Bobs Lake is located in Ontario, 1 hr 40 minutes from Ottawa, 45 minutes from Kingston, 3 - 3 1/2 hours from Toronto. It is a 7 hour drive from Philadelphia and a 3 hour drive from Syracuse. There is an airport in Kingston, 45 minutes from the cottage. You can also fly to Ottowa and it is a 1 hr 40 minute drive to the cottage.

No matter where you are coming from, you have to get to Route 38. Mapquest will tell you how to get there.  For your destination address, type in:

City: Tichborne   State: Ontario

Directions from Ottowa:

Take highway 416 to highway 7 and continue through Perth and Maberly to highway 38.

Turn south through Sharbot Lake and continue through Oconto. Turn left on Bradshaw Road.

Directions from Highway 401:

Take exit 611, then turn north on highway 38. Continue through Tichborne to Bradshaw Road. Turn Right.

Directions from Bradshaw Road:

Follow Bradshaw Road. You’ll cross over the railroad tracks. Follow Bradshaw road past the township dump [where you’ll be bringing your garbage at the end of your stay], and the Pine Shores sign.

Cross over Pine Cone Lane and continue a few yards to Pine Shore Marina Lane. Turn left into the Marina.

If prearranged, you will be met at the Marina. There will be one parking spot at the Marina. Other cars in your party can park on the side of the road or in the lot at the top of the road before you hit Pine Shore Marina Lane.

In addition, here are detailed directions from Philadelphia

76 West to 476 North. Toll booth for northeast extension [formerly Route 9, but now you are just going further on 476 North) Go 66 miles to Lehigh Tunnel [66 miles]; exit 39 marked Clark Summit/Scranton to 81 NORTH - Wilkes-Barre. You will stay on 81 north all the way up to Watertown. Here are some markers. 

Binghamton takes 3 hours (180 mi), Cortland is the halfway mark and 3 1⁄2 hours [222 mi], Syracuse is 4 hrs [253 mi] and Watertown is 5 hours. 

Right before you enter NY, if you’re hungry, Dobbs is a really good diner right off of exit 230 [it closes its doors at 8:45 PM.] It is just about 3 hours from Philadelphia, or 162 miles. Two nice towns to stop in for ice cream are Whitney Point [exit 8, 192 miles from Philadelphia.] They have a liquor store there as well. 

Into NY, further up is Nedrow Fireside Diner, off of exit 16. That one is grungier than Dobbs, run by American Indians, fun and cheap.

Pulawski [after you have passed Syracuse] has 28 flavors of soft ice cream at the shop right before you get back onto 81 North [the route takes you through the whole town however.} Also tackle shops there. 

At Watertown, take exit 45 for a great supermarket [Price Chopper]. You will see the red and white Staples sign from the expressway. Price Chopper is right next to Staples. Fill up your tank. Gas is more expensive in Canada

After Watertown, you will still be on 81 North and you will see signs for Thousand Island Bridge/ Canada. Follow those signs and you will shortly be at the border [you’re allowed to take in 2 bottles of wine]. After customs, start calculating from 0 [push the little button that gives you 0000] 

Right after customs to the right you will see the sky deck, and Black and Decker factory outlet. That’s a good place to change your money and get a fishing license. 

Take 401 West {towards Kingston, Toronto}

At 34.8 miles, take exit 611.

Turn left onto 38 North, towards Sharbot Lake [if you get to Sharbot Lake, you’ve gone too far].

[You can take a detour into Kingston by turning right. There is a great supermarket just five minutes down the road and then to the right [Loblows] and a COSTCO’s five minutes down the road and then turn left.] 

At 50.3 miles, right before the town of Verona, is the last supermarket you will pass, called IGA.

At 55.9 is Ball Outdoors to the left [they sell boats]. Next door is the last place to get gas (which you should have gotten in US where it is cheaper).

At 64.9 is the town of Parham. Right away, at 65 miles, bear right to stay on 38 North [a closed “Foodtown” may still have it’s sign out]

At 66.8 is the town of Tichborne

At 67.3 you cross railroad tracks 

At 68.1 you will see a sign that says, BRADSHAW ROAD TO BOB’S LAKE ROAD

TURN RIGHT AT THAT SIGN ONTO BRADSHAW ROAD and put the numbers back to 000.  

You will very quickly see a sign on the right that Welcomes you to Bedford Township.

At .5, cross railroad tracks and KEEP STRAIGHT, continuing on Bradshaw. DO NOT TURN RIGHT ONTO BOB’S LAKE ROAD. Follow signs to Brown’s Camp

At 1.3 miles the road gets worse

At 2.2 miles, turn RIGHT. Follow signs to Bedford Twp Dump [do not go left to Brown’s]

You’re still on Bradshaw Rd. 

Road gets worse. At 2.5 miles, the dump is on the left and you will see a Pine Shores sign. At 2.9 is a swamp on the right 

At 3.1, cross over Pine Cone Lane and continue to Pine Shore Marina Lane at 3.1 miles.

MAKE A LEFT on Pine Shore Marina Lane, and find a parking spot on the side of the road, [not the numbered spots] unless you are parking by prior arrangement in our spot, in which case you need to leave a note for the owner in the shack. You’ll need to have a boat at the Marina or be picked up by someone with a boat. If you are renting from us, we will either arrange to have someone meet you with our dingy, and show you to our cottage, or direct you by cell phone to the cottage.  If you have a canoe or Kayak, it should take about 15 minutes. By motorboat, it’s about 2-3 minutes. 

(These obsessive directions are dedicated to my friend Harriet, who got very lost with her husband Steve and tried to give me a psychoanalytic interpretation about my not wanting her to visit.)

TO MAPLE GROVE--    go the same way. About 5 minutes before you hit the Pine Shore Marina, you will hit Steele Road [also Anderson Road on the other side]. You’ll see a little red schoolhouse.  Turn right onto Steele Road and go for about 5 minutes. You will see Maple Grove Estates on the left. Enter and bear left. Go for another five minutes. There are two decision points at the end. Bear left each time.

TO OAKSHORE - go the same way. After you turn off of 38, you’ll be on Bradshaw Road. Turn right immediately after you cross over the railroad tracks [you’ll now be on Bobs Lake Road, though don’t expect a sign.] Follow Bobs Lake road until you get to Oakshore. You’ll see a cut off dead tree with alot of names on it. Bear left onto Oakshore Crescent.