A Journey to Barrie

Several weeks ago I went on a long hike, primarily along the western arm of Lake Simcoe. I traveled through the quiet, rural Innisfil region before arriving in Barrie. The walk was tiring; at 37 kilometers, it was my longest trek of the 2008 hiking season. It also marked the third time I traveled beyond the confines of the Greater Toronto Area. This trip was enjoyable and will remain memorable due to a bizarre, potentially dangerous situation that occurred near the beginning.


I take the Go bus to Churchill, a small community located 11 km from of Barrie’s southern periphery. The village features empty stores and a few dozen modest homes, primarily located along Yonge Street (a rural highway). A man in his mid-twenties also exits the bus; we start talking. He says that he’s supposed to meet some strangers at Yonge & 4th Line (“downtown” Churchill), en route to skydiving lessons, but he’s stranded because they aren’t answering their phones. I’m not sure if he’s telling the truth – the concept of meeting strangers in the middle of nowhere, to go tempt death, is far beyond my risk tolerance level, though I know some people are daredevils.

The stranger asks a few Churchill residents if they know the location of the skydiving facility; none of them do. However, he gets a call from his girlfriend, who tells him the skydiving centre is located a few kilometers down the road, towards the west. The stranger tries to persuade me to walk with him; I refuse. He immediately flags down a van driving west on 4th Line and jumps in; he urges me to come “in case the driver tries to kill me, man”. I thank him for the offer but walk away, towards the east, away from Churchill. Fortunately, he doesn’t follow.

Perhaps the stranger was trying to rob or abduct me; he could have fabricated a story about skydiving and arranged to have a friend’s van pull over when he started “hitchhiking”. Then again, maybe he was just a wildly risk-seeking individual. I’m happy I walked away; I can live with the mystery.

The next hour is pleasant but uneventful – I hike east along 4th Line, down an empty country road bisecting farmland. Eventually, a road sign indicates that I’ve entered LeFroy; I suppose it refers to the dozen homes located along the southwest corner of 4th Line & 20th Sideroad. I wonder why this block is deemed to be a community, when it could be clustered with Bell Ewart, a much larger and more interesting village located a few hundred meters down the road.


After a few minutes I arrive in Bell Ewart, one of several small communities within the town of Innisfil. It’s a nice, small village centralized along the southwestern shore of Lake Simcoe. I like Bell Ewart; it features several picturesque, well-maintained public beaches and it combines small town charm with an eclectic but bold personality (at least by small town standards). The exurb features the standard amenities of a rural southern Ontario town, including a nondescript community centre and general store. However, there are a number of interesting buildings, including the modestly-named “Almost Lakefront Café”, located a few hundred meters west of the beach, a church with a massive, apparently permanent Bell Ewart graffiti design spraypainted on the front, and what appears to be a punk rock / skateboard shop. It's not exactly Dundas Square, but Bell Ewart has a lot of creativity and attitude for a rural community.

I walk north through Alcona, the largest commercial centre in Innisfil, and west to Stroud, a small community a few kilometers south of Barrie. Alcona appears to be a tourist village designed to emphasize its lakeshore while Stroud appears to be a commuter town. These communities feature a few large commercial plazas including TD Bank, Tim Hortons, and other major franchises. Although they are pleasant, they lack the uniqueness and character of Bell Ewart. I spend a few minutes resting at Innisfil Beach Park but I’m looking forward to hiking through a more interesting place.

I walk north on Yonge Street, a rural highway, towards Barrie. There’s a lot to like about the city. Barrie offers all the amenities of a typical, comfortable suburb (i.e. Richmond Hill, Newmarket) and, due to its moderate size (130,000 residents) and tremendous population growth (24% in the past five years), it appears to have a promising future. The city is roughly equidistant between Toronto, a world-class metropolis, and Gravenhurst, the southern edge of Ontario’s Muskoka Lakes region. Barrie offers impressive flexibility—it is within an hour’s drive of world-class educational, economic and cultural centres to the south, and comfortable, relaxing rural getaways to the north. Barrie's well-managed, well-maintained downtown core, centralized along Kempenfelt Bay (the western arm of Lake Simcoe), is a real highlight.

Within an hour, I arrive in downtown Barrie. Although the southern half of the city is fairly dull (featuring an endless lineup of plazas), I’m immediately impressed by the size and condition of the city’s waterfront; it puts Toronto’s Lake Ontario waterfront to shame for three reasosn. First, the shoreline is continuous throughout the city’s entire downtown core and beyond, providing residents with a quick and scenic commute from one side of the city to the other (though of course land is more valuable in Toronto reducing incentives to have an open, public waterfront). Second, the coastline is in excellent condition. There is virtually no littering; the walking and bicycle paths are well-maintained; and plants along the coast are beautifully landscaped. Third, the waterfront offers many attractions, including the impressive Spirit Catcher monument, a large fountain, a festival in Centennial Park, and a public marina. The area offers more than just a nice view of Lake Simcoe – it features landmarks, activities, and acts as the economic backbone of Barrie. Indeed, I’m able to walk city’s centre (the “the five corners”, where Dunlop, Bayfield and Clapperton Streets intersect), in less than five minutes.

Afterward, I walk through part of the city’s historic downtown section but I don’t get very far; by this point I’m exhausted and miss the chance to see a few landmarks (i.e. city hall, MacLaren art centre). I plan on heading home around 19:00; unfortunately I miss the Go bus by ten minutes and must wait ninety minutes for the next ride. To pass the time, I walk back to the waterfront, take a seat, and rest. I reflect on the journey – I didn’t get robbed, and the hike was enjoyable. That’s a good day.