Barrie, ON
We’ve passed through Barrie a few times on our way up North. Here’s a compilation of what we’ve got up to.
We stayed for one night in this recently renovated, industrial-style loft, located right in the centre of Barrie. The 17ft high ceilings and exposed brick give it a “snazzy bachelor’s pad” vibe. There were a lot of stairs, which were awkward to navigate, and the HVAC runs through the centre of the studio, creating a constant white noise. Furthermore, there could have been some warmer lighting in the bedroom. These downsides were offset by modern fittings and appliances.
Walkable from the loft is Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery. The dog friendly patio features a “dog bar” and eclectic design. We dined here on our way back from Algonquin. On another previous visit, we explored the Heritage Park along the Lake Simcoe shoreline. On that day, there was a pop-up market. The iconic Barrie sign can be found here.
Our latest trip to Barrie was all about the nearby hiking, and both Rita and I could fuel up at UnbelievaBowl. I got a salted caramel smoothie bowl with a range of toppings including dragon fruit, cacao nibs and almond butter. Rita tried some berry pupsicles….she wasn’t as keen on them as I was on mine though! There are even smoothie bowl-inspired candles for sale.
There are three provincial parks near to Barrie. We first visited Springwater, a day use park which is open all year round and boasts 12km of interlocking trails. We created a 6k loop out of the red, green and purple trails. The red trail was quite boggy and both of us got mucky.
Next we went to Bass Lake and walked the short 3km loop trail. This took us along the lakeside, through forest and past the remains of the original Rowe Farmstead. There’s even a small pet exercise area for a game of fetch.
Our final park was McRae Point, with ample room for campers near the neighbouring city of Orillia. We parked at the boat launch and walked the 5km Waters Edge trail along Lake Simcoe shores. This was a quiet, wooded trail and Rita enjoyed a dip in the lake at several spots along the trail and at the Point itself (although she wasn’t permitted on the beaches).
