name in a note with the booking.
Save the address offline. Mobile reception drops in pockets around the lake. Keep the fire number and your confirmation on your phone before you leave Highway 11. Live road conditions are on 511 Ontario.
Time the arrival to the owner. If a rental changeover is at 4 pm, we plan to put you at the road around 3:45, not 2:30. Non-airport pickups include 15 minutes of free waiting; airport pickups are tracked against the flight, with 60 minutes free after international landings and 30 after domestic.
An hour on foot in Baysville
The township's heritage walk takes about an hour and a half if you read every plaque.
Start at Grist Mill Park on the south-west side of the bridge. It stands on the site of W. H. Brown's mill, which started the settlement in the 1870s. There is an old mill wheel, a veterans' wall, and a gazebo and public washrooms that were built in 2010 as part of the improvements made around the G8 summit in Huntsville. From the park you can look at the dam and walk the trail beside the river.
Further along are an 1872 shop building said to be the second in the village, a Gothic Revival brick house on Bay Street that served as the post office for four generations, and Bethune United Church, built in 1882.
One piece of colour from the guide: in 1906 a local vote closed the bars across McLean and Ridout townships, and a "temperance" hotel opened on the river. Today there is an LCBO, the provincial liquor retailer, on the corner of Highway 117 and Brunel Road, which the guide mentions with some amusement. Plan your alcohol shopping for before a long weekend, and check the store's hours at lcbo.com rather than assuming.
Eating, drinking and shopping stops along Highway 117
Baysville is the best-supplied spot at the south end of the lake, which makes it a useful meeting point. Lake of Bays Brewing Co. has its brewery and taproom on Highway 117, in a building the heritage guide places on the site of an old telegraph office; the brewery opened in 2010. Cast Iron restaurant, also on the highway, ran a first-come turkey dinner on the Sunday of Thanksgiving 2026, with reservations only for tables of ten or more. The village general store on Bridge Street handles ice and forgotten items.
If your group dines out, pre-book the return trip on the same booking rather than hoping for a taxi at 10 pm. Late-night cabs are scarce in the lake villages.
Bigwin Island, golf and the steamship story
Bigwin Island lies in the middle of the lake, and for much of the twentieth century it was the reason the lake was famous: the Bigwin Inn took guests there until it closed in 1966. Today the island hosts Bigwin Island Golf Club, a private 18-hole course. Island access is by boat or air only, the ferry leaves from the club's docks at Norway Point, and island reservations are mandatory. Visitors can generally play only as a member's guest, so ask the club directly.
The S.S. Bigwin, launched in 1910 to carry guests to that inn, is a restored heritage vessel based in Dorset. Its own website says the ship is ashore for 2026 with cruise bookings paused, so do not plan a 2026 trip around a sailing.
For golfers the chauffeur task is simple: a car to the Norway Point docks at the time on your tee sheet, and a car back. Our golf transportation page explains multi-stop golf days.
Dorset, Dwight and the 80 km lake drive
The township describes an 80 km loop around Lake of Bays that links Baysville, Dwight and Dorset. The best weeks for it are in September and October, when the rock cuts and shoreline views hold their colour. It also works in winter, and each village holds a winter festival on weekends in February.
On the east side, Dorset has the lookout tower, the marine museum and a general store that dates from the 1920s. At the north end, Dwight is the junction with Highway 60, the road that carries traffic east into Algonquin Park. Port Cunnington Lodge is a few minutes from Dwight, and Huntsville is about 24 km north-west of Baysville by Brunel Road.
If you want a chauffeur for the loop and its stops, hire the car by the hour. The mechanics are in the hourly chauffeur guide, and a ready-made autumn route is on the Muskoka fall colours tour page.
Vehicles and extras for Lake of Bays trips
A couple with luggage fits an Executive Sedan; a family of five or six with cottage bags fits a Business SUV or Executive First Class SUV; a wedding or reunion group of up to 12 fits an Executive Sprinter. Stretch limousines take minimal luggage and the party bus two large bags, so they suit event legs, not arrival days. Every class is "or similar", with the model confirmed at booking; see the fleet page. Child, toddler and booster seats, the Meet and Greet service and a note with the booking are booker options.
How to book a Baysville or Lake of Bays transfer
- Open the booker and enter your pickup and drop-off. For a cottage, type the road name and add the fire number in the note.
- Choose the vehicle class and add extras: child seats, an extra stop, a return trip.
- Read the fixed all-in fare, which has the 13% HST included.
- Pay and receive your confirmation, which prints the pickup time and, on peak dates, the cancellation deadline.
Cancellation is counted from the scheduled pickup. More than 72 hours' notice carries no charge; 72 hours or less 10%; 48 hours or less 50%; 24 hours or less or a no-show 100%. Peak dates, such as long weekends, may carry a different deadline, which is printed on the confirmation.
For the wider picture, start at the Muskoka hub, the Muskoka Airport page, or the nearest town pages for Bracebridge and Huntsville. The Township of Lake of Bays publishes its scenic drive map and events, and Discover Muskoka hosts the Baysville heritage walking tour.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Baysville from Toronto Pearson Airport?
About 205 km by road, usually 2 h 40 to 3 h off-peak. On a summer Friday afternoon, allow around 3 h 45. The route follows Highway 400, then Highway 11 north past Bracebridge and east on Highway 117 into the village.
Is there a bus from Toronto to Baysville?
No scheduled intercity coach goes into Baysville itself. Ontario Northland serves the Highway 11 corridor, including Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville. From any of those stops you still need a ride of about 24 to 40 km. A pre-booked car covers that final leg or the whole trip.
Can your chauffeur take me to a cottage on a private road?
Yes, as far as the road safely allows. Give the road name and the fire number at booking and describe the lane in a note with the booking. If the last stretch is too soft or steep for the car, the chauffeur stops at the nearest safe point, and you walk or shuttle the last metres.
How much does a car to Lake of Bays cost?
The booker shows a single fixed all-in fare for your exact pickup, drop-off and vehicle before you pay. Taxes and fees are already in it, with the 13% HST included. There is no meter and no surprise at the dock.
Can I get a car from Muskoka Airport to Baysville?
Yes. Muskoka Airport in Gravenhurst is about 31 km from Baysville, around 30 minutes. Your chauffeur tracks your flight, and there is free waiting time after landing, 30 minutes on domestic arrivals and 60 on international ones. See the Muskoka Airport page.
Can I hire a car for a day around Lake of Bays?
Yes. Use the hourly mode in the booker, list your stops, and choose a vehicle. The route can include Baysville, Dorset and Dwight, a lookout and a restaurant, with the chauffeur waiting at each. The hourly chauffeur page explains how it works.
Is a local taxi better than a limo in Baysville?
For a short hop in the village, a metered taxi is the sensible choice. For an airport run or a long cottage transfer, our fare is fixed and quoted before you book, while a taxi meter depends on traffic and waiting.
