Art, history, and beer – my dog got to participate in all three in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada. And your dog can too! Here’s how…

If you take your dog to Haliburton, Ontario, there are three places you should check out: the village downtown waterfront, the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, and Haliburton Highlands Brewery. That’s a lot of Haliburton. Haliburton, Ontario, Canada, is cottage country. And cottage country is dog country.

Haliburton is not hotel country, however. If you’re here to check out the town, I recommend shopping around for a dog-friendly cottage rental. More about why later.

Haliburton Leash Free Park

The Haliburton Leash Free Park was the first place I headed with my spaniel after spending a few days at the nearby dog-friendly Dimensions Algonquin Highlands retreat, a truly special experience.

Two reasons to start at the dog park: First, my dog is very high energy and it’s good to burn some of that off before we start exploring the region on leash. Second, because if you find the Haliburton dog park, you’ve found the Haliburton waterfront trail and that’s where you’ll likely spend some time, or even the entire afternoon.

The Haliburton dog park is nothing fancy: A fenced square with double gate, one tree for shade, one picnic table and a bag dispenser. No small and large dog divisions, no water source, and mulch ground covering that smells faintly like dog urine, especially after heavy rainfall. But it’s safe and serves its purpose. We had the place to ourselves on a weekday. My dog didn’t take much convincing to leave because what was outside the gate was far more interesting and jumping.

Head Lake Park and Rotary Beach

Granted, it’s a travel story cliché, but Head Lake Park in downtown Haliburton has something for everyone – for little to no cost, so it’s a popular spot for families. Park for free at 7 York Street then follow the paved path to find the following:

• several kids’ playgrounds
• a disc golf course
• a basketball court
• flower garden,
• picnic areas
• a dog park
• pickleball courts
• a caboose converted to a gallery featuring local artisans

Well-behaved pups are permitted in the Rails End Gallery inside the caboose, but my high-energy girl grazes the definition of ‘well-behaved’ sometimes. There’s a lot of breakables in there, so she waited for me on the deck.

Information Centre and More

Stop in at the information centre for visitor advice and magazines listing properties for sale, because cottages are big business here and something is always for sale. I hesitated to bring my dog in with me, but as soon as I stepped inside, I was directed to the dog bowl near the drinking fountain I could fill for her. I’d also suggest using the public bathroom here, because further down the park, it’s a port-a-potty situation.

Cross the walking bridge over the stream (deep enough for kids to jump into from the bridge), and you’ll find the dog park – again, a simple fenced square suitable for off-leash zoomies. Plus, some beach access to the water, more playground equipment, an accessible beach and dock, and yes, pickleball (affiliate link). It’s possible to keep walking along the waterfront trail to the Haliburton Sculpture Forest about three kilometres away in Glebe Park. But I’ll admit, thanks to the heat, I drove.

Dog-friendly Haliburton Sculpture Forest

To find the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, head to the Haliburton School of Art & Design, part of Fleming College – there’s parking available there. Then follow the signs to the trail. Essentially, this is a clearly marked groomed trail, about one and a half kilometres long – the perfect length for a leashed dog walk in the summer heat, in my opinion. Yes, garbage containers are available at the beginning of the trail for stooping and scooping.

Now, picture this nature walk punctuated by contemporary sculptures, along the path and further into the forest. Mediums, methods, and artists vary, but of course all must withstand the elements. Some sculptures embrace their environments with a cheeky reverence, such as ‘Beaver,’ a concrete beaver contemplating a metal lamppost. Others, like the wire sculpture of a red stiletto called ‘Fire and Ice: A Really Big Shoe,’ by Charles O’Neil stand out like an oddity in the forest.

Dog lovers will likely do what I did – get a photo of your dog with ‘Gelert,’ a bronze Irish Wolfhound by Mary Anne Barkhouse. Inspired by a Welsh legend, this sculpture stands tall behind the art school and looks over the sculpture park grounds.

Sculptures and Farmstead

The route contains 46 sculptures and six one-of-a-kind benches. I’d be impressed if you found them all; we did the short loop starting behind the school and passing by about one-third of the entire collection. If you start here too, you’ll also see the Haliburton Historic Farmstead – a collection of original rustic buildings from the 1860s relocated here to document the life of early European settlements in the area.

Note: This is bug country. Unless you visit Haliburton, especially forested areas, in the dead of winter, you will need bug repellent. Dose yourself with it. Protect your dog too. Check out this bug-repellent dog bandana (affiliate link).

Ticks are everywhere. If you follow your vet’s recommendations as I do, internal prescription prevention will keep the critters off your dog (affiliate link), but not you. Check for ticks or tuck pants into socks. I don’t recommend wearing sandals along the nature trails.

Haliburton Dog-friendly Downtown

A few stores still line the few blocks of Highland Street that make up Haliburton’s ‘downtown.’ Most seemed ok with me bringing my dog in to shop, including Master’s Book Store, a genuine experience. After all, who goes to the cottage without a book?

Bibliophiles will either love the surprisingly large but crammed Master’s Book Store with floor-to-ceiling shelves almost hidden by stacks of books on the ground – or become frustrated with the chaos. Looking for something specific? Ask the elderly clerk who’s been running this shop for 30 years. Otherwise, browse the piles to see what you find – I did, until my dog got bored.

Dining with the Dog in Haliburton

With a book from Master’s Book Store tucked under my arm, and my dog in tow, I walked across the street to Juna’s Italian Food to look at the menu when a passerby leaned in and said, “The pizzas are amazing.” Ok. Sold. I headed to the back patio, enclosed and quiet like a European courtyard with twinkle lights strung overhead.

Another dog barked when we took our seat, but once she met my dog, she returned to her table quietly. My pup sat quietly under my seat until I finished the stone-oven baked pizza that brought back memories of my week in Lucca, Italy. The atmosphere was perfect for diving into a book. Cottage country is about slow travel.

Day two, we found the Haliburton Highlands Brewing, about a ten-minute drive outside of town along Highway 35 (they recently moved to this location, and online directions haven’t caught up yet). The move is so new that when I visited the new location, the outside of the building hadn’t been finished yet.

Inside Haliburton Highlands Brewing is homey like a 1970s family basement, but that’s not where you want to spend your time with your dog (nor can you). Outside there are two tented sections with picnic tables designed to hang out, chill with a brew (yes, flights available) and nosh on simple foods such as ‘grown-up’ grilled cheese with onion jam, sausage on a bun, soft pretzel with mustard, or smoked salsa with chips.

But here’s the kicker – there’s a fenced-off leash dog area at Haliburton Highlands Brewing, double gated, with two bar tables with stools inside the dog run where you can take a brew along with you. Note, however, there are no umbrellas or shade. I let my crazy girl run laps – no other dogs were there late afternoon – before returning to the shaded picnic table, near the canoe converted to an outdoor sofa.

Enjoy a game of cornhole – this brewery backyard is an extension of the cottage vibe, very similar to my neighbourhood brew tour experience in Regina, Saskatchewan (see here).

Dog-friendly Accommodations in Haliburton, Ontario

As far as accommodations go, I can recommend where to stay … and maybe where not to. Chalk that up to mistakenly believing the images on social.

The first place I stayed at in Haliburton was Dimensions Algonquin Highlands Resort, a health and wellness facility that combines everything you love about camping as a kid, and the creature comforts you enjoy as an adult – and the resort is pet dog-friendly, and the experience will leave you wishing you had a private chef. (More about Dimensions next on dogtrotting.net).

Next, I stayed at dog-friendly Pinestone Resort and Conference Centre, only because it was challenging to find a hotel in cottage country and especially one pet-friendly. It was clean and the indoor pool looked recently updated. That’s the best I can say.

Otherwise, the word ‘resort’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting in the name. Pinestone was once a resort, but the glory days are long past. There’s no working TV, no outdoor pool, no open restaurant, and the grounds are so overgrown and neglected, they scream post-apocalyptic film set. It seems only the third floor of one building is open for guests, and there’s no elevator. Rooms haven’t been renovated since wood paneling was considered a good design choice. Charging $200 to $300 a night plus $30 pet fee during the summer is begging for unhappy customers.

Overall, Haliburton is cottage country, and if you’re looking for a place to stay and then check out the region, I’d recommend booking a cottage privately or through Vrbo for an authentic Haliburton experience. If you are looking for a real full-service resort, Dimensions is your best option. Haliburton is all about the great outdoors – all four seasons – and who doesn’t love lake, trails, and beachfront more than your dog? Therefore, bringing your dog along with you to Haliburton is almost expected.

Writer bio: Sherri Telenko has been a professional writer for decades and a travel writer for the last two. She’s a member of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and Dog Writers Association of America and travels almost weekly with her canine companion, Victoria.Contact Sherri at dogtrotting.net here. All written content is original, written by a person, and based on experience and research. Please subscribe!