Cathy is one of our cottage country experts and having lived in Haliburton for many years she loves the opportunity to go back and revisit favourite places. She recently stayed at one of our amazing cottages and finally got to do the Canopy Tour at the Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve.
Taking The Canopy Tour
While staying at Paradise in the Woods cottage recently we finally did something I’ve wanted to do for many years, while living in Haliburton – the Walk in the Clouds hike at Haliburton Forest!
The hike has actually been shortened and changed a bit due to Covid-19. It normally would include a trip to the Wolf Centre (now you need to arrange and pay for that separately), and a canoe trip in a very large canoe to get to the site.
This was both good and bad since they’ve reduced the price accordingly. We also had it all to ourselves as there’s now a maximum of 6 people on each tour (morning and afternoon options). The downside is that it’s shorter – you have to drive your own vehicle to the site (15 minutes along a challenging, winding, dirt road through the property), and you need to book the Wolf Centre separately if you plan on doing that too. If you have a car you’re concerned about, such as a low slung sports car, it may not be the best idea, although I don’t think it would actually damage your car.
They don’t mention this when booking, but it’s also not a hike I’d recommend for anyone very out of shape or with mobility challenges. There are a couple of rather challenging uphill climbs getting to the actual suspended rope section, and while on that there are a few tight spots that would be difficult if you have much extra weight, especially around the mid-section.
This was actually on my “bucket list” but most of my family was happy to join me, minus perhaps my husband who (it turns out) was actually terrified of the whole thing. He was a real trouper though, not telling me that until he announced it to the guide when we started out. He was actually fine once he realized there are handrails too, not just the ones you use to tie yourself to the safety rail.
The one who was much more nervous (actually the only one) was our son, who is rather nervous of heights. He crept along though most of the course, with me behind trying to encourage him. I finally got to go ahead when we stopped at the platform (more than halfway through the course). I was happy to be able to move faster after that
Although the views I was expecting were not quite as good as I’d expected–you don’t really get an overview until you stop at the platform) but you can see down the sides to the forest floor. It was still most enjoyable, and we all had fun (even my son, who was still glad he went despite his fears).
Cathy stayed with her family at one of our most popular cottages – Paradise in the Woods on Basshaunt Lake, close to the Sir Sam’s ski and hiking area.
Cathy didn’t capture any video so we’ve included this to give you more of an idea of what it’s like to do the tour.
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