Camping in Haliburton Forest: Cabinscape

First thing’s first: just because we weren’t staying in tents, doesn’t mean our camping trip should be classified as ‘glamping’! The amazing thing about staying in a Cabinscape cabin is that it is totally off-grid, meaning that you still get to experience the wilderness of the forest as if you had trekked right in there yourself. And during winter months that’s exactly what you have to do – the roads are too bad to drive in. 

It gets pretty obvious when you arrive in what is affectionately known as “Cottage Country”: lake views on either side of the road, stretches of trees and rocks weaving their way to your destination, those famous, colourful Muskoka chairs lined up outside almost every general store you pass. Oh yeah. And general stores.

Cabinscape Haliburton

Anyway, our stay in this beautiful, tiny ecocabin couldn’t have been more authentic. There were enough amenities to make us feel like we weren’t totally cut off from the world (a stove top, kettle, and the coolest little metal campfire/stovetop toaster that I enjoyed using way too much!), as well as a barbecue on the outdoor deck. The inside of the cabin is small, so trying to fit two adults and three bounce-off-the-walls kids in there was always going to be interesting! But what an adventure it was! There were bunk beds, so we decided the best (and safest!) thing would be for Paul and Grace to take the top bunk, and me and Aoife to take the bottom, while Ada slept in the travel cot we’d brought along. Of course, that ended up as me, Aoife AND Ada in the bottom for the two nights! The really special thing about this cabin was that, where there wasn’t the beautiful wood it was made out of, there were windows, so you had a really good view of the forest around you, and meant that waking up in the morning was a real treat, with the green canopy the first thing that greets your eyes when they open, after your ears adjust to the array of forest sounds all around you! The slightly unnerving thing about these windows though was that in the dark of night when you couldn’t sleep (of course I couldn’t, I was too excited!), you would stare out into the blackness, and every now and again, see a pair of bright eyes staring back at you, or moving through the forest. I did hold my breath a little…

Obviously with the heat and humidity, thunderstorms are a frequent occurrence, but I hadn’t thought about this when booking two nights in the forest. Within two hours of falling asleep on the first night the loud rumble of thunder had jolted me awake, and as I lay there waiting for the next one, the monsoon rain started. Just a heavy downpour, so loud you could hardly hear yourself think. And then the bright flash of lightening. At one point, I genuinely felt frightened: “what if a tree comes down on top of us?”. Especially after the recent storms that Ontario had faced. And just as those thoughts started building, a head peeked over the top bunk and Paul whispers down “you awake?”. Of course I’m bloody awake, did you not just hear that thunder?! 

The first night we got there we decided we would head to the local restaurant located at the wildlife reserve a few kilometres away. It was the most homely, welcoming place, with great food and friendly waiting staff, entertaining the girls and happy for them to run around like untamed animals. The type of place where you can relax just long enough to savour a chicken wrap, yam fries, and a thirst quenching home made Radler! There was also a little store attached that sold any sundries you might think you need for a cabin stay, including meat to bbq, as well as all the little collectible items hoarders like me love to gather when on trips: badges, postcards, etc. 

We’d been planning an Ontario road trip for as long as I can remember, and I always knew I wanted the Highlands to be a part of that. Their vastness and beauty are enticing in any season, and we’d been lucky enough to experience some of it last fall. What I love about road trips is the anticipation: with each town or landmark you pass, you’re getting closer to your undiscovered destination. You also get to see a lot of other places en route, even though you may not stop at them, you maybe even only catch a glimpse! But it’s enough to make you wonder some more about it, or in years to come if someone mentions that place, you can say “oh yeah, I passed through there!”.

The next morning we were up early enough to go and explore the day. We were never going to fit everything in that the Highlands had to offer, but we were going to give it a good try anyway! After a quick flick through the local guidebook kindly left at the cabin, we decided that the Dorset Lookout Tower was the right choice, so we set off.

Dorset Lookout Tower

Dorset was about a 40-minute drive from where we were staying in Haliburton Forest. If there’s a height to get to, and a view to inhale, then we’re on it! Just as a side note, since becoming parents, we have grown more and more disorganized and ‘last minute’ with each girl that has come along, so we rarely pre-plan a day trip far in advance, and therefore, a lot of the time we don’t have a lot of expectation around what we’ll experience. This has actually worked out quite well for us this year living in Canada; we head off to a location, knowing we’re going to see SOMETHING new, or experience something different but we don’t have a lot of pressure on what that will be. Probably best when you’re slave to little people who dictate the schedule! Anyway, my point is we didn’t know what the lookout tower would give us. After paying our admission fee at the most random little hut half way up the hill to the tower, we made our way to the empty parking lot (it was a Monday morning – the perfect time to have the place to yourself!). We saw the huge metal structure looming above us, but we’d first set our sights on a little wooden board that read ‘Peek-a-Boo Rock’. 

About 50 steps down, we literally caught our breath as we saw the view of the Lake of Bays sprawled out below us, it spanned the whole way across and even on a cloudy day made for the most spectacular views, with trees dotted around it. After a million photo combinations were taken, Paul and the older two girls made their way to climb the tower, while Ada hitched a ride with me in her sling. By the time we got to the base of the tower, Paul and the girls were already half way up it, with Grace shouting “come on mummy!”. Little did I realise how steep and high I’d have to climb with a baby strapped to me. About half way up I stopped to take some pictures, and actually felt a little dizzy! Heights don’t bother me at all, but this did. There was something about it, maybe because it was literally just a metal structure in place with no real other support, but I found myself gripping onto the rail with every step I climbed. With the last five steps to go, I called up to Paul “I don’t think I can do this, you know!”. But they’d already made it to the little enclosed cabin at the top, and he and Grace peeked their heads around to encourage me up the last bit. I have to admit, the views were really something up at height; you’re well above the treetops, and you have a 360 view of the whole area. Coming down was even worse than going up, but we made it eventually, and paid a quick trip into the tiny gift shop for yet more collectibles for me to hoard. 

We decided we should visit the little township of Dorset while we were there – and besides, snack time and coffee was calling! We found the Robinson’s General Store and I spent way too long looking around, before we headed off to the marina to sit out on a picnic bench and grab some lunch at the Moose Paddle food truck. The sun was beating down on us by this stage and we just felt like we had taken off on holidays. Is it just me or do fries and soda taste so much better when you’re eating by the water in the heat, not a care in the world?! I hate using the word ‘cute’, but that’s exactly what Dorset was to me. And it felt like such a relaxed place to be in, somewhere that comes alive with every passing visitor, or during the summer months when people are staying at their holiday cottage nearby. 

Haliburton Wolf Reserve

No sooner were we in Dorset than we were passing through and back out onto the road back to Haliburton Forest. The Haliburton Wolf Reserve was always something that was on our list to do, and it was located right by where we were staying. The thought of learning more about the wolves fascinated us all, and the girls were beyond excited (although I’m not sure exactly what their little minds were imagining!). It was a pretty cool place where you could learn about wolves, as well as other forest animals, see their ‘real life’, up close size with the taxidermy, and then walk through to a one sided glass area looking out onto the compound, where you cross your fingers and hope there are wolves visible. And lucky for us, most of them had decided to laze out on the grass in plain sight! At first I thought they looked a bit like dogs lying down, but once they started moving, and one actually got up and walked, I was shocked by their size. Definitely not an animal I would want to be up close to on a walk anyway!

Canoeing along the lake 

This had me very nervous with the three girls, but the canoe was right there for us, and we thought “what better opportunity than this to get us all out onto the water?”. With life vests on, and stern instructions for the girls to “sit still”, and “listen to everything mummy and daddy tell you”, we wobbled into the boat. It took a bit of manoeuvring around and switching places, especially when you had one child who just wanted to leap into the water at every given opportunity! But we made it out onto the lake, which was so peaceful, not another person around, and only the sound of the water gently sloshing as we rowed clumsily along, and the birds singing. We had a couple of birds pop their heads up and down through the water, appearing at first in front of our boat, then at the side, making us peer over the edge in search of their next move. They looked like ducks, only more sinister, a black/grey/white speckle colour with strange long pointed beaks and beady eyes. Turns out they were loons: a common bird to the North lakes of Ontario, that have an eery call, even more so when you hear them at dusk!

That night was one for barbecuing and s’more making. But us lingering around a campfire, toasting marshmallows is not the image you should conjure up: think more hurried. Try to stop the baby touching the fire. Swat the mosquitos. Eat the s’mores while wiping up trails of sticky marshmallow. Okay, now let’s get back inside. 

Leaving that place of beauty the next morning made me feel a little sad, as if two nights in an Ontario forest simply weren’t enough. We were heading off on the next leg of our journey a little more sleep deprived, a little more mosquito bitten, but a lot more fulfilled, with silent promises to make trips like this a more regular occurrence.