This Ontario treehouse offers a perfect grown-up escape from cabin fever

With city skylines glowing dimmer than usual lately, the cultural spotlight has shifted focus to the beauty of life in the woods. Suddenly, Taylor Swift is recording duets with Bon Iver, the fashion industry is buzzing about pastoral “cottagecore” prints, and scenic #cabinporn posts have returned as Instagram’s favourite form of escapism.

So it’s no surprise that rural getaways are attracting urbanites looking for their own closer connection to nature, whenever that’s safely possible. In fact, when Cam and Lauren Green opened winter reservations for the Baltic, their treehouse rental near Minden, Ontario, weekend bookings were gone in just five minutes. (Though they had to close bookings temporarily during the most recent lockdown.) Fulfilling a common childhood fantasy, the property offers guests the rare opportunity to sleep four metres above the ground, right in the forest canopy. “When we mention a treehouse, people’s minds go to something for kids,” says Cam Green. “So it took building this one last year to show people what you can really do.”

Indeed, key to the 370-square-foot cedar structure’s appeal is the way that it balances its wilderness setting with the comforts of a boutique hotel. A cushy leather couch sits next to a propane fireplace imported from Norway, while a king-sized bed waits in the upper mezzanine. The Scandinavian spa-like bathroom, clad in black tile with a heated floor and flush toilet, faces a nearly floor-to-ceiling window that allows guests to take in the secluded beauty of their surroundings while showering.

Having lived in the Haliburton Highlands since 2007, the couple first decided to build a treehouse as a rental property after seeing the effect the natural surroundings had on their urban friends who came to visit. “Anyone who comes here just gets hit with this immediate sense of calm,” says Green. While their finished treehouse was erected on the same three-acre forest as their family abode, it’s a fairly distant neighbour, and guests are granted their privacy. That said, many are still eager to have their hosts join for a bonfire — especially those who are curious about the process of building such a unique structure.

Green — who works by day for the YMCA camp where he and Lauren first met as teenagers — enrolled in a treehouse design and construction course at the Yestermorrow Design Build School in Waitsfield, Vermont several years ago. One of the program’s many important takeaways? “Because of the movement of a tree, construction requires some of the same hardware used in seismic zones,” he says. So, drawing on both his technical know-how and her rich design sensibility, the Greens began to make their vision a reality in the fall of 2019, launching the Instagram account @fort_treehouse_co to document the process.

To support their planned structure, the duo selected a pair of maples, supplemented with two galvanized steel posts for additional reinforcement. From there, work involved a true super squad of treehouse enthusiasts: a specialized engineer, Charles Greenwood, developed the platform’s custom components from Oregon; an architectural designer friend, Lindsay Duthie, consulted on the plans from Vancouver; and an arborist, Philip van Wassenaer, visited from Mississauga to assemble a sonic tomography map of the tree’s internal structure that streamlined necessary approvals.

A deep regard for nature extends throughout the entire project. Solar panels up top provide all necessary power, while materials include birch ply cladding, mineral wool insulation, and an earthen floor mixed from sand, clay and straw. “There’s the juxtaposition of adding this very modern structure to the forest; but by using natural materials, it still fits in with the landscape,” says Green.

Despite the relaxing appeal of its immediate surroundings, the treehouse also makes a great home base for exploring the region at large. Rhubarb restaurant and Boshkung Brewery lie just up the highway, while Green also recommends the Haliburton Highlands Nordic trails for skiing and the Haliburton Sculpture Forest for a scenic hike. Filled with works created by local and international artists, including faculty from Fleming College’s Haliburton School of Art and Design (which is also Lauren Green’s alma mater), the trail makes for another thoughtful demonstration of art and nature existing in perfect harmony. Bon Iver, eat your heart out.

The Baltic is available for minimum two-night stays for guests of two, with a day reserved in between each booking for cleaning and ventilation. Spring/summer reservations open in late winter, with prices starting at $359 a night. forttreehouseco.com