This trip was a couple of months in the making. Every year I try to take my Mother and Son on a road trip to thank her for all the help she gives us with our Son. It's nicer to have an experience together than a gift card somewhere. This trip is always fun to plan but this year it was a bit harder. With so many Covid restrictions to think about I had to be extra thoughtful of what I committed us to. In early spring when I normally make my reservations Ontario was in a full lock down without a real timeline to guarantee what would be available in the summer.
The first stop was Horseshoe Resort. My Son had loved going Treetop Trekking the summer before. When we had gone he only did the smaller kids course. This year he would be big enough for the full course. I thought it would be a great bonding experience for both of us: https://treetoptrekking.com/park/barrie As this is a trip with Grandma, I knew I had to find something for her to do while we walked the treetops. As many celebrations had been canceled or postponed this year due to lockdowns and gathering restrictions I thought getting her a manicure and pedicure at the resort spa would be a nice gift for all the gifts we missed. The resort has a great spa https://horseshoeresort.com/spa/ and was opened just in time for us to drop her off and us to continue on our adventure.
After some GPS challenges, we got to the forest just in time for our timeslot. This is something you should try to make reservations for if you need a specific timeslot. This was only one thing in a day full of reservations, so I booked this over a week ahead. Lucy was the team member for our orientation. She was great my son didn't get the zipline on the first try. Lucy made sure he was ready for the big one. I really appreciated that instead of pushing him ahead and him hurting himself.
What I didn't realize was that my fear of heights would kick in hard while I was climbing the first ladder. I knew I was in trouble. I couldn't let my Son see how fear can stop you from doing something new. He was so excited when he got on top, I was taking deep breaths and telling myself it would only be a couple of minutes of discomfort. Well, it's not a couple of minutes!! You can fill 3 hours very easily with the 3 different courses they have.
I followed my Kid as he was beaming from each obstacle. There were a few tense moments when he thought it would be a good idea to bounce the line while I was on it. The whole forest heard me telling him to stop! After the first course, I knew there was no way I could continue especially if they got more challenging. I saw he was doing great with all the rules and clamps. I told him the next course was all him. Luckily there was a boy his age right behind us that had a mother that was much smarter than me and had just stayed on the ground!
Seeing my Son's face after he had accomplished this course was amazing. He said it was his favorite part of the trip. I will suggest for women with long hair have it pulled back in a ponytail or bun as it will get caught in your line. Bring drinks water, sports drinks we were drenched in sweat once we were done.
The timing worked out perfectly, we were done and back at the car just in time for Grandma to exit the spa! I will for sure be coming back to this Resort for some spa and relaxation in future summers! Off to our next stop Haliburton Wildlife Reserve https://www.haliburtonforest.com/things-to-do/canopy-tours/
The Reserve was great while in the planning stages. Like I said I had booked the accommodations in spring but had to wait until early summer before we would know what would be available on the day. I had called the Reserve and we talked through our stay and what we wanted to do while there. The first reservation was a Kennel Tour with 80 Siberian Husky's! I was in love, Puppy time!!
If I couldn't have my Puppy with me this was a great way to get some cuddle time. There are 80 dogs but we only went in the side with 40 of the female dogs. These dogs can be booked for hikes and winter they are sled dogs. My Son just wanted to bring them home with us. Even my mother who is not a pet person was petting a couple of ears. How could anyone resist.
After cuddle time we got dinner at the cookhouse. They had great food and huge portions. The inside dining wasn't open for this season but normally they have in and outside dining. Plus we can never resist ice cream for dessert.
We need a good cool down from the day. There is a beach on the resort property but we had a bit of a challenge finding it. There wasn't anyone in the main office after dinner to ask. Luckily another family was able to tell us where we went wrong and how we could get there. If you are looking for the beach drive out the gate at the back of the property then take a right. Don't forget your key that's how you can open the gate to get back in. You could walk but it's a bit of a hike. The beach area is small but the water was crystal clear.
Looking back I might have filled our day a little to full! But we still had a Wolf Howl to get to. They have a Wolf education center. You get to see the Wolves through oneway glass. The guide takes you on a hike and tries to get the Wolves to howl back at the group. The hike might have been better if the mosquitos weren't so bad. The area had seen a lot of rain the day's before we arrived which made the trail very muddy and hard to monuver through.
We all commented on how we thought the Wolves would have been so much bigger but honestly they just looked like the husky's we had seen earlier in the day. I just wanted to take one home! My Son liked the center and the guide gave a lot of information about this group of wolves and wolves in general. It was a great way to end our full day.
It was nice to go back to our own cabin and relax for the rest of the night. I had planned to do some stargazing but the overcast skies had other plans. Really all for the best since we all went to bed early!
There is plenty to do in the area. I could have easily made this trip into a couple of nights. We instead went home the next day so my Son and I could get packed for our next Adventure!
Looking for other Kid friendly Ontario Adventures check these links out!
Toronto
Kingston
Grand Bend
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