Fernleigh Lodge – a year-round getaway

Jeff Green | Jun 01, 2016

When Fernleigh Lodge first opened 95 years ago on Kashwakamak Lake, in what was then known as Clarendon and Miller Township, the region was just being opened up for tourists and cottagers.

The lodge was located on a one-lane road. It had no electricity and no indoor plumbing. All the logs for its heritage buildings had been floated down the lake and then hewn by hand. In the early years Fernleigh Lodge was supported by fishermen, and that was men only until the 1940s, mostly from the United States.

John Ahr, the original owner, saw the potential of float planes and built the lodge as one of the early fly-in resorts, to save visitors the long and difficult drive from New York State, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio.

The lodge had one of the first gas-powered boat motors, a 2hp motor. Since there was only one motor, they would tie the boats together, use the motor to pull the boats down the lake and then they would drift back.

The lodge today is far removed from those early days, but at its core is Kashwakamak Lake, a prime fishing destination, and one of the most beautiful lakes along the upper Mississippi watershed.

Along with the newly constructed premium suites at the lodge are a number of original cabins, many of which have recently been fully renovated within the original frame.

The main dining room and kitchen are housed in the original log building. The hand-hewn beams are intact as are the well-preserved walls and floors, although the facilities have been fully redesigned for modern use. Wifi is available on the comfortable covered deck overseeing Kashwakamak Lake. The view is the same; the lake is the same as it was back then; but getting away from it all is different at Fernleigh Lodge today than it was back then.

Kevin Phillips has been coming to Fernleigh Lodge all his life. His family made the trip up to the lodge each summer from their home in Ohio when he was a kid, and his parents became Fernleigh Lodge's owners in 1981. They were dedicated to keeping up the tradition of John Ahr and his nephew John Green, who took over the lodge when Ahr died in 1961.

At one time there were a number of lodges and marinas up and down Kash Lake, as it is known locally, including: Twin Oaks, Evergreen and Aragain. Now, only Fernleigh remains, and in order to continue to thrive, Kevin Phillips, with his wife Melissa, have made major changes to the facilities and programming, adapting the lodge for year-round use.

When Kevin inherited the lodge from his parents, he decided to make the lodge his focus, while still maintaining KP Plumbing, the business he has been running in North Frontenac for many years.

“I love this place; always have,” he said, “and I knew that in order to continue to operate we needed to upgrade, offer more activities, make cabins available year-round for ice fishers, skiers, hikers - everyone who can appreciate how beautiful the four seasons are in this region.”

The premium cabins that have been built were the first step in the transformation of the lodge. They are two-storey, 1100 square foot buildings that sleep seven and include fully equipped kitchens and living rooms, with sun rooms facing the bay.

Renovations to the lodge’s main kitchen and dining room followed, and then full-scale upgrades to a number of the original cabins were made. There are now tennis courts, trails, playgrounds, a beach, and many other features at the lodge for the use of patrons. Packages are available that include meals and motor boats.

“Now that we are open year-round, we are hosting more weddings and conferences or retreats, hunters, and families seeking a getaway from the daily grind. We rent by the week in the summer but the terms are more flexible in the off-season,” said Kevin

The latest venture at the lodge is a sports store, which is opening this week. Fishing rods and reels, tackle, and other equipment, clothing of all kinds, and more is available at the store, which will be open year-round.

“Now that we are the only lodge on the lake, and one of the only places anywhere in North Frontenac offering year-round accommodations, we decided to bring our sporting goods store, which had been located in Brockville, back to North Frontenac,” he said.

North Frontenac residents, cottagers and visitors now have a full service fishing store available all season long.

Fernleigh Lodge can be accessed off Road 506 by taking the South Road at Fernleigh and following the signs. For more information go to Fernleighlodge.com or call toll free 1-866-459-9909.