Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, located about 90 km north of Toronto. It sits on the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe, with some hilly terrain to its north and south. It’s a fast-growing city, with burgeoning employment in the technology space and proximity to numerous lakes and popular destinations in so-called ‘cottage country”. There’s a nice variety of running in Barrie, including scenic paths along the lakeshore, several pleasant parks, and two longer multi-use paths, and some hilly, trail options.
The best place to run in Barrie is the several km of scenic running along Lake Simcoe. For some longer off-run running, choose a section of the Lake Country ORO Medonte Rail Trail or the Trans Canada Trail. For parks, we have a route combining the Arboretum, Sandy Hollow Buffer, and Lampman Park, and another nice route at Wilkins Walk. Trail runners will find some good challenge at Ardagh Bluffs. We’ve also included two scenic waterfront running routes in Orillia and Collingwood, two nearby lakefront communities.
Runners should note that Barrie winters are cold and snowy, with average highs below freezing and some 225 cm (88 inches) of annual snowfall.
