Click here for printer friendly version

Ontario's hidden outdoor recreation, education and entertainment gem.

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.

The following links wilderness adventure or wolf information will provide you with additional information. This array of outdoor opportunities is rounded of by a diversity of educational programs from wilderness survival courses and edible wilds excursions to mountain bike expeditions and leadership challenges. Haliburton Forest specializes in a wide providing a wide array of outdoor education pursuits and workshops. The executive and corporate training programs are designed as wilderness retreats and take full advantage of our stunning surroundings, world class infrastructure and committed, professional staff.

Bordered by Algonquin Park to the north, Haliburton Forest is a prime Ontario wilderness getaway. It is a unique destination for the outdoor and nature loving enthusiast. The following information we hope will provide you with some insight of some of the most prominent features and activities available at Haliburton Forest:

Visit our online Wolf Centre and follow up with a visit in person to this one-of-a-kind, world class facility. Our large, 15 acre enclosure is home to a pack of captive Timber Wolves. The Wolf Centre has an observation room, numerous educational displays as well as a cinema/classroom with daily presentations. The Centre features "the wolf", the top predator across many of this world's forests and range lands. A visit to the centre is a unique opportunity to observe this elusive animal in its natural surroundings and in as close to natural conditions as can be maintained in captivity. Knowledgeable staff and biologists are on site for assistance and interpretation of the resident pack and the numerous exhibits.

This page is full of information on the spectacular array of over 300 km of mountain bike and wilderness trails. It provides our hours of operation, details of the modern rental fleet and bike related services available.

Over fifty lakes, numerous large ponds and miles of streams and creeks await the ardent angler. This is Trout country!! Record Speckled Trout have been caught at Haliburton Forest over the past decades. Additional to the native trout, some lakes support Large and Smallmouth Bass, Sucker, Ling and Perch. Join us to spend a day and enjoy the clean, still head-waters of Haliburton Forest!

With over 70,000 acres of Forest to explore and being the only wholly privately owned snowmobiling operation in the world, the hundreds of kilometers of trails have quickly become Ontario's Snowmobiling Wonderland. Be sure to visit our trail conditions page before you head out on the trails! THINK SNOW!

Are you considering building your own log home or cottage? Are you concerned about our environment and looking for "state of the art" log construction techniques? Then these unpretentious, yet rustic buildings, based on centuries of log construction knowledge, are the right choice for you!

Haliburton Forest is a 70,000 acre classroom! This is the only way to describe the concept of Outdoor Education in this unique facility, which uses all resources at its disposal, be it forest management, horse logging, wolf studies or aquatic ecology. All programs are custom designed and your imagination can be your guide.

Throughout the year a variety of excellent, year round programs and events are offered at Haliburton Forest.  The Base Camp is either the location or starting point  and detailed information is available via the Programs and Special Events page. The handy on-line calendar offers important times and dates, as well as registration information. Find out more about the natural history and wildlife programs available to you and your family - and don't forget about the Thursday evening wolf howls during the summer!

With to the extent of Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve's lands and the variety of activities offered, extended stays are popular among most visitors. Within this site you will find the information you need regarding the extensive network of semi-wilderness campsites on 17 of the 50 lakes at Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve Ltd.

A history of Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve Ltd. dating back to the mid 1800's is provided as part of this website. One of the first questions asked by visitors is: Where did such a unique operation as Haliburton Forest come from ? Expand your knowledge of our local history and its conservation traditions.

A MUST to visit to wet your appetite: Absolutely spectacular images of Haliburton Forest's landscapes and inhabitants throughout the seasons. 

This is more than your average guided tour: a Walk in the Clouds is a truly unique experience that will leave you breathless! You will paddle Voyageur canoes before embarking upon the special boardwalk, which is suspended from and winding through the forest's upper canopy, providing a scenic trek 10-20 meters above the forest floor.

Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve Ltd. is a privately owned forest in Central Ontario's Haliburton Highlands. Its landscape is covered by over 70,000 acres of rolling hardwood forests, pristine lakes, meandering rivers and extensive wetlands, which make it a nature enthusiasts dream. Haliburton Forest is Canada's first "certified sustainable forest", meeting the stringent standards of the "Forest Stewardship Council", a NGO, supported by such organizations as the WWF or the Sierra Club. (see "Forestry & Conservation" page)

In order to facilitate the exploration of its natural environment, Haliburton Forest offers unique outdoor experiences throughout the year. Information on specific activities is accessible via the main exploration page. The following is a brief outline of general information and facilities available:

The Base Camp serves as the main entrance point into Haliburton Forest and provides all the services essential to an enjoyable stay. At the office, visitors can check in, pick up their permits, get the maps and information they need, as well as any necessary updates on the latest conditions and events offered.

Haliburton Forest is open year round. Office hours are from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days per week. Weekend hours during July and August as well as from January to March, are extended.

Property use permits are required for any entrance and visit to Haliburton Forest. The entrance point into Haliburton Forest is the Base Camp, site of a former sawmill.

Gasoline, oil and propane sales are available on site.

The type of rental equipment available is dependent upon the season. Snowmobiles are available in the winter; canoes, kayaks and mountain bikes during the summer and fall.

The Cookhouse is a licensed restaurant, which also contains a store, and is located on site at Base Camp. It provides visitors with all the essentials - from toothbrushes to chicken fingers.

Accommodation is available at Base Camp in two types:

There are spacious 3 and 2 bedroom housekeeping units with 3 piece baths. These are fully equipped with a TV and microwave, some have fireplaces and all offer a comfortable home base for excursions.

There are also two rustic, open loft log cabins with kitchen and washroom facilities. Heating is provided predominantly through wood stoves. These buildings lend themselves to accommodating smaller groups of visitors. For images of the inside of our accommodations, please visit the Accommodations page on this site.

Also available are semi-wilderness camping experiences (with a reserved number of sites available for short term use), orienteering, wilderness skills, canoeing, dog sledding, snowshoeing, skiing, hiking and much more. For details please call or contact us via e-mail.

Haliburton Forest can be reached via Highways 118, 35, and 121. At West Guilford cross the bridge, and take County Road 7 for approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) to the Base Camp. For more details - please consult our Directions page.