Dorset is a small community located on the boundary between the Algonquin Highlands Township in Haliburton County, Ontario and Lake of Bays Municipality in Muskoka District, Canada. Dorset was originally called Cedar Narrows. In 1859 Francis Harvey became the first European settler here. Zachariah Cole mapped out the area for the government around 1860. The community name was chosen by some of the settlers that came from Dorset, England.
As of 2009[update], Dorset has a local permanent population of approximately 400 although these numbers increase more than tenfold in the summer months due to cottagers and vacationers.