Cottage Life

The go-to source for cottagers, the award-winning Cottage Life offers valuable advice as well as profiles, how-to articles, recipes, essays, issues pieces, and lifestyle stories that help readers look after their cottages, entertain guests and, of course, kick back and have fun.

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Waterfront • Prime cottage season is here! Step 1. Get to lake. Step 2. Have some chore-free fun.

What to do on opening weekend • We asked CL staff and readers: “After all the chores are done on opening-up weekend, what’s the first thing that you do?”

Things to see and do in Wakefield, Que.

Are grizzlies and black bears interbreeding?

A lake association celebrates 50 years

What to do with leftover grease • Nothing screams “cottage breakfast” like a big frying pan of side bacon— one of the fattiest pork products you can consume. (So? It’s the cottage.) But what to do with the gr ease?

How a Manitoba river got its name

This fact about deer baby daddies will leave you scratching your head

Canadian Canoe Museum delay, giant invasive goldfish, and a loon initiative

What you need to know about buying a cottage on a line-of-credit

Workshop • How to cut through obstacles, take that weight off your shoulders, and CYA.

Learn how to build a turtle nest protector

A ruler hack for legibility

How to fix squeeze-out when gluing wood together

An affordable circular saw blade that will cut through nails

DIY removable canoe yoke

What you need to know about electrical connections and corrosion

Tips for patching a sail

Why a bidet is a good idea for a septic

Determining tree age, septic root concerns, and protecting inheritances

Why biodiversity matters • It’s easy to love some wildlife. Others not so much. But love’em or hate’em, here’s why protecting species will make for a bright future.

Debunking power outages • What actually happens when the lights go out at the lake? We debunk—or prove—six of our most-repeated power outage theories

A 70s gothic-arched cabin on Vancouver Island • A timely renovation turned this 1970s gothic-arched cabin into a cool, modern retreat with show-stopping views

THE HARD PART IS DONE! (RIGHT?) • YOU’VE GOT EVERYTHING UNPACKED, SWITCHED ON, AND SET UP. NOW IT’S TIME TO ACTUALLY ENJOY THE COTTAGE (UNLESS, OF COURSE, PUTTERING IS your THING).

A DIY A-frame with a climbing wall • Cheerfully cool and brimming with good vibes, Andrew Szeto is inspiring millions to manifest their own country cabins

Learn how to build a sailing canoe • Who says you need to paddle? Outfit your canoe with a set of sails, and let nature do the work

Grill Guide: Pizza edition • Pizza ovens are the hot thing—and for good reason. They get food on the table in a flash, and everyone can DIY their dinner. What’s more cottagey than that?

Facts about moose • As the largest deer species in the world, it’s no surprise that moose can beat you in a race just days after being born

The definition of a thunderbox