Two Nights, Three Days in Minden and the Haliburton Highlands

I grew up in the Haliburton Highlands, which means I have a complicated relationship with it. The kind where you think you know a place because you spent 18 years of your life there, then come back as an adult to explore it and realize you barely scratched the surface. 

My husband and I recently spent two nights in the Highlands, and I came home with a full heart, a very satisfied stomach, and a long list of reasons to go back.

Let's get into it!

Haliburton Post House: A Lakeside Retreat Worth Knowing About

We stayed in one of the newly renovated rooms inside the main Post House lodge itself, a recent addition to the property and a lovely one at that. The room was warm and comfortable, with a king-sized bed. What really made it though was waking up to a view of Kashagawigamog Lake right from our window. The bathroom was equally well done with a large shower and great water pressure! 

If you're planning a visit, the Post House offers both the full cabin-style cottages for groups and families, and these newly opened rooms inside the lodge for a more intimate stay. Both options sit near the waterfront, so you really can't go wrong either way!

The story of the Post House goes back nearly a century. It began as a multigenerational lakeside cottage belonging to a prominent Toronto family. In 1947, a post house was added, constructed from logs milled right on the property itself, and it quickly became the heart of the whole place. There's something truly astonishing about staying in a building that was literally made from the land it sits on.

In 2018, the current owners (who had a history of summers spent nearby) acquired the property and began to restore and enhance it as a complete, “low-key luxury” lakeside retreat.

And low-key luxury really is the right way to describe it. The Post House offers beautiful accommodations, a gorgeous waterfront with docks, a boathouse, a fitness centre, and complimentary canoes and kayaks.

Two things stood out to me above everything else.

The first was the breakfast basket. On the evening we checked in, a basket was delivered to us. It featured two flaky croissants with jam, a yogurt parfait topped with fresh fruit and house-made granola, and two orange juices. Simple and perfect. We ate it at our leisure the next morning, and it set the tone for the whole day.

The second was the boathouse. If you know me, you know I am most at home next to the water. The boathouse at the Post House is a lovely, protected spot right on Kashagawigamog Lake. It is open enough to give you the full view, yet sheltered enough to keep the wind and rain at bay. 

We sat out there watching loons drift across the water and the clouds roll in. If you can sit by a lake in the rain without getting wet, that is a genuine win in my books!

Morning in Minden: Coffee, History, and the River That Started It All

Start your Minden morning at Up River Trading Co. for a coffee or latte, and take a few minutes to browse their charming selection of decor and gifts before you head out. Then bring your coffee along for a walk down the Minden Riverwalk and take in the views along the Gull River.

The river isn't just pretty to look at. It's the reason Minden exists.

Minden was officially surveyed and named in 1858 and founded via the Bobcaygeon Colonization Road. It was the arrival of that road's bridge across the Gull River in 1859 that opened the door to the heavily timbered region and drew the first wave of settlers and lumbermen. The river became the backbone of early industry, used to float logs downstream to sawmills, and the town grew quickly around it. By 1865, the first hotel was open. 

The Dominion Hotel is one of the oldest continuously operating hotels in Canada and remains a local landmark (and a great spot to grab lunch!). By the 1890s, Minden was a proper community. It evolved slowly from a logging hub into the cottage country destination it is today.

Agnes Jamieson Gallery and the Minden Hills Cultural Centre

After your riverwalk, follow the boardwalk off Invergordon Avenue toward the Minden Hills Cultural Centre. We browsed the Agnes Jamieson Gallery, and then wandered the grounds of the adjacent Minden Hills Museum and Heritage Village.

The Heritage Village is a collection of six historical buildings that preserve the region's settler history from the 1800s and early 1900s. A few standouts include the Bowron House, an 1860s log cabin with a working woodstove; the Stanhope Schoolhouse, a restored one-room classroom; the Sterling Bank building from the early 1900s; and Bethel Church, a small, original-style log structure. Walking through each one, you get a real sense of how self-sufficient and resourceful those early communities had to be.

Panorama Park: A View I Didn't Know I Was Missing

After the Cultural Centre, we drove up to Panorama Park to take in the lookout views over the town. I’ve always loved lookouts, and somehow, I had no idea this one existed! 

It's a short visit but a meaningful one. If you're visiting for the first time, don't skip it. If you're from the area like me, consider this your reminder to finally go.

Lunch at Boshkung Brewing: Exceeded Expectations

I had heard of Boshkung Brewing before this trip, but hadn’t tried it. That has since been corrected, and I have regrets about waiting so long.
We drove back into town after the lookout and stopped in for what we thought would be a casual lunch. We were absolutely blown away. The food, the service, the patio, the craft beer, all of it was on point!

You must try the spice bag. French fries topped with crispy chicken bites, sautéed onions and peppers, and a curry ketchup. A lot of things happening at once, and every one of them working. We paired it with the caprese skewers, which was the perfect combination. 

We also did a flight of their beers, and the Gull of Gose became an immediate favourite. It is salty, citrusy, and exactly what you want on a hot summer afternoon. My hubby and I are both stout people at heart, and their darker ales did not disappoint either.

Hands down one of my favourite craft brewery experiences in Ontario. We would go back without hesitation!

The Minden River Cone: A Classic You Can't Skip

Before you leave town, stop in at the Minden River Cone. The iconic cone-shaped building along the Gull River has been serving soft-serve, fast-food classics, and Kawartha Dairy treats since the mid-1990s, and it is a true community staple. I remember eating ice cream here as a kid, and coming back to it as an adult felt like exactly the right full-circle moment. Some things just stay the same, and that's what makes them special.

The Minden Wild Water Preserve: Unexpectedly Intense

We had heard about the Minden Wild Water Preserve and decided to check it out. Coming from Ottawa with the whitewater we have here on our own doorstep, we weren't expecting to be particularly wowed. We were very wrong.

These rapids are intense! The water moves fast, and the whole thing commands respect. We paddle flat water at heart, so we weren't jumping in, but standing there watching those rapids and feeling the power of the river was genuinely impressive. We wish we had caught some kayakers out there putting it to use. Another Minden hidden gem I had no idea existed until this trip.

Dinner at the Post House: Upscale Dining at It’s Best!

We returned to the Post House that evening for dinner, and this is where things got truly special.

The Post House's dining experience is anchored by Executive Chef Dan Sanders, whose seasonal menus feature farm-fresh local ingredients and a modern take on Canadian cuisine with international accents. Beyond breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the Post House also offers food-driven team building, pre-arrival fridge stocking, and themed BBQs centred around the original stone-built grill on the property. Food is not an afterthought here; it's the main event.

We happened to be there during their Ontario Wine Week Tasting Menu, which is the only tasting menu event offered all year. To say it was delicious would be an understatement.

We had dishes I'd never imagined ordering before. Rabbit royale, trout cooked in beeswax, a lamb cooked to absolute perfection… all extraordinary dishes! Course after course, a server would come out to walk you through what you were having, and the sommelier would come to the table to explain each wine pairing. Unhurried, thoughtful, and truly exceptional from start to finish.

Day Two: Head Lake Trail and Coming Home to Haliburton

We checked out of the Post House the next morning with real regret. We are already dreaming of our next visit.

From there, we made our way into the town of Haliburton, and this stretch of the trip turned into something very nostalgic for me. I went to high school in Haliburton. I walked these trails and hung out in these parks as a teenager. Coming back as an adult, with fresh eyes and nowhere to be, gave the whole town a different quality. You don't appreciate what's around you when you're sixteen. You really don't.

We walked the Head Lake Trail from the Town Docks to Rotary Beach, and it was beautiful. The trail winds along the waterfront, and I kept stopping to look out at Head Lake, thinking about the fact that my high school overlooked this very view. That's pretty remarkable. What a thing to take for granted as a teenager.

Hook, Line & Sinker: Lunch With a View

We stopped for lunch at Hook Line & Sinker, and this was another genuinely great meal. They have a gorgeous patio overlooking the lake, but it was a cooler day, so we ended up inside, but the interior more than held its own.

The decor is rustic modern, warm and well put together throughout. But the statement pieces that stood out were the hanging canoes rigged with lighting above the dining room. They are so fun! 

The food was very good. Scott had the tuna poke bowl, and I had instant FOMO the moment it arrived at the table. My Canadian Rueben was still very tasty, but that poke bowl was divine. They also had an assortment of mocktails on the menu, which is always a welcome surprise and a nice nod to people who want something a little special without the alcohol.

Skyline Park: The Lookout That Never Gets Old

After lunch, we headed up to Skyline Park in Haliburton, a lookout I spent a lot of time at as a teenager and hadn't been back to since. It has been updated quite a bit since those days, with new pathways and interpretive signage that give it a polished, welcoming feel. But the views are exactly as I remembered them: Head Lake spread out below, the rolling Haliburton hills in every direction, and that fresh air wind you can only get in the Highlands.

Standing up there, I felt that same quiet nostalgia from Panorama Park the day before, the feeling of a place showing itself again, differently, after a long time away.

It was a perfect ending to a perfect couple of days.