Local Hikes

  • There are three different trails (3km, 5km and 6km in length respectively) within Torrance Barrens. The landscape here is very lunar, with bald, rocky terrain and scrub-brush predominating. This is a beautiful area with an untouched landscape and doubles as one of the best areas for stargazing in Muskoka. If you visit at night, bring a telescope or a good stargazing app (like SkyView or Stellarium) to help identify celestial objects. Try to visit during the week as weekend and long weekends get very congested. Respect the dark sky preserve and turn off headlights when visiting. Bring a comfortable lawn chair, snacks and a sweater.

    DISTANCE: 17 minutes from Hemlock Lake House to the Torrance Barrens parking area.

  • This is one of our favourite hikes in the area. A loop trail makes it a relatively straight forward hike through a variety of typical Muskoka ecosystems. The boardwalk to the island is picturesque and good fall colours help make this extra special during October. The A trail is the longest, a 9km loop, but the B and C trails are derivatives of the A and you can decide to cut the A  trail short by reverting to one of the others to suit your needs.

    DISTANCE: 30 minutes from Hemlock Lake House to Hardy Lake.

  • If you’re looking for a trail that takes in the local scenery of Muldrew Lake and its environs, Devil’s Gap is a great place to start. Characterized by marshland, meadows, Canadian Shield rock and even some historical lore.

    DISTANCE: 44 minutes from Hemlock Lake House to Devil’s Gap trail head.

  • This trail is located on the north side of Gravenhurst on a peninsula in lake Muskoka. You catch glimpses of the lake throughout and the wooded trail offers a shady reprieve during hot summer days.

    DISTANCE: 45 minutes from Hemlock Lake House to Brydon’s Bay trail head.

  • If you’re making your way back to Hemlock from northern Muskoka, the Huckleberry Rock trail is an easy stop to stretch your legs and take in the view. At just 2.5kms, this is a relatively quick loop hike, though terrain and elevation can make it a little trickier, so a good level of physical fitness helps. The view from the top is beautiful and the ‘Rock Cut’ is very impressive.

    DISTANCE: 54 minutes through Port Carling, 55 minutes through Bracebridge.   

  • ‘The Rosseau’ is located in the iconic Windermere House, a fabled hotel in the heart of Muskoka. This classic, fine-dining restaurant gives you a sense of long-lost Muskoka summers with a contemporary menu that will satisfy a variety of palates. While Muskoka may not be on your sushi hotspot list, surprisingly the sushi here was top notch and the mussels were delicious!

    DISTANCE: 62 minutes from Hemlock Lake House to ‘Windermere House’ in Windermere.

    MUST TRY: As above, try the mussels out if that’s your thing. Their sushi, when offered, is exceptional.

  • We love all the trails here. While a little challenging on the ascent, Booth’s Rock is our favourite… the view is incredible. The drive is a little long from Hemlock, but worth it. The Visitor’s Centre is a great place to get your bearings… you can easily do two (or three) trails in a day.

  • For the distance weary, the Living Edge Trail is a 1km stunning hike in Six Mile Lake Provincial Park. You can even add on a 0.5km extension should the views be too captivating to cut short.

  • This non-operating park (no facilities or staff) offers some great solitude on two different hikes. The Big Wind Recreational Trail is a long, 16.5km out-and-back trail with almost guaranteed peace and quiet. This takes north of 5.5 hours. If a shorter hike is more your pace, try the Pine Lake Trail. This nearly 2km out-and-back hike offers great views of the lake and is a much less arduous than the recreational trail counterpart.