Yup. There are several options,, including rental and fractional ownership (or amenable friends!). Still not cheap but without all the capital and maintenance stuff.
I suppose it's a matter of perspective. I didn't grow up with a cottage but my wife did and has the childhood memories of that, which amplifies the bitterness when the 'family compact' disintegrated. Another problem with owning a cottage is the tendency to absorb all available vacation time; if your available blood and treasure is sunk into a cottage, it's often hard to justify taking a trip, etc. unless your are well heeled.
The matter of the weekly trek is something I never desired to do. Even today, if I desire to go for a day-ride on my bike, I avoid weekends. In days or yore, it was not uncommon for the 'wife and kids' to spend all summer at the cottage and the bread-winner to trek up on the weekend. I'm not sure how prevalent that is now.
If your sitting on your parents' or grandparents'' cottage in traditional cottage country that cost them a couple of grand, you are sitting on a goldmine but, as many families have learned, there are estate tax pitfalls that can bite if you're not prepared. As for getting in now, take a stroll through the real estate website for Muskoka.