Places to Hike and See In and Around Haliburton Highlands

Boy was it every busy in and around the County today!  Everyone must be getting ready for some fabulous Canada Day celebrations.

While driving home tonight,  I had a thought;  I wondered how many people knew about some of the lesser known treasures around and thought it might be fun to share them with you.  We will feature a few every once in a while.

First place we found (thanks to an article in The Highlander Handbook was

Photo by Chalet-In-The-Woods Bed & Breakfast

Snowdon Park in Minden Hills

Snowdon Park is a wetland and forest preserve established through the cooperation of the Township of Minden Hills and the Haliburton Highlands Field Naturalists.

The entrance roadway is located 0.3 km south of the junction of Gelert Road and South Lake Road (County Road 16). Then proceed 0.7 km westward off the Gelert Road along the entrance roadway to the kiosk.

Walk the Brenda Ann Chambers Trail System. A self-guided, level route through an upland mixed forest. The main Wetland Trail is about 2.9 km in length. There are several short side trails and loops. A portion of the trails is wheelchair accessible and leads to a platform which overlooks a shallow, open-water march. Along the route are excellent examples of a large fen complex, a swamp hardwood forest and wetlands, including a shallow open water marsh adjacent to a viewing platform.

The platform is a wonderful spot to be just before sunset. The sun sets on the far side of the marsh making for lovely photo opportunities, year round.

Have your camera ready, you never know what you might see. Keep an eye out for birds such as Ravens, Gray Jays, Blue jays, Nuthatches, wild Turkeys, various species of Woodpeckers and Chickadees.

Although most people will visit Snowdon Park during the summer and fall months, in the spring many migrant birds arrive and in the evenings, the mating calls of frogs and toads fill the air.

In the months of winter, don your snowshoes and you will see a different park. There are many animals that frequent the wetlands and forests during the cold months, as evidenced by tracks in the snow and it is a wonderful place to spot the tracks of deer, fisher, otter, fox and perhaps ... if you are lucky ... the animals themselves. Moose have been observed walking across the fen.

Users of the trail are advised to wear appropriate footwear, especially in wet times of the year. Boardwalks have been constructed to ensure the protection of the ground surface and natural water flows.

Your are encouraged and invited to visit in all seasons but are advised you might find it a little uncomfortable during the period of heavy bug traffic.

Second place we are featuring is the Hawk Lake Chute and we thank Ontario Highlands, Stanhope Museum and a book called The Land Between for bring to our attention this gem; 

Hawk Lake Log Chute

Hawk Lake Log Chute -
photo Stanhope Heritage Discover Museum

Logging makes up an important part of Ontario’s history. Throughout the 1800s, thousands of men carried logs over turbulent river waters to be delivered to the sawmill via log chutes, just like the Hawk Lake Log Chute in Haliburton Highlands. 

View this last remaining chute in Ontario, which was built in 1861 and has now been restored and declared a historic site. Bring your camera because you won’t want to miss the opportunity to photograph the natural beauty of the Log Chute and the surrounding views. 

While you’re at the Log Chute, stop by the adjacent Stanhope Museum to learn more about the history of the region. 

Highlights: 

• Relax with a picnic lunch beside the roaring waters.
• Follow the Log Chute Trail through lovely, sun-dappled woods.
• Stand face-to-face with 2 million-year-old rock.
• Discover the abundant local flora and fauna that live in this rocky terrain.
• Bring your fishing gear, and keep your fingers crossed for a nice, fat bass!

Directions
From the intersection of Hwys 118 and 35 in the hamlet of Carnarvon, go north on Hwy 35 about 5 km to North Shore Rd. and 1 km along North Shore Rd. The museum is on your left.

Carnarvon is
24 km west of the village of Haliburton along Hwy 118;
20 km north of Minden along Hwy 35; and
25 km south of Dorset along Hwy 35

GPS coordinates
45.074621, -78.715374

                                                                                            ~~ Article by Ontario Highlands 

Third place we are featuring is thanks to an article that appeared on our Facebook page... and it looked like fun.

Geocaching Capital of Canada

In Ontario, deep in the Haliburton Highlands in the Municipality of Highlands East and at the South Gate of Algonquin Park a string of seven hamlets make up the Geocaching Capital of Canada:

Irondale, Gooderham, Tory Hill, Wilberforce, Harcourt, Highland Grove and Cardiff.

These communities welcome you to explore the natural beauty of the area and enjoy treasure hunting at its best!

The Geocaching Capital of Canada GeoTour is a collection of geocaches spread across the breadth of the 7 hamlets that make up the Geocaching Capital of Canada.

The Municipality of Highlands East is Yours to Explore so come and let this unique collection of 100 caches take you on an exploration of pristine lakes, scenic locations, and historical sites. Each family-friendly cache shares a giggle, an interesting fact or a breath-taking location.

A downloadable passport helps you to keep track of your finds and milestone rewards will keep you coming back until you've found all 100 geocaches!

Download the entire Geocaching Capital of Canada GeoTour into your GPS at www.geocaching.com/play/geotours/geocaching-capital-of-canada or scroll down for more on how to play.

And Summer Begins ~ 2015

Welcome to the official start of the summer season.  Sorry we have not been blogging for a while.  That doesn't mean that things haven't been happening in the Haliburton Highlands and surrounding area.  Winter was got off to a slow start but sure picked up with some exciting events in Cross Country Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmobiling and Skating, Dogsledding, along with all the Winter Festivals we had this year.  Lots of fun.

Summer brings with it and whole new bunch of adventures.  If the truth be known it is probably a favourite with many as the children are off school and it is time for family reunions, renewing friendships, weddings, anniversaries or just mellowing out down at the lake with the family.

Haliburton Highlands and area - known by some as The Land Between - which just about covers the area we travel, has lots of great events, food, fishing and shopping to keep you busy on rainy days or times you just want to travel around.  These notes are the best way to keep you up to date with all the happenings.

We will start with  Highlands Summer Festival -

Runs June 29th ~ July 3rd and July 6th to July 9th. All performances start at 8:00 pm

Phone: 705-457-9933 for further information.

Lend Me A Tenor

by Ken Ludwig

Highlands Summer Festival begins the season with quite possibly the funniest play written in the past 30 years. Playwright Ken Ludwig has the amazing ability to write in a style that is both reminiscent of the 1930s and distinctly modern at the same time. The result is frenzied hilarity, filled with mistaken identities, forbidden romances, slamming doors, and a coterie of characters that the New York Times calls “one of the two great farces by a living writer.” Set in the 1930s, Lend Me A Tenor is a madcap screwball comedy that takes place when Tito Merelli, the fiery-tempered and world famous Italian superstar, arrives in Cleveland, Ohio to make his debut with the local opera and promptly goes missing. As Saunders, the show’s presenter, conspires to cover for Tito’s absence, placate his hot-blooded wife, and distract his most passionate fans, chaos on a truly operatic level ensues. There is lots of slamming doors and characters in their underwear, so you know it will be an uproarious evening.

Haliburton Farmers Market is on Tuesday afternoon at Head Lake Park in the Village of Haliburton. Fresh season produce, meat, cheese, preserves, hand milled flour, hand crafted items, and lots more. Every week is a surprise. So much to see at the market from 12 - 4 pm on Tuesday at Head Lake Park, 12 - 4 pm in Carnarvon and Saturday at Minden 10 am - 2 pm.

Kinmount Farmers Market ~ Come between the hours of 9 am and 2 pm to visit a unique Farmers’ Market situated off Main Street Kinmount along the Burnt River. Turn west at Gateway Store by the bridge. The charming riverside setting between the Historic Kinmount Railway Station and the Austin Sawmill Heritage Park, offers a tranquil setting for a beautiful Saturday morning at the market.  http://www.kinmountfarmersmarket.ca for more information.

Canada Day 

Pinegrove Point Campground
Fireworks. Entertainment will be provided by the band "Salty Dog" on Saturday June 28th. Band starts at 8:00. This year we will be doing a 50/50 draw to raise money to purchase a defibrillator for the park. Please help us reach our goal. It may save a loved ones life one day!!!

Gooderham
Come celebrate Canada Day in Gooderham! Ball Game, Horseshoe Tourney, Kid's Stuff, Firefighters' BBQ, Outdoor Concert by the Highlands Trio, begins at 7pm, and Spectacular Fireworks at Dusk, Bring your own lawn chair.

Wilberforce Red Cross Outpost
Join us at the Wilberforce Red Cross Outpost for an afternoon of events celebrating Canada Day.

 

West Guilford 

Come Join in and celebrate Canada's birthday with games, cake, evening fire works and much more.

Minden Hills

A celebration of our Nation's birthday! There will be live music, classic car show, crazy river raft race, rubber ducky race, live performances by Haliburton Dance Academy and Highland Dancers, a hands on presentation by "Mad Science", free ice cream sponsored by Kawartha Dairy and so much more. FIREWORKS at dusk at the Minden Fairgrounds put on by the Minden Volunteer Fire Department.Download the  Schedule of Events  for detailed information. 

Teddy Bear Picnic @ Haliburton Highlands Museum
Children, grown-ups and teddy bears are invited to the Haliburton Highlands Museum for an afternoon of crafts, activities and entertainment! Dress up your teddy bear in celebration of Canada's birthday for the chance to win special prizes!

We will end here and we are going to try to get some more notes off to you about some more upcoming events.  Like a Mermaid Camp for children  - sounds wonderful.

Enjoy your stay with us.  We are so happy to have you.

Bill  & everyone at 

WRD Cottage Rental Agency
 

Monday, April 28th

It is such a beautiful day in the Haliburton Highlands.  The sun is warm - the birds are flitting around and to use a Thumper expression in Bambi, so many of them are "twitter pated"!    It is not just what we can see but there are also the sounds,  which includes the sound of the grouse thumping their wings and the woodpeckers  pecking away at anything that will make a loud noise (which includes gazebos, antennas or anything metal - the louder the better) to mark their territories.    Not to be left out the geese and ducks are walking in pairs on the frozen parts of the lakes and swimming on the remainder that is thawed.  Have not seen any any Loons or Hummingbirds, have to keep remembering everything two short weeks ago was snow covered!

Even though this is a large country side - you have to wonder how much territory is left after after the little and the big animals stakes their turf.  Thank goodness, the deer, moose and bear pick the Fall Season to do their thing.

It sure has been a long Winter but, being Canadian, it is being stored in the memory banks so we can talk about it a later date in a "remember when" story.

#MyHaliburtonHighlands posted this on Facebook today.  I think it says it all.

Enjoy this beautiful day

Bill 

Welcome to the WRD Cottage Rental Blog

Saturday, April 26th, 2014

It has taken a lot of thought but today, we are stepping into the Blog World to let you know who we are and about our area.

WRD Cottage Rental Agency represents over 180 cottages around Central Ontario, Canada.   The Central Ontario we know includes, Haliburton Highands, Muskoka, Kawartha Lakes and the Ottawa Region with the majority of the cottages we represent being in the Haliburton Highlands.

We are a family oriented agency who has been in the business of putting families and vacations together for almost 20 years.   If you are one of many people who are wondering if you can afford a summer vacation, look upon cottage rental as the perfect way to have a great vacation without draining your bank account.  In addition, in a private cottage rental setting,  you get to schedule meal times,  recreation times, travel times and if you want to sleep in - you can (if the children will let you)!

The vast majority of the cottages are lake front.  Most of the cottages come equipped with TV's and games, many come with a boat or canoe of some type (you provide the water jackets).  All cottages provide family together time on your schedule.  We invite you to take a look at our web site http://www.ontariocottagerental.com and the broad range of prices per week over the summer months.  Fall, Winter and Spring some properties will provide weekend rentals.

We look forward to introducing you to the activities in and around us and introducing you to the beauty that is Central Ontario or as it is starting to become known as "The Land Between"