Silver Lake Provincial Park, Lanark County
Best Girlfriend Hikes in Ontario's Highlands (With a Spa, Winery, or Brewery at the End)
It starts with a trailhead. Someone inevitably says (or thinks), “This better be worth it,” halfway through the hike. There are snacks shoved into backpack pockets, at least one wrong turn, and a group chat full of photos no one will post until the reward is in hand.
A patio beer after sweating through a steep ascent. A glass of wine beside the river. A massage after your legs carried you up another rocky ridge. A sauna and cold plunge that somehow makes your entire nervous system reboot.
From cliff-edge lookouts near Calabogie to rugged Haliburton Highlands trails and winery afternoons in Lanark County, these are some of the best girlfriend hikes in Ontario’s Highlands, paired perfectly with spas, breweries, wineries and wellness experiences worth lingering for.
Eagle’s Nest + Brewery Flights in Calabogie
Tacking Eagle’s Nest? There are a couple of ways to do it. If you want that quick payoff, from the trailhead off County Road 508, it’s an arduous and sweaty one-kilometre trek to the lookout point.
Standing at Eagle’s Nest feels like you’re right on the edge of Ontario. The layered hills of the Ottawa Valley stretch toward the horizon, and the exposed cliffside delivers a payoff that feels far bigger than the effort it took to get there. This is the kind of view that stops conversation mid-sentence.
Located just outside Calabogie in the Ottawa Valley, Eagle’s Nest is one of Ontario’s most iconic short hikes.
The Reward:
Just a 10-minute drive away, post-hike, head to Calabogie Brewing Co. for a tasting flight and patio recovery session. In my opinion, the Raspberry Kölsch and American Wheat Ale absolutely hit after a sweaty climb. If you want to turn it into an overnight girls’ trip, pair it with a stay at Somewhere Inn Calabogie, where the cold plunge and sauna situation feels tailor-made for sore hiking legs.
Crest of Kennisis + Spa Day Energy
Start your day early with your friends, coffee in hand, and a bit of a plan, because the Crest of Kennisis Trail in the Haliburton Highlands is one you’ll want to do right.
At 6 km one way, this moderate-to-challenging hike is all about the steady climb. You’ll move through dense forest and out onto exposed rock ridges, with lookout points revealing themselves along the way like little rewards that keep you going. It’s scenic, it’s quiet, and it feels like a true Haliburton Highlands experience without the crowds.
The key here is logistics: drop a vehicle at each end if you can. It turns the hike into a smooth, one-way adventure instead of a turnaround, and trust me, you’ll be glad you planned ahead unless you want to turn this into a 12km hike.
The Reward:
Follow your hike with a spa afternoon, a half hour away at Sir Sam's Inn and Spa, Ontario's Cottage Country Adult Resort. This is the full reset version of a girlfriend getaway: hiking boots off, robes on. Book in for a deep-tissue or hot stone massage, or go all in with facials, body scrubs, and wraps, whatever your body is asking for after the trail.
The space itself is bright and modern, with a sauna, hot tub, and a circular indoor pool that feels like the centrepiece of the whole experience. It’s the kind of setup where you sit down “for a minute” and suddenly an hour has passed.
Dorset Lookout Tower + Haliburton Spa Reset
Start your day early and knock this one off before other people start joining you at this tower! The Dorset Lookout Tower hike is short and steep, but don’t let the short length fool you; there are 120 steep steps to get up to the observation deck of the tower. But don’t worry, the payoff is big.
You’ll hike an incline through the forest before it opens up at the historic fire tower, where the views stretch out over Lake of Bays and give you 360-degree views of Muskoka and Haliburton forest. Once you’re here, there’s no rush to leave.
The Reward:
The reward here is all about leaning into that slower Haliburton pace. Book a massage or body wrap treatment at Wind in the Willows Spa afterward and let your legs recover properly. It’s the perfect half-day pairing, you get the incline hike, the view, and still have plenty of time to settle into a patio or spa robe for the rest of the afternoon.
Blueberry Mountain + Nordic Recovery Near Almonte
Blueberry Mountain is less about the hike and more about the hang at the top. The trail works its way up a mild incline, but once you hit that open slab of rock, everything slows down. Shoes come off, snacks come out, and suddenly no one’s checking the time. The Ottawa Valley stretches out in front of you, and it’s the kind of place you end up lingering longer than planned.
The Reward:
The reward keeps that same energy going. Head to Maplestone Ranch and Retreat and settle into the Nordic circuit. Sauna, soak, cold plunge, repeat. in nearby Perth you can have a mani/pedi afternoon at Perth Parkside Hotel & Spa.
Abes & Essens + A Full Wellness Reset
Abes & Essens in Bon Echo Provincial Park isn’t your casual wander. At 17 km, it’s a full-day hike that takes you deep into a quieter, more rugged side of Bon Echo Provincial Park that most people never see. You’ll move through dense forest, along ridgelines, and into stretches where it feels like the rest of the world has completely dropped away.
The lack of cell service here just makes it better. No distractions, no noise. Just the trail, your people, and the kind of space you don’t get very often.
The Reward:
The reward is a full shift into recovery mode. Check in to Grail Springs Retreat Centre and lean into something different. Salt rooms, wellness therapies, and a slower, more intentional kind of reset. After a day hike like this, you’re not just relaxing, you’re recalibrating. After this pairing, you’ll either feel reborn or asleep by 8 p.m. Possibly both.
Silver Lake Provincial Park & Wine Country Afternoons
As fun as it is, not every girlfriend getaway needs to end with sore legs and survival snacks at the summit.
Silver Lake Provincial Park is the softer side of Ontario Highlands adventure. The park has easy hiking trails, a quiet shoreline, and calm water that’s perfect for a relaxed canoe paddle. Canoeing, hiking, swimming, and cycling are all part of the experience here.
This isn’t about pushing distance or chasing a summit. It’s about being outside and letting the day unfold.
The Reward:
After your paddle and hike, head a few minutes down the road to the prettiest winery in Ontario, River House Vineyard and Winery. The timber-frame tasting room, riverside setting, and patio atmosphere make it the kind of place where everyone suddenly agrees to “just stay for one more glass.”
This pairing is less about conquering a mountain and more about leaning into the rhythm of a really good girls’ trip: paddle, wander, sip wine, stay too long on the patio, repeat.
But if a winery isn’t your speed, Kick & Push Brewing Company is just west of the park on Highway 7. A beer flight here after a calm-water paddle day could be just what caps the day off perfectly.
Storyteller:
