Unlike Muskoka, which has several large urbanized towns, namely Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, and Huntsville, Haliburton County is comprised mainly of hundreds of square miles of crown, county, and municipally owned land, with a number of small towns interspersed throughout. Believe it or not, it wasn't until December 2003, that the first Tim Hortons in the County was opened. However, the people of Haliburton County take great pride in their tourism industry, and know what visitors want when they come to the area, and are committed to serving up old-fashioned hospitality. Food, lodging, and fuel are the mainstays of the Haliburton economy. And visitors to the County are never far from any of these services. Many of these businesses wouldn't exist today if it weren't for their ready access from the local snowmobile trails, and they are more than happy to welcome ATVers as well as the sledders. Visit the LINKS page for contact info for ATV rentals and tours. "Backcountry Tours" is a new business which runs ATV tours right from the village of Haliburton. the hub of ATVing in the County. There's a Shell station which repairs and changes ATV tires. There's the Silver Maple Motel, pizza, groceries, beer store, bank, C.C.Auto which carries a basic selection of aftermarket ATV and sled parts, etc, all within walking distance of the trailhead.
About a half-day's ride from the village of Haliburton lies the small village of Gooderham. Gooderham is also a great staging area, or at least stopover point, for an ATV adventure. Within site of a pleasant rest stop alongside the Irondale River, there is Jackie's Restaurant and takeout, a convenience store, the beer/liquor store, and a Shell gas station. Both Gooderham, and the village of Irondale (which also has a gas station / general store, are within a 20 minute ATV ride of Green's Mountain and the 5-Points.
Besides the various services of the village of Haliburton itself, here are some of the mamy attractions within this extensive and highly popular ATV trail system: Bark Lake Beach, Hot Spot Ice Cream and General Store in Donald,
the Lochlin General Store, Kosy Korners Restaurant, Jackie's Restaurant and Sherri's Truck Stop in Gooderham, the Gooderham Shell Station, the Irondale General Store, and The Burger Tent which is on hwy #503 right at the intersection with the Bark Lake ATV trail. |