Simcoe County, ON
What’s more fun than a mud run? How about a mud run with your dog? That’s exactly what Ruff Mudder is all about, and what led us back to the Collingwood area for a long weekend.
Hotel We stayed in the newly opened Somewhere Inn Collingwood, a renovated historic century home. The bathtub in the bay window and juxtaposition of wicker and leather made our king room feel luxurious. I really noticed the attention to detail, from the fully stocked snack and minibar (although, watch the prices!), to the vintage cameras decorating the corridor, to the book and pack of cards for a rainy day. And I can’t fail to mention the ceramic dog bowls and branded bandana for Rita! She was made to feel very welcome.
If you need a hand with anything you can simply shoot the staff a text, or head to the lobby bar where someone is around most of the day. Also come here for coffee and pastries at breakfast time, or wine and a salad in the evening. Rita just wasn’t allowed inside, but most of the seating is on the patio. Outside is a relaxation area with hammocks, and a thermal cycle setup with sauna and cold plunge, which I made use of after the run! The neighbouring yoga studio runs a free class for guests on the lawn on Saturday mornings during the summer, but it was rained off this weekend. Rita was allowed to stay in the room alone while I made use of the facilities.
It's a short walk/drive to the shops and restaurants of Collingwood. My favourites were The Maker’s Outpost and Press Market.
Provincial Parks I There were a bunch of Provincial Parks in the area which we visited. En route to Collingwood lay Earl Rowe. It was a hot day, so this made for a nice shady walk in the evening. We walked the Resource Trail, with informational sides about the forest. This joined the Lookout Trail via the Rainbow Run to give us some lovely views. Although you’re never far from a campground, the trails felt peaceful. There are rumours of an off-leash trail, but we didn’t encounter it!
North of Penetanguishene is Awenda Provincal Park. It’s a large park, and there’s at least a 5-minute drive to get from the entrance gate to the first parking lots. We first headed to the beaches at the north end, to visit the pet beach and walk the 4km out and back beach trail. Rita made friends on the pet beach and had a swim in the Georgian Bay waters. Dogs are not permitted on the other beaches, and this is clearly marked.
We then drove to Iac Kettle’s Lake to do the Wendat trail. This 4km provided us with lake views more secluded forest paths. There’s an interpretative guide if you wish to learn more. At the beginning of the trail the turtle hatching program is situated, where the eggs are protected from predators until they are ready to hatch.
Discovery Harbour At this former British naval - and later also military - base, visitors can explore the way of life of both civilians and the forces back in the early 1800s. It’s promoted as dog friendly, and they even have a dog hydration station. Rita was allowed everywhere I was. We wanted into the Assistant Surgeon’s house and ogled at his jar of leaches (empty now!) and visited the home of Henry Bayfield, a hydrographer after whom the town of Bayfield is named. The reconstructed H.M.S. Tecumseth allowed us to envision this ship which, after not making it to the war of 1812, was left to sink in the bay. Its resurrected hull now sits in the museum on-site.
The in-costume interpreters were all super friendly and told me about their characters’ roles within the community. We took some time to watch a blacksmith at work. A bunch even gave us a private performance of some sea shanties, which Rita howled along to!
The sister site, Saint-Marie among the Hurons, is also dog-loving, but we didn’t make it there this trip.
Lavender Farm Purple Hill Lavender Farm was hosting its Opening Weekend Summer Festival on Saturday. Dogs are welcome on the farm, and it presented lots of pretty photo opportunities of Rita! We were able to wander among the flowers, soaking up their scent and observing the bees doing their job. The shop sells a multitude of lavender products, from candles and bath salts (take some back to the hotel for that post-run relaxation!) to cookies infused with the lavender from the farm. For the festival, there were lavender coolers on tap, vendor stalls selling local handicrafts backdropped by live music.
Ruff Mudder The highlight of the trip! As instructed, we arrive to the event grounds an hour before our wave time of 2.30pm. This gave us a chance to pick up my t-shirt and Rita’s bandana, and browse the Barket Market, full of treats and dog and human apparel. With 1100 entries throughout the day, it was a busy spot! There was even a beer garden with local breweries offering refreshments, and live music.
We gathered at the start line just ahead of our time to listen to the instructions and get revved up with some howling (from the humans!). At Ready, Set, Go, we took off, jogging our way along the grassy trail. It was a “take your time adventure’, rather than a timed race. Rita and I jogged most of it, slowing for the most extreme muddy parts and obstacles. These included going through tyres and tunnels, up and down ramps, over and under trees and, the worst part, wading through muddy creeks! We had no mission of staying clean. At the Pet Valu - sponsored spot, I had to complete a monkey-bar challenge to win a treat for Rita.
Rita unquestionably had a blast. She was jumping around and running fast and pulling me through the mud. I’m sure she wondered why I was crawling on my hands and knees with her!
The rain began just as our run was beginning, but this simply made it more muddy and fun! Luckily we narrowly avoided having to halt for thunderstorms. The route was 5km, but we opted for the extra side link to make it into 6.2km. It took us an hour to complete. There were several “selfie spawts” along the way, and a photographer towards the end. The Clearview fire departments were ready with hoses to wash us off. It was an exhilarating experience, made even more fun with my four-legged friend!
Provincial Parks II Wasaga Beach, home to the longest freshwater beach in the world, is a short drive from Collingwood. There’s plenty to do with your pup at this provincial park. First we drove to the Nordic Trails centre, where the 30km of winter trails across the sand dunes are open to hikers. Using AllTrails to navigate, we completed an 11km loop. It was so peaceful with few others on the trails, and so I let Rita off-leash. Overall, it was an easy hike with a few uphills and downhills.
We then drove to the beaches themselves. Dogs are permitted on the boardwalks, and we ventured along the one linking beaches 1 and 2. Then we drove to the dog beach at beach 3. Here I let Rita run around and dig some holes. The boundaries of the dog beach are clearly marked, and I did read online that dogs are to be kept on-leash but others let their dogs roam too. Dogs are additionally allowed at all picnic areas along the beachfront, just not on the actual beaches apart from the dog beach.
Next we visited Craigleith Provincial Park, which is primarily a campground along the beach, but Rita wanted to check out the dog beach at the day use area. We had the rocky beach to ourselves and Rita was able to take a dip in the turquoise blue waters of Georgian Bay.
Blue Mountain Village For our last stop on this trip, we returned to Blue Mountain Village to see what it was like in the summer. A must-do is Copper Blue’s pet-friendly patio, where they offer a “Pup ‘n’ Patio” menu. Rita tried the beef liver appetiser and pupcake dessert. Then we stopped by Rocky Mtn Chocolate company to pick up some treats (human and canine!) for the drive back home.
