Country Living at its Best

Smell that fresh air, hear the birds sing, see the stars at night while having a campfire

Have the occasional visit from a chipmunk looking for a peanut or a deer wandering through or the duck family looking for a slice of bread

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Haliburton Highlands

The Loralea Country Inn Resort is residing in the north western part of the Highlands on Highway #35 between Minden and Dorset Ontario at Halls Lake.

Since we live here we thought we would tell you a little about the Haliburton Highlands.

Ontario's hidden outdoor recreation, education and entertainment gem is the Haliburton Forest.

The Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve Ltd., is a unique, privately owned forest located on 70,000 acres of rolling hardwood forests, beautiful lakes, meandering rivers and extensive wetlands in the Haliburton Highlands of northern Ontario, 3 hours from Toronto.

An outdoor lover's paradise, Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve Ltd, features wilderness adventure activities including the Wolf Centre, the Walk in the Clouds forest canopy tour, groomed snowmobile trails, mountain biking, dog sledding, fishing, hiking, astronomy, wildlife observation, wilderness camping and accommodations, and in 2012 North America's longest zip-line.

Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, referred to as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills would be the county seat.

The Haliburton County was established in 1983, but had existed as the Provisional County of Haliburton since 1874.

Haliburton County and the village of Haliburton, are named after Thomas Chandler Haliburton, author, statesman, and the first chairman of the Canadian Land and Emigration Company.

Haliburton is actually a village residing on Head Lake inside Haliburton County which is its namesake.

Head Lake is fed by the Drag River, which flows south from Drag Lake.

The county also contains the village of Minden, as well as the tiny communities of Wilberforce, Gooderham, Irondale, Cardiff, West Guilford, Eagle Lake and Fort Irwin.

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Problem with loading video above click here Haliburton Highlands

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Location of the Haliburton Highlands

Located north east of Toronto, the Haliburton Highlands is a pleasurable two and a half hour drive from the city of Toronto and roughly 3 hours from Ottawa through spectacular scenery. Algonquin Park is on the northern border and Muskoka Ontario on the west, the Haliburton region is quickly being discovered by nature lovers and tourists for outdoor all seasons recreation.

Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario and is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Its size 7653 square kilometres, combined with its proximity to the major urban centres of Toronto and Ottawa, makes Algonquin one of the most popular provincial parks in the province and the entire country. Highway 60 runs through the south of the park, while the Trans-Canada Highway bypasses it to the north.

Over 2,400 lakes and 1,200 kilometres of streams and rivers are located within the park. 90% of our resort quests in summer head over to Algonquin Park, only 40 minutes away and makes for a great days outing.

The Haliburton Highlands region of Ontario provides 4 seasons of outdoor splendor and because of the natural beauty of this area, and abundance of lakes and rivers, there is a long historical past of summer cottagers and visitors.

Because of the surge of curiosity in winter outdoor activity and popularity of the magnificent Fall Colours the Haliburton Highlands has become a 4 season destination.

Visitors and residents looking for something to do within the County are encouraged to select 'Tourism' and enter www.haliburtonholidays.com the County's gateway to a complete list of events and season-by-season selection of things to do and places to stay in the Highlands or see our Activities Page or blog on Things To Do In Haliburton

The county is serviced by a couple of hospitals, one in the town of Haliburton and the other in Minden.

The two are administrated by Haliburton Highlands Health Services.

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Lakes and Rivers

Haliburton county is spotted with many rivers and fresh water lakes, many of these lakes are fueled by natural springs. Some of the major lakes are as follows:

• Bitter Lake
• Burdock Lake
• Boshkung Lake
• Drag Lake
• Gull Lake
• Haliburton Lake
• Halls Lake - (That's Our Home Base)
• Hawk Lake
• Head Lake
• Lake Kashagawigamog
• Kawagama Lake
• Kennisis Lake
• Kushog Lake
• Minden Lake
• Mountain Lake
• Paudash Lake
• Redstone Lake
• Salerno Lake
• Twelve Mile Lake
• Wenona Lake

Trails and Tours Network

Hike, bike, slide, ride - you can do it all in Haliburton County! The Haliburton Highlands Trails and Tours Network can help you do it in the outdoors. The Trails and Tours Network is an organization dedicated to the development and promotion of trails and tours in Haliburton County.

They strive to provide quality recreational trail and tour opportunities for visitors and residents, protect the health and beauty of the natural environment, enhance the local economy, promote healthy lifestyles and foster community pride and participation.

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Things to Do - Recreation and Activities

Haliburton provides

• Bountiful fishing - Ice Fishing Ontario
• Seven challenging golf courses
• Wilderness hiking and canoeing
• Snowshoeing - rentals are available nearby
• Downhill and cross country skiing
• Dog sledding very popular
• Snowmobiling
• Canopy tour Haliburton Forest Reserve
• Atv touring
• Artists studio tours
• As well as a wide variety of other outdoor experiences.

Haliburton County's economy is dominated by tourism, due to the regions many rivers and lakes.

The ratio of residences occupied in the summer months, to households occupied year-round is four to one.

Employment basically caters to the needs of this seasonal population, including residential building, lodges, resorts, motels, service providers and retail.

The Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce wants to see every business in Haliburton County a thriving, successful venture year round, bringing wealth and prosperity to both the business community and its people.

The Haliburton Highlands Nordic Trails Association has developed and maintains a series of trail systems comprising over 70 km of well groomed Cross Country ski trails throughout Haliburton County. The non-profit community based association is dedicated to the maintenance of these high quality groomed trails that will provide enjoyment for skiers of all levels.

The Haliburton Outdoor Association was founded in 1992, the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association (HHOA) is a dynamic association committed to the sustainable management of our natural resources.

Their goals include:

• supporting the tourism and economic base in Haliburton County
• promoting the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing
• working towards improving wildlife and fish habitats
• educating members and the public on game and fish management

Since 1998, the HHOA Hatchery has raised and stocked more than 450,000 fish in over 100 lakes across Haliburton County and surrounding areas. This significant contribution has been key to the rehabilitation of the Haliburton Gold and Kingscote strain of Lake Trout. Other projects have included: lake access clean up, shoal spawning and stream restoration, emergency deer feeding and a wildlife seeding program. In 2012, the HHOA Hatchery will celebrate reaching the half million mark for fish raised in our hatchery and released in Haliburton waters.

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Arts and Culture

The Haliburton Highlands is home to a thriving arts community. The County is dotted by galleries, both public and private, offering events, programs and workshops to the public. Artists studios might be found in almost every community, many offering public demonstrations, small galleries, and speciality classes.

Haliburton on top of that provides a wide variety of educational and cultural opportunities which include Fleming College, the Haliburton School of Fine arts, Highlands Summer Festival, the Haliburton Highlands Film Festival, art galleries, museums, heritage sites, artist studio tours, two modern day public libraries, and a lot more.

Haliburton County Community Fact Overview

Population 16,526 with an average household income of $44,765

The Township of Algonquin Highlands Population 1,976

The Municipality of Dysart et al Population 5,526, including the Village of Haliburton, dominated by forestry and tourism. Home to Haliburton School of the Arts, part of Fleming College

The Municipality of Highlands East Population 3,089, seasonal population of 13,000, vast rural area with forestry and mining

The Township of Minden Hills Population 5,556, including the Village of Minden

The County is also home to a satellite campus of Fleming College, Haliburton campus opened in Oct. 2004 with a $5.5 million SuperBuild grant and $2.5 in private donations. Land for the campus was donated by the municipality. The facility includes 3 spacious art studios, six classrooms, a library, and a campus store see Haliburton Fleming College

If you are seeking a great place in which to live, work and play then the Highlands Is A Natural Work of Art - Haliburton Highlands Lake Country Resort

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Halls Lake One Of Many in the Highlands

 

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Your Relaxing Getaway 2012 in the Haliburton Highlands

 

Loralea Country Inn Resort
Halls Lake 17560 Highway #35
Algonquin Highlands Ontario Canada
K0M 1J2

Local Phone (705) 489-2048
Toll Free (800) 461-6557

This page was updated on 20-apr-12

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