Toronto road trip: Winter cabin route to Kawartha Lakes
This winter road trip route covers Ontario's east coast region, starting from Toronto and heading west to Kawartha Lakes area near Peterborough. The journey showcases Ontario's winter landscape across approximately 4,862 km, featuring off-grid tiny cabin accommodations and charming rural towns.
- Mode
- Places
- Start
- Toronto
- End
- Distillery District
- Stops
- 5
- Video author
- travmap
- Updated
Stops on this route
- Toronto — Canada's largest city, starting point for the east coast winter road trip with family and baby.
- Fernwood Hills — Off-grid tiny cabin retreat on a farm, approximately three hours west of Toronto, featuring modern minimal accommodations surrounded by forest.
- The Sweet Onion Bistro — Intimate restaurant in a small Canadian town featuring live musicians, cocktails, and locally-inspired cuisine including mussels and arancini.
- Kamooka — Small rural community in the countryside of Ontario, home to Fernwood Hills cabin retreat and surrounding farmland.
- Distillery District
Useful for your trip
- Where to stay
- Fernwood Hills offers tiny cabins (approximately 2m x 3m) on a farm property with multiple cabin options; book via Airbnb for winter stays in Komoka, about 3 hours west of Toronto.
- Where to stay
- The tiny cabin at Fernwood Hills includes a double bed, small fridge, floor-to-ceiling windows, heating, and Christmas decorations; bathroom is a shared facility approximately 750m away.
- Food
- The Sweet Onion Bistro in a small Canadian town offers cocktails like the Apple Pie, chili mussels, arancini, and mac and cheese; features live musicians during service.
- Timing
- Winter in Ontario (early season) may not yet have heavy snow coverage; plan cabin stays expecting brown leaves and occasional snowfall rather than full snow conditions.
- Timing
- In early winter, the sun sets around 4 PM in Ontario; driving after sunset feels much later than actual time.
- Transport
- To reach Tomagami from the Distillery District area, you must drive back through Toronto; journey is approximately 3.5 hours after sunset.
- Food
- Distillery District Winter Village features Christmas markets with hot chocolate, crepes, and food vendors; a large Christmas tree is present.
- Tip
- Fernwood Hills cabin guests can sign a guestbook on the cabin; you may meet other travelers who have stayed there.
- Food
- Timmies (Tim Hortons) locations are available throughout Ontario for coffee and bagels; medium lattes and everything bagels with butter are available options.
- Where to stay
- Fernwood Hills is based on a farm property with approximately three different cabins available; some properties are booked for weddings.
Video on this route
Moving into our Winter Overnight Off-Grid Tiny Cabin