Once in a while, veering from your carefully crafted road trip plan really pays off. Yes, when travelling with the dog you’ve got to do some pre-research, which doesn’t always permit spontaneity. But when it does, sometimes you end up discovering a picturesque river walk in dog-friendly Minden Hills, Ontario, that your dog loved. Maybe a bit too much – she is confident dock diving, unfortunately.
Minden Hills is technically part of Haliburton County, I discovered with my dog on a summer adventure to cottage country in Ontario. (See our dog-friendly guide to Haliburton here). It’s one of those lesser-travelled destinations – at least for people who don’t have cottages here – that I took a chance on instead of carefully following my dog-friendly agenda. And I’m glad I did.
Minden Hills Farmers’ Market
Dog-friendly Minden Hills was a pleasant surprise – especially on a day when the downtown farmers’ market was in full swing. The first thing we did was arrive downtown early – downtown is essentially the intersection of a few streets near a parking lot large enough to host a small farmers market behind the post office. If you want to find parking easily (and it’s a bit of a challenge) arrive early.
Then I harnessed my little spaniel up, readying her for ‘nice walking’ (our special term) through what might be one of my favourite small-town farmers’ markets to date. Why? The zone is divided into two sections. Of the 30 or more vendors there, most were artisans rather than food. But a few traditional produce vendors attended, including maple syrup and honey suppliers. And dogs weren’t just welcome, they were expected.
Several Farmers’ Market vendors had dog treats to give out to visiting pups. Almost all directed me to two dog treat vendors. The first was Buckslide Pet Treats, and yes, my pup went home with dehydrated chicken. The market runs on Saturdays, 10 am to 2 pm, from May to October. (Check out our list of dog-friendly Ontario Farmers’ Markets here).
Minden River Walk and Boardwalk
If you find yourself in the township of Minden Hills when the market is not running, no problem. The crowning feature is the 1.8 km paved scenic walk along Gull River, which cuts through the village centre. Leaf changing season is an ideal time to be here, especially if you plan to walk along the nearby boardwalk that crosses over a natural marsh.
Crossing the Minden River Walk footbridge and can’t find the marsh? No problem. Ask anyone nearby and they’ll point you in the right direction. The boardwalk isn’t long, but it does end at a trail where you can continue walking toward the Minden Hills Cultural Centre. From the footbridge to the end of the boardwalk, it’s about a 20-minute walk.
River Walk Highlights:
- Distance: 1.8 km
- Surface: paved
- Scenery: Gull River / marshland boardwalk
- Time: about 20 minutes to the end of the boardwalk
- Shade: limited
- Dog note: bring water and bags
Minden Hills Water Sports
I’d suggest the river walk is an ideal road trip stop to let your dog get some exercise, and you some great pics. However, my dog took the experience one step further. Two things were true that day: first, teaching my dog to dock dive has given her water confidence I didn’t anticipate. Second, it was a hot day.
Fortunately, she was on a long lead because, without warning, my dog stepped out onto the stone ledge along the water and ‘dove’ into the river. Jumped. Just like dock diving. However, unlike dock diving, there was no ramp to get her back up and she had to swim until she found a slope low enough to permit her to scramble back onto land.
Fortunately, the current was slow, the water was shallow, the rocks were smooth enough for you to climb on, and the leash was long enough that I didn’t lose her. However, wet dog in the car isn’t fun, so we extended our walk along the other side of the river too, just to dry off. Maybe that was my dog’s plan.
Harrington Park and Snowdon Park
There are two stops in Minden Hills, I’m sorry we missed. The first is Snowdon Park. At 460 acres, this is a good stop for longer walks through a mixed woodland trail system. If you’ve got the stamina – my dog does; I don’t – the entire trail is three kilometers long. Believe it or not, a feature of the park is a 1971 Lincoln car abandoned in the forest.
The second highlight we missed is Harrington Park on Horseshoe Road. For non-hikers like me, this would have been a better option. At Harrington Park half a kilometer of trail leads to a view of the rapids in the Minden Wild Water Preserve. Apparently, many kayakers start here and head down the river.
Considerations when visiting
Please bring dog bags and water for your pup because neither is provided along the River Walk and the boardwalk is very open with no shade – your dog might be tempted to drink from the water, which obviously isn’t recommended. (Neither is swimming, by the way).
Also, during the fall, water level fluctuations might lead to closures of trails, the boardwalk and/or the River Walk. The township website lists closures here. Blacklegged ticks are also present in this area.
If you go…
The Minden Hills Farmers’ Market (The IncrEdible Haliburton County Farmers’ Market) runs Saturdays, 10 am to 2 pm. Early May to early October. Free. Dog-friendly.
Minden River Walk: 62 Invergordon Ave., Minden, Ontario.
Harrington Park: 1870 Horseshoe Lake Road, Minden, Ontario.
Snowdon Park: about a 10-minute drive from downtown Minden on Gelert Road, Minden Hills, Ontario.
Dining: Mulligans Pub and Patio, 111 Golf Course Road, Minden, Ontario. Large outdoor patio is dog friendly. Open daily at 11 am.
Bring: water, poop bags, leash/long line, and maybe a towel.
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!
