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By: Robert Janis
Haliburton Trails
Lure ATV’ers To Ontario, Canada
The Beach
Hawk Lake Log Chute
Resort during the fall.
Sandy & Santana Walking in the clouds |
American ATV’ers who are adventurous may want
to cross our northern borders to experience the
trails that Canada has to offer. One set of
trails you may want to investigate are the
Haliburton trails in Ontario. Administered by
the Haliburton ATV Association, the trails are
located in the Haliburton, Muskoka, Kawartha,
Peterborough, and Madawaska regions of Ontario.
Trail difficulty runs from forest access roads
to extreme deep wood paths. These paths can be
fairly difficult and so the Haliburton ATV
Association suggests that you seek a member to
serve as a guide to safely tour the area.
There are as many as 40 trails in the system.
They are mostly deep woods trails and include
the Anson Mountain and a number of lakes. Some
also skirt around swampy areas or hard bottom
water crossings as well as crossing creeks via
bridge. The system also includes some
Rail-to-trail routes.
There are a number of resorts and lodges in the
area. One that allows easy access to the trails
is the Loralea Country Inn Resort in Minden
Ontario, Canada. The area of the lodge was
logging country during the late 1800s, explained
Bill Rowe, the current owner of Loralea. He
added that the lodge itself was first
constructed in the 1950s on Halls Lake and was
about twice the size it is today. About 30 or so
years ago the area was subdivided and now
Loralea is a small cottage resort with seven
rental units.
Rowe explained that there are two ways to access
the trails. One is by highway and takes about 15
minutes. The other is by trailer to Pines
Springs where you can unload your ATV and get on
to the trails.
Although guests cannot rent ATVs from Loralea,
Rowe will connect you with the Haliburton ATV
Association who can suggest a number of places
where you can rent a machine. Rowe added that
the Haliburton Association is “very friendly to
new ATVers and willing to help in any way they
can.” He volunteered that the Association
invites tourists to participate in their rides
and provides a guide. “It’s always best to have
an experienced rider with you when hitting
trails for the first time,” he said.
Since the resort is on Hall Lake, guests can get
involved in other activities besides ATVing.
For example, there is swimming, boating, and
fishing. It is said that the lake is a good
source of trout and smallmouth bass. In
addition, there are such activities as
badminton, volleyball, horseshoes, and
shuffleboard on the resort grounds.
The resort is open all year ‘round. Visitors
can take advantage of the seasons. In the winter
many of the trails are open to snowmobiling as
well as cross country skiing, dog sledding, and
downhill skiing. In the spring and summer guests
take advantage of the numerous golf courses in
the area.
There are also a number of sites to visit
including Santa’s Village, Algonquin Park, the
Haliburton Forest Wildlife Preserve, Dorset
Heritage Museum, Dorset Scenic Lookout Tower,
the Haliburton Forest “A Walk In The Clouds,”
and Kartways Amusement Center.
Accommodations include large cottages for up to
eight guests and studio cabins for couples. Most
cabins feature wood-burning fireplaces,
televisions, VCRs, outside furniture so that you
can enjoy the scenic views, and outside firepits.
The large cottages, which feature four bedrooms,
has a weekend rate of $520. The weekend rate for
the studio cabins is $240. The resort is kid
friendly and also allows you to bring your pet.
Loralea Country Inn Resort does not include a
restaurant. However, there are five restaurants
within a 10 minute drive, said Rowe.
For more information about Loralea Country Inn
Resort visit the website at:
www.loraleacountryinnresort.com or
call (800) 461-6557 or (705) 489-2048.
For more information on the Haliburton Trails
and the Haliburton ATV Association visit their
websites:
www.haliburtonatv.com,
www.atvhaliburton.com/trails.html
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