Haliburton Area

Haliburton Highlands is a land of rugged beauty, crystal clear lakes and streams, lovely forests with trails, and friendly relaxing communities. The area is only a little over a two hour drive from Toronto and is easily one of the most scenic preferred vacation destinations in the province. Numerous lakes offer Haliburton cottage owners, year-round lakefront homeowners, and recreational enthusiasts of all ages wonderful boating, excellent fishing, water skiing, sailing, kayaking, and canoeing. Several multi lake chains allow hundreds of kilometers of uninterrupted boating and host fishing derbies and sailing races.

There are seven golf courses with a great variety of scenery and difficulty. Minden's Beaverbrook, Kashagawigamog's Ridge North, Lakeside in West Guilford, and Cedar Meadows at the Elephant Lake Lodge near Harcourt and Wilberforce have nine-hole courses. Eighteen-hole challenges are enjoyed at Blairhampton and Pinestone (both just west of Haliburton Village), and Harcourt's Martin Wood. There are several four-season family resorts that offer visitors and locals a variety of activities and fine dining. The Wigamog Inn on Lake Kashagawigamog is the oldest dating back to the 1890's. With a large sandy beach, live entertainment, a variety of rooms and even condominiums, the Inn shares cross country ski trails with the Delta Pinestone Golf and Conference Centre. The Pinestone's championship par-71 golf course also hosts sled dog races and skijoring (skiers assisted by racing dogs!) competitions open to the public.

Other notable fine/bistro dining is found at the Bonnie View Inn on Lake Kashagawigamog (lovely dining room, lodging, and friendly chef-proprietors), the Domain of Killien on Drag Lake (resort with ski trails, French chef and cooking classes), McKeck's Place (fancy sports decor family dining in Village of Haliburton, owned and run by Walt McKeck, retired NHL), and Old Country House (international, authentic dishes by a Jamaican-Irish chef) and Tracey's Bistro and Grill (variety of cuisines including French and Italian, outdoor terrace dining) both in downtown Haliburton.

There are quaint shops with all kinds of local and regionally produced fine and folk art, antiques, crafts, furniture, clothing, and sports equipment. All year long there are daily and weekly events too numerous to mention with all sorts of cultural, artistic, hobby, athletic and musical activities. These events are hosted by service organizations, churches, clubs, villages, and municipalities. There are facilities/clubs available for skating, curling, ice hockey, skiing, tennis, Frisbee golf, pool, gardening, cards, horseback riding, horseshoes, and many more.

In winter, the Snowmobile Association grooms and maintains over 600 kilometers of trails, the Haliburton Forest has 300 kilometers of its own, and the Haliburton Highlands Trails and Tours Network includes former railbeds, now multi-use trails that connect virtually every village and large lake all the way to the Algonquin Provincial Park.

Cross-country ski enthusiasts have over 100 kilometers of trails, including Glebe Park on the north side of Head Lake at the Village of Haliburton, and Camp Wanakita with the Frost Centre have additional trails. Downhill skiers enjoy Sir Sam's Ski Hill at Eagle Lake. One of the finest ski centres in eastern Canada, it sports twelve runs, six lifts including two quad chairs, a board park hill, and a huge chalet with a ski school, cafeteria, bar, coffee booths, and great views of the ski hill. Don't forget to go see the sled dogs and plan a trip to pilot your own dogsled at the Haliburton Forest! You can start out with a one and a half hour introduction trip or try half or full day trips- do you remember Sergeant Preston (early television show about a mountie, who traveled by dogsled in the Yukon)?

February is a focal month as Winterfest (numerous ice carnivals) is held all across the county on weekends. Many gallons of maple syrup are produced privately as well as commercially across the county and the Maplefest tour is held in April. From June through August there are weekly events of all kinds including arts and craft fairs, live theater and concerts (the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion has packages), garden tours, agricultural fairs, and fishing derbies. A highlight in mid-July is the Highland Games in Haliburton Village including Scottish music and dance, heavy events, Border Collie sheep herding demonstrations and more. The summer also means endless forest trails along streams and waterfalls for walking, bird watching, photography, and camping.

Haliburton is home to The School of Fine Arts and Sir Sanford Fleming College, including full time students working toward degrees as well as a variety of continuing education opportunities. Great artisans teach weekend, weeklong, and season long classes. Haliburton Forest is famous for its fifteen acre wolf pack enclosure, currently home to ten wolves. The educational centre there teaches much about how the wolves survive and why they are important to the balance of nature. One way glass allows close up observation of the wolves relaxing, playing, and eating. The Forest's unique Canopy Tour is a four hour adventure including canoeing in large "war" canoes, hiking, and walking in the specially constructed walkway system up to seventy feet off the ground through the trees.

The last weekend in September brings the brilliant colors of the changing foliage and the well organized Studio Tour. Maps and signs are provided to guide you to dozens of locations as artists of all disciplines open their workplaces/homes to explain, display, and sell their creations.

I will be happy to show you examples of how Haliburton real estate is priced so favorably compared with many other retirement and vacation destinations including the Muskokas. Whether you are looking for a waterfront cottage property, lakeside home, large estate, commercial resort, or an affordable home in this beautiful area, call me so I can comprehensively answer your real estate questions. Together we can develop a strategy for you to succeed in this dynamic market, and a way to turn your dreams into reality!