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Haliburton County, Ontario
Haliburton Highlands
Hundreds of lakes south of Algonquin, with a sculpture trail in the woods, a wolf centre and canopy boardwalk in a private forest, a lookout tower and quiet rail trails.
Photo: The village of Haliburton and Head Lake, P199, CC BY-SA 3.0
The village of Haliburton sits on Head Lake, at the heart of a county with hundreds of lakes. The Haliburton Sculpture Forest, beside Fleming College's campus, tucks art among the trees on free walking trails.
North of town, Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve is a huge private forest with a wolf centre and a canopy boardwalk up in the treetops. Minden, on the Gull River, is 25 minutes south.
Outdoors and nature
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
Haliburton County Rail Trail
A rail trail through forest and past lakes, starting in the village.
Minden Riverwalk and the Gull River
A riverside walk in Minden, near whitewater rapids used by paddlers.
Silent Lake Provincial Park
A quiet, motor-free lake with trails and paddling.
Dorset Lookout Tower
A lookout tower high above Lake of Bays, famous in fall.
Sights and attractions
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
Haliburton Sculpture Forest
Dozens of sculptures along forest trails by Fleming College.
Haliburton Highlands Museum
Local history, with pioneer buildings on the grounds.
Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre
Watch a wolf pack from a viewing area in a large enclosure.
Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve
Trails, lakes and a canopy boardwalk in a huge private forest.
Markets, shops and festivals
Main streets, markets and the dates worth planning around.
Village of Haliburton shops
Highland Street's shops, cafés and galleries.
Book a tour or activity
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
Yours Outdoors guided experiences
Guided art, culture and nature outings in the Haliburton Highlands.
Also bookable, listed above
These are in the lists above, so we don't repeat them here.
- Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre Experience
- Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve Tickets
- Highlands Summer Festival Show
Part of our Ontario Highlands guides.
Make it a weekend
Why stay the night
- Haliburton Forest is a full day on its own.
- The Dorset lookout tower is best in fall colour time.
- Lake sunsets and starry skies are the evening programme.
Nearby and worth the drive
The road into Algonquin.
Algonquin Parkabout 75 min · Guide ↗Highway 60 trails and moose.
Mindenabout 25 min · Guide ↗The Gull River and its riverwalk.
Ready-made trips with Haliburton Highlands
Good to know
- Tourism: myhaliburtonhighlands.com.
- We list only places we can check against an official source. Hours, seasons and prices change, so confirm before you go.
Photos on this page
Photo: The village of Haliburton and Head Lake, P199, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: The Gull River in Minden, MikeStnly, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: "Sleep of the Huntress" in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, Fakeman73, Public domain
Photo: A wolf at the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre, No machine-readable author provided. Donnagee assumed (based on copyright claims, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Basecamp at Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve, Haliburton Forest Wildlife Reserve, CC BY-SA 4.0