Gord and I spent three days at Horseshoe Resort ... we drove up on Wednesday and came home Friday. It snowed and was really cold the entire time so was very Canadian. It was a fun way to start 2026! We booked a deluxe room, which had a sunken sitting area with an electric fireplace and a snowy view. It was nice to have the extra space. We had our meals at the Crazy Horse Sports Bar & Grill (across the street from the Inn) and Eleven 01 (in the inn building). We celebrated New Years Eve at the Crazy Horse where there was a live band, which was fun. There is lots to do. We're not skiers or snowboarders but there were many there who were so it was fun to watch. Entry to the trails at the Nordic Centre across the street is complimentary for snowshoers and bikers staying at the resort. We brought our snowshoes but since it's been a few years since we'd done it, we snowshoed around the resort's deep deep snow to get back into the groove. There is snow tubing but tickets were sold out for the time slots we wanted. We spent time in the games room playing ping pong and in the hot tub and pool (really busy with lots of families). Parking is an issue ... there doesn't seem to be enough spots and people were parking on the street. We managed to get a spot near another building after driving around a bit. The entrance at the inn could be configured better. In theory, you drive in, park and check in, drive around in a circle and head back out the way you came in. When we checked out this morning, many others were too. Gord couldn't drive around the circle after we loaded up the car because it was packed with cars. Plus it was snowy and icy. He had to back out, which was nerve wracking! It also meant cars pulling in couldn't ... they had to back up so he could get out. A better route would be to have the driveway go right onto the street near the inn's entrance rather than making people drive around in a circle to get out the way they came in. read more

We recently stayed at horseshoe valley and had a good experience. We stayed in a room with a King bed and it was really comfortable. The room had a fridge and sofa with a TV. The TV was a little small but overall it was a good experience. Staying at the resort gives you free access to the cross country ski trails and we really enjoyed our ski. The pool was good but packed with rambunctious children who were jumping and splashing everyone. I wish the pool was managed better and the snow tubing was fun as well. Would we go back? Absolutely! read more

This year I am trying to embrace winter a bit more which means escaping to local getaways and trying out winter activities. I finally tried out tubing for the first time at HorseshoeValley. It is about one and a half hours north of Toronto and in the Barrie area. You can tube for 3 hours although I lasted about an hour. There are other activities that you can try too such as snow shoeing, skiing, snowboarding and more. Tickets can be purchased in advance and I highly suggest going early for a more quieter and enjoyable experience. They have three session to choose from to do the tubing. It would be a good idea to try to a combination of activities for variety. It also be nice to get a combined package although I did not notice this and hope it gets introduced. With restrictions in place it is a great activity to try out this year. It be nice to see this area developed more and hope to come back next year and try other the other activities available. Make sure to check it out and explore and support local in Ontario. They are located at 1101 Horseshoe Valley Rd W, Barrie, ON. read more

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We went snow tubing first thing in the morning. That was great. No crowds, and we got to go down the hill many times because of no line up. Unfortunately, we stayed at the resort overnight. When you pay more than $200 a night for a room, you expect that the plumbing won't leak, the carpet wouldn't be torn and frayed, and there wouldn't be filth on the walls and ceiling. It looked like there'd been a fire in the room. Black soot like dust all over the ceiling from the air duct. The breakfast buffet had a nice vegetarian quiche offered, but otherwise a lot of pork products and basic fare. Not worth the money they charge. The crazy horse restaurant was okay, but over priced. The staff were working hard, and seemed to be short a person. Despite that stress they were friendly and helpful. Too bad the food was a little sub par. read more

Everything was excellent. Nice heated pools and steam rooms. Food service could be a little faster but the restaurant does get busy at certain times. read more

Where do I start this resort is a joke would never recommend it. When we arrived the young female should never be in that position. So rude never even welcomed us plus when we asked about amenities she was aloof then said theses are your bands and handed them to us had to ask for map she was not interested at all. After checking out this place what a joke it is not what they advertised it is dirty, dated and pools dreadful no lockers,towels we were given grey stained hand towels. This was a special treat for birthday. I spoke to a manager he was not any better than the young female... talking over me and did not want to listen. I told him we would not be staying after only an hour in this place. We left then he called as we were driving away he called to say he would give us vouchers I said no a refund would be better. Guess what no refund they only want your money don't care about anything else. read more

Heads up: my review is ONLY about the ski and snowboard facilities. Staff are helpful and friendly. The trails were well maintained and lots of different options. Not too crowded, a lot of parking spots. The only start left in my review is because they don't rent snow clothes. I'm not sure if it's just because of COVID times, but when I went I needed to BUY expensive pants because they didn't have rentals. read more

Comfortable family friendly and pet friendly resort. Restaurants on site serving good pub food and family fare. We came during COVID so not every activity and amenities were available but it was still enjoyable. Tubing on the hills was fun and you can purchase runs instead of timed. Place wasn't too busy but again it was COVID so not normal times. Good option for skiing or tubing getaway with the family that is still affordable read more

Horeshoe Valley is a half decent ski resort near Toronto. Located in Simcoe County just a little past Barrie is the ski resort. They have a cute little chalet and a nice vibe. Let me be clear that I don't ski at all so I found the hills quite challenging but nonetheless fun. I never KO'd thankfully - but I did trip...once. For lunch I went to the chalet to a grab a tuna salad sandwich and potatoes wedges. Yumm? It's not exactly healthy but I wasn't expecting much for lunch today. I did however grab a Beaver Tail from the cart downstairs which was yummy. RIP to my diet. The design of the resort is ok...it looks a bit sad and for the price they charge I was a little surprise. There's also very odd advertisements everywhere...Telus, homes, food...I found it odd. Ski rental and lift ticket during the day time was $122 (tax included) on the weekend. Yikes....not the cheapest activity to do on the weekend. The staff however were very friendly. I'll probably come back once every few years I suppose but I'm not committed to buying a skiing membership or even go next year...I think once every 5 years surprises for me. read more

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Hello, if you are someone who likes to hit the hills first thing in the morning, this is not the place for you. The lifts rarely open on time, I was there today and left after waiting 90 minutes. I would have felt better about the wait if they even acknowledged the group of us "Hey, we are working on it" or "Hey, we are trying to open another lift". Instead, they just ignored the people waiting. I skied Snow Valley last season and sure they had technical issues but at least they treated people as guests. Dear Jonathan Reid - After you are an hour late opening (maybe even 30 mins) here is what you do 1. Send out someone with a huge pot of hot chocolate to try and ease the wait. 2. Communicate with your guests, just keep them informed, if it is a technical issue with the lift explain it. I was chatting with folks and the not knowing was the frustrating part. 3. Use the snowmobiles to move the ski patrol around to clear the hills. 4. Open the other lifts, even lift 1 and Pinto would have killed some time. 5. As you are consistently opening late maybe aim to have things open at 8:45 instead of 9am. read more

MJ LEVACK. terrible attitude. Couldn't help. She should not be in customer. You know something easy and simple could of been resolved easily but with your attitude, it does not help. You actually make it a disappointing place to go to. Terrible customer service. Lack of care. Wrong business lady. Mj Levack Room was disgusting. Cobb webvs in corner ceiling on top of fire place. Bed sheets had stains. I had to go get my own blanket in the car. Disgusting place and customer service. Not sure why anyone would go to the middle of no where for shitty service. No food after 7. Restaurants closed. No uber or delivery service either --which was not the problem... but all in all.. terrible experience read more

A day trip with the kids for biking and while waiting for them, I just had a drink in Crazy Hours Restaurant patio. Just recently, the lake is not accessible to the public. Only seasonal holders, residence and resort quest. read more

Horseshoe Resort - Ski Resorts Near Me - Barrie, Ontario

We recently stayed here for a soccer tournament June 2-4, 2023. We booked using a 3rd party through the soccer club hosting the tournament. We booked has a team and thought we would all be on one floor as that is what most hotels do when you book a BLOCK of rooms. When we arrived everyone from the team except for one player was on the same floor. When asked at the front desk why this happened they said they didn't know and that they weren't able to move the family to a room on the same floor. The front staff were rude and unaccommodating. There were two other sports teams staying there and when asked if the BLOCK of rooms they booked were all together their response was- yes because they booked as a team. The rooms were dirty, there was a hole in the wall in the bathroom, the AC was loud and the room we had was next to an electrical room that was EXTREMELY loud. The showers in the locker room were dirty and filled with dead spiders. The resort did not offer any discounts on activities such as mini putt or the Rock wall. The outdoor pool was closed and empty and the man-made lake/beach was also empty and closed to guests. The Saturday night of our stay had a wedding happening and the party tent was right beside a block of rooms with the music blaring until 1am- perhaps finding a location within the resort far from people sleeping would be great. I would not recommend this resort for sports teams, it is expensive, they don't have anything kid friendly to eat and their staff is rude, management included and don't put the customer first. They could have made it so the single family in my team block of rooms could move rooms and be on the same floor as the rest of the team- hence the TEAM BLOCK of rooms. read more

The workers were really rude and humiliated me when i failed a level all because my ski fell off

Overpriced for what you get. It's not surprising, you're kind of a bit hostage. There's not really any competition so there's not much incentive for the company to do better. Service is meh, prices are inflated. Everything shuts down early, around 10 - 11 pm on a Friday. If the service matched the price I don't think I would have minded as much but fine to poor service at a premium price is not something I seek out. There are other places to ski and snowboard. Next time I'll be going to one of them instead. read more

Stayed here one night as we attended the Wayhome Festival nearby. Our room smelled sort of like pee and was super musty. We ended up leaving our windows open while we were out enjoying the festival to air out the atmosphere. We didn't bother to say anything/complain as we were literally just staying over night and didn't want to go through the hassle of moving rooms. Staff were moderately friendly, but we didn't really interact with them too much. The bed was fairly comfortable and we didn't hear any noise in the evening, which was appreciated. In the morning we enjoyed a bit of time at their outdoor pool, which was very nice and seemed clean. Note, if you are staying here they don't offer any room service but our room had a mini fridge so would recommend you bring your own drinks/snacks. Most likely wouldn't choose to stay here again. read more

Horseshoe resort is a nice place to visit in the summer with friends or family as there are a good amount of free activities to do if you're a guest. There are other activities such as ziplining, and a wakeboard, however those aren't free. I really enjoyed the pool, kayaking and this huge water slide from the top of the mountain! Horseshoe also has an arcade that is pretty small, but enough to entertain the kids. There are two different areas you can stay in, which is the hotel side and the airbnb side (where we stayed one). The complaints I have isn't the size of the room itself (as we rented two rooms but really had 2+1 rooms; meaning there was a lot of space), but the overall service of the resort. We were not notified that the main living room area light was not working, and we tried to ask the front desk to see if there's a solution. They could not offer us any solution for the lights nor were they able to even lend us a lamp. The only solution they could offer was to give us free breakfast, but they told us at 10pm that it wasn't working. This was unacceptable as night time gets very dark, and without the main room light on, the kids could get hurt and trip over something (we had 4 kids). Another issue we experienced was the front door. It would not lock at times no matter how many tries closing the door. We were lucky to not have anything important inside, however it's not acceptable for any place to not have a functioning front door. Lastly, we left our iPad at the room two days ago. We called in many times and the housekeeper kept on insisting how she checked everywhere and that it's not in the room. However, we got the location service to turn on and the iPad was still in the resort area. We had to drive 2 hrs back to the resort ourselves to show them the proof. At first they kept on saying that we weren't allowed to search ourselves but we had the proof that the iPad was still here. They had nothing to respond afterwards, so we were allowed to go inside to search. In the end, the iPad was under the pillow and the room was still left in the same state as we left it 2 days ago. Firstly, I believe the staff did not even search at all as the iPad was literally just under a pillow, and two, I question the cleanliness as the room was left messy for 2 days already. I can't imagine how gross the beds were and how long the room was dirty before we checked in. read more

Horseshoe Resort - The huge water slide that starts from the top of the hill. You have to take a lift to get on it - Ski Resorts Near Me - Barrie, Ontario

Horseshoe Resort - we booked it for three days (two nights) to take advantage of the pool. We called before booking and ensured the pool was opened. Didn't had a chance to enjoy the pool even once, you have to wake up early and line up at the reception area to book an one hour spot out of the 7 spots available for the day. We called the director of hospitality of the resort to inquire of the process and escalate - as it was explained to us, the hotel was fully booked (150 rooms, over 400 people as per Ben/director) and even if one stays for 10 days there is no guarantee that you will see the pool once. We also asked for a late check out on departure day because we had booked the Treetop Trekking from 9:30 to 12:30 that day - that was another big NO, they needed the room at 11 am because as per the director again, "they could not afford to provide free meals or other facilities if they provide late check out". In other terms, they run the place at full capacity with minimum personnel which makes it impossible for anyone to take advantage of the resort facilities. In any other respectable place, a manager would work with you and give you an extra half an hour, suggest something; this Ben told us there is nothing he can do for us and done. We will not return to the resort and will not recommend it to anyone for stay overnight. Horseshoe area is gorgeous, cannot speak enough for the folks at the lake area, the mini golf, the treetop trekking - wonderful service and people. It was a mistake to book the resort and we will not make that mistake again, hope everyone will learn from this. Will try attaching a picture of the hallway in the morning with the people lining up outside the store to book the pool for the day. read more

Went here for snowboarding. This place is actually pretty good. Disclaimer: I'm still "beginner" level, and also this is the first resort in Canada (I'd previously only visited resorts in sunny California). Pros: -close to Toronto. The drive was a little over an hour. Easy drive too (no windy roads up a mountain; single lanes, etc) -not too crowded (compared to what I'm used to). Minimal wait for lifts, and also it was pretty easy going down the mountains without having to maneuver around people. -lift ticket price isn't too unreasonable -my son took the kids skiing class, and we were impressed with the teaching quality. He did quite well for his first ever lesson -there is a tubing park also which looked fun. It's $20 for 2hrs (it would be better if they had a 1 hour option as well though) -plenty of parking -one of the other reviews mentioned a lack of bathrooms. Maybe things have improved, but the main building has quite a few, and they are pretty clean Cons: -not much variety. I was trying to stick to the green slopes. There's basically only 3 runs (I think). I ended up going down the same run most of the time -as others have mentioned, I don't think that this place is very challenging (for people who are more advanced). I accidentally went on a "black diamond" slope once, and managed to make it down without too much drama I will return read more

This is really the best place to enjoy winter with family ! Every facility is a walking distance from your optional residence. Easy to reserve online no hidden fee. Nice breakfast menu or buffet. Very convenient for kids and toddlers. Don't miss the snow mobile! read more

It's like an adult fun park! =) They have ogoing, zipling, mazes, mini-golf, tree top trekking (which I wish I had the time for). I recommend going to Horseshoe Valley Ski Resort on the weekend because I made the drive in early June to be sadly disappointed that they weren't open. I personally wanted to enjoy shorter lines, I didn't think there wouldn't be lines at all! My guess is that they aren't open weekdays until school's out (late June). Going on the water OGO (otherwise known as zorbing) was the highlight of my trip! Be sure to make it yours as well. read more

I've been to Horseshoe Valley Resort (HVR) a few times to snowboard. Compared to it's neighbour Mount St. Louise and other hills (like Blue Mountain), HVR definitely lacks in number of hills and range of hills. For beginners however, this place is pretty good. I like that their green/blue hills allow for room for you to learn to carve. Again, the hills are not long but it's good enough if you are just getting started. The cost for HVR lift tickets are also lower than their counterparts so that's a bonus if you're just starting out. The chalet doesn't offer much variety in terms of food, and as with any resort, the chalet monopoly means jacking up food and drink prices. So if you're new/unaware, a bottle of Gatorade can cost you $4! read more

Never again. We waited 2 hours past their check in time for our room to be ready (and there was still dirty dishes and hair all over the bathroom walls when we did get it), the resort is poorly maintained, and it has terrible/confusing directional signage. Their rental process is long, complicated, and unnecessarily slow. And they have weird rules for skiing (like no backpacks - even small - on the lifts) which made teaching my toddlers even harder. The staff is nice, but many are very young and inexperienced. All in all, a very chaotic and stressful family "vacation". Maybe okay for a day trip, if you own your own gear. But anything else is more work than it's worth. read more

Was staying in the area and we came just to skate for a bit. The rink is in their adventure park and it was open until 10pm! It's free to use and they have skate rentals for around $10. The rink itself was pretty mediocre (not super well groomed since it was really late), but it was completely empty when we went there! There are adorable warming huts and a fire pit right beside it so you can take a break whenever. They also had a healthy amount of tswift playing in the background. I did also come here for snowboarding several years ago. Their hills are good for novice skiers but aren't really comparable to Blue Mountain's. read more

Horseshoe Resort - The skating rink has a fire and two warming huts beside it (much appreciated in -30C weather...) - Ski Resorts Near Me - Barrie, Ontario

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The mini putting experience was great. Logan was a wonderful host....best costumer service!!!!

Horseshoe used to be a great spot for families to come ski and snowboard. The resort is filled with new canadians and visitors from around the world. The days of etiquette are gone. People who come tend to not understand the traditions or are unfamiliar with the customs of a ski lodge. The eating area is littered with single people at large tables. This causes issues as no one is sharing the space for people to eat. When people leave the lodge they leave their belongings on tables to save the space but it was never theirs to begin with. The resort needs to figure out how to solve these problems and fast. read more

Attended a wedding here that started at 4PM. Their typical check in time is 4PM (I know, super late) so I called a few days in advance to ask if I could check in early to change into my suit. They said it would probably be fine. I arrived at 2PM and my room wasn't ready. I ended up having to change into my suit in the pool changing room and they called me at 4:10 (during the ceremony) to tell me that my room was ready. Very poor experience. read more

Really poor customer service. Throughout the resort, the company has hired young teens as key personnel. The service is resultingly very sad. I thought it was one chance bad encounter, but then it was repeated in the restaurant, the front desk, the rental desk etc. Probably the last time we'll come here with other options available. read more

So I looked into resorts near Toronto and came up with Horseshoe Valley Resort. But my stay here started out weak and then turned into a nightmare. Scroll down to "The Ugly" if you're the type to skip to the horror scene. Halloween came early I tell ya. THE GOOD- -Summer midweek sale 25% off your stay. Tempting right? -Decent suites with nice plantation shutters and all-glass showers -Inspiring menu from the Silks restaurant in the main inn. Enjoyed the maple goat cheese and prosciutto stuffed chicken and the 10 OZ mesquite rubbed new york striploin as well as the signature Horseshoe toffee pudding. -Breakfast is all you can eat and drink -Dogs allowed (awww) THE BAD- -No Breakfast in bed. Buffet only and NOT COMPLIMENTARY. Tsk tsk.($15.82 for inedible eggs and undercooked sausages) -Dogs allowed (STFU!! IT'S TWO AM!!) -No bathtub (for parents of small children this can be annoying) -Not many options for the spa goers. See their website. -I would think the resort would offer a shuttle from the Go station to the hotel. Not the case. This would attract a demographic (single travellers, young professionals, non-locals) -The website says the resort is in Barrie but the resort is in Oro-Medonte, north of Barrie. Cab driver gave me grief and GPS wouldn't pull up the address in Barrie. -The indoor pool is tiny, not big enough for laps, just for floaters. Also a major disappointment. -All restaurants close at 10 or 11pm and the gift shop closes at 5, so keep that in mind if you're a midnight muncher. -My wifi connection dropped a lot especially with streaming -The TV quality was terrible... A maintenance guy came and sorted it out but didn't do anything about the quality (grainy). Speaking of which, don't expect skylite satellite channels as advertised, they are not programmed yet. -Rooms are supposed to have complimentary coffee. I saw no such thing. -Room service only available from the Silk restaurant which is really overpriced. To grab a bite elsewhere, you have to leave the main guest room building. THE UGLY- -It was CONSISTENTLY hard to reach the front desk and room service. Had to walk over several times to place my orders, huge nuisance. The same goes for the Silks restaurant. -On my last night, I asked for a WAKEUP CALL and didn't get one. I missed my morning train. I was told no manager was available ON A FRIDAY until 2pm but I would get a call. I did NOT. At 3:30 I called the front desk to follow up on this issue (my missed train meant an extra night's stay and they needed to adjust my bill to their best ability). Was told NO MANAGER ON DUTY UNTIL SUNDAY. ON LABOR DAY WEEKEND?!!!!! So no resolution to my problem (and no surprise) until after my departure? How does that work Debbie? SO MUCH FOR A quick, easy, relaxing (and affordable) GETAWAY. I RECOMMEND- Not bothering to check out HSV. But if you do, DO NOT splurge for the "valley view". What it is is a view of the golf terrain, with some parking lot on the side in some rooms.No high floors so you won't get a view of much but turf. Very misleading given the higher rate than courtyard views. Ain't nobody got time for that! EXTRA TIP- Drive in. It's $12.40 one way on the Go train to get you from Toronto as far as Allandale. A 25 min cab from there to the resort will run you approximately $50 one way!! Had I known, I wouldn't have opted for this mode of transport or this location. read more

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I recently came to spend the Canada Day holiday here. This place has not my first choice and I felt that I had to settle for it as all the other hotels were booked up, but I loved the experience. First of the hotel is very nice! The rooms are very comfortable, like one would expect. There are some many activities to do here and I love that there is motocross sponsored by BMW! Now that was fun, even though I am not that good of a rider I still got on. The staff here is super friendly, and willing to help with just about anything(hospitality related!). I will most definitely be back to this place again and now I have to come back during the winter! read more

Realistically this place is a means to an end. They're the only place that offers night skiing for those of us who work the 9-5 grind that's close enough to Toronto to not be a total inconvenience. The next closest option is Mount St. Louis-Moonstone which IMO is 10 times the ski resort (by Ontario standards) but falls short for lacking night skiing/snowboarding. However lets speak about HVR for what it is. Convenient. Also this is the best place to learn (agreeing with Joe H's review 100%). They've marked their hills up in difficulty to make them appear "scarier" but their "black diamonds" are about as challenging as they are long (not very). While the runs and rickity chairlifts haven't changed much (still as flat and icy in places) since I near killed myself here in highschool, there are notes of change around Horseshoe. On the positive side, a restaurant/bar (Crazy Horse) at the base of the hill, the addition of a BeaverTails stand (which makes one of the most delicious hot chocolates I've had EVER) and lastly they've started to build condo style chalet's around the property for purchase! **Note: If you're going to buy hear, you REALLY need to love this hill** Negative changes: $10 to get into the "Snow park". If you can really call it that... 5-6 low box rails, a couple of out of commission jumps and a 1/2 filled 1/2 pipe hardly warrants a charge. I was a little disappointed that they had 2 people guarding the entry to this lackluster area. Like the rest of Horseshoe this is a learning stunt park, should not charge for something so...meh. I can't come down too hard on HSV, I'm just old and bitter now and I think I've outgrown Ontario skiing, I crave a challenge now, I got my snow legs here and I know many many people do. They're an affordable ($32 for a night lift ticket from 3pm-10pm) option, close to the city, that is perfect for young families and those looking for a quick getaway to the hills of Ontarios north. I'll likely be back, unless the day comes that I move East, West or North. Happy Shredding y'all! 2.5 star! read more

Great on a summers day! I'd always wanted to go 'ZORBing' and was very excited to hear that I didn't have to trek to New Zealand before I could try it! While Horsehoe calls it OGOing... the extreme zorbing is basically like a huge waterslide, though, you are within a large plastic ball filled with water. Its way better than a water slide as you can easily rotate around inside the ball - and its quite safe! Its one of the most extraordinary things I've ever done! I also tried the version where they strap you into the ball in a harness, but I'll probably never bother again. It was dizzying and just not all that fun, especially when compared to the water OBO. My friends and I (we are mid to late 20's) enjoyed the rest of the activities at Horseshoe also... the maze, mini golf, and they also have a zip trek, though it was booked up for the day... book it early I suppose. But we did the incredible on-site 3-hour tree-top trekking and zip trekking anyway. Then, we had an incredible 3-course price-fix dinner at the hotel's restaurant following our big day. The food and service were fantastic! read more

Fun time with the kids, 5 & 9. Staff was all very friendly. Internet was non existent in our room so I asked for the 'resort fee' to be refunded to me. They did so without any hesitation . Skate park is falling apart, my 9 year old was very disappointed. Change rooms to get to the outdoor pool were disgusting. Brown water on the floor and the toilets had paper all around them. Beautiful scenery and rooms were very clean and comfy. read more

This review is for the cross country skiing area- we have had positive experiences with other parts of the resort. Horseshoe has moved their Nordic facilities into trailers at the top of a hill with an incredibly small and busy parking area (good luck finding a spot anywhere close). There is nowhere to sit, get warm and eat your lunch. I did not see a waxing hut. The "South Side" trails offer much less variety than the "North side" trails by the old chalet. For beginners, there is a large hill you will have to overcome to switch between both areas. It looks like Horseshoe is getting out of the cross country business. Except for resort guests, I'm not sure why anyone would go to the effort (and pay quite a bit) to put up with this disrespectful, so-called facility. read more

This is NOT a great place if you're a legitimate skier....but it great for some other things...apparently for rolling around in giant, plastic balls and ziplining, which is something you can do in the summer. There are also rock-climbing walls. I have only been in the winter, so I'm going to comment on that! I think that if you're learning to ski, this is a great place for you. The hills are small...don't let anyone tell you otherwise...it's Barrie, not ummm...anywhere you go for an actual ski vacation. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. If you're in the Toronto area and want an easy day trip and are not an avid skier, as I said, or if you have younger children, this is a great place for skiing. (Note: This is a popular place for student ski trips on weekdays, so if you are going, don't think it's necessarily going to be quiet and calm on a weekday, because a group of 100 high school students may arrive). This place ALSO has snow-tubing. I have been to another snow-tubing place in Barrie and there are pros and cons about both. At the other location we were pulled up the hill by a pulley that we hooked our tubes into. At this location there is a "magic carpet" which is basically a flat escalator that you stand/walk up with your tube. Certainly it's more relaxing to ride up, but it's faster walking up and honestly, not sitting around for an extended period means you get less cold. At the other location there were only two runs, but one was your sort of average run and the second run was a larger, steeper run. This place had five runs, but they are all the exact same size...and more on the "average" scale. So while it is less intense, your wait time is never long at the top. Now some comments about this snow-tubing place specifically. One thing we noticed was that there is not a lot of space at the end of the run. They have put down some hay and there is a plastic mesh to stop you from going over the end of the run, into a ravine. The other place we went had a much longer end, so you could keep sliding till you were done. At this place you were expected to "break", as in let go of anyone you were sliding with and if needed, put your feet down to start slowing down. We were not told about this rule in the beginning and nearly went crashing through the barrier the first time. The girl manning the bottom got very pissed at us and gave us a big lecture...she kept telling us we needed to put our feet down "like she had been yelling at us to do"....umm....just FYI...when you are racing, full force down a hill, yelling with your friends, there is a good bet you will not hear some someone at the bottom telling you to slow down. BUT lesson learned and we got very skilled at "breaking" and slowing down at the proper times. Our favorite way to go down was in a train. You pick up a lot of speed. But suddenly we were not longer allowed to go down as a train, because the girl at the bottom was calling the shots and decided that was no longer allowed. Apparently people were not "breaking" when she was telling them to. No one went crashing through barriers, but their behaviour was not acceptable (to her). The employees at the top of the hill were great and hilarious and (awkwardly enough), enjoyed being annoyed at the girl at the bottom of the hill with the rest of us. Apparently she was "in a bad mood" this evening. The staff at the top are skilled in pushing people down the hills so that they are at optimal speed and spinning (if you wish). Ultimately, you (and the people you are with) make the time you have and we DID have a great time. Snow-tubing is a blast! I also feel like you can get your money's worth here. Because of the five runs, we were able to get up and down quite quickly. You basically get one run for $4, or an unlimited run pass for two hours for $20. Obviously, if it gets too busy, you're not going to be able to get as many runs in. Although it got progressively busier as the evening went on, we still managed to get in a lot of runs and left satisfied. At the end of the day, snow-tubing could be better here. I think the easiest thing to do would be to add groves, or more hay as the hills start levelling off, so that the tubes start to slow down on their own. They can't extend the trails because of that ravine situation. Making it so that the tubes slowed down on their own would allow for people to go down as they like and not have to worry about crashing through barriers. Would probably take some pressure of people manning the bottom of the hills as well! read more

Lets be honest, we live in ontario... and it's flat. This is one of the few places we have to ski and it's about 1 hour outside of toronto. I guess it's really all we have so we can't complain that much can we? Out of the big 3 ski resorts in barrie/collingwood area, this is one of them. The others are private/semi private resorts which will cost you a pretty penny. For something in ontario, this place is a big "Meh". The hills or short, the difficulty of everything in my opinion is sandbaged (ie. the black diamonds feel like blue or red [depending on where you live]). The good thing though is that this would be a very good place to learn how to ski/snowboard/mini-ski etc. One thing that really bugged me is how flat the "bunny hill" was. I was trying to give a couple of my friends lessons, and realized that it's too slow on that hill to even do anything. I guess it's really good for people that absolutely can't even stand up, but common I believe you can do better. The main chalet itself doesn't seem like it's changed since I used to come here at high school, but it did seem like their rental section keeps getting new equipment. I did have a chance to also visit the "Crazy Horse Restaurant" as well. I'll write that review shortly. Why would I come to horseshoe? Probably because I got a group deal for a ticket for half price. It's also a great place to teach your friends how to ski/snowboard before you dump them on a bigger hill. read more

I went to Horseshoe Valley recently for snow tubing with a group of 10 people and I gotta say, HVR is clearly not your best spot for snow tubing in Ontario but it wasn't bad either! Granted, they don't have the steepest nor that longest (or even longish) rides but hey, we had fun! Highlights: - For a weekend with gorgeous sunny weather, this place was DEAD, which meant we went on the rides until we got sick of 'em! - Relaxed, fun staff. While most places frown upon group rides of more than 3 or 4 people, at HVR they allow as many as 12 people to go on the rides in tandem! Tips: - Get a 2 hour pass ($20) and that will translate to about 10+ rides on an average day. The alternative, $4/ride, seems like a rip off unless it's super busy and/or you just want to go for a few rides. read more

Booked to stay here 2 nights as part of a larger 3 day conference. Internet service in the hotel room was non existent for me and most in the group. Complaint to front desk rom IT on spotty service was meet with a shrug. Checked out after first night would rather drive back and forth from home than put up with this- charged for full two nights, definitely not worth the room rate. Been here before- I will not be coming back read more

I went here to try out Snowboarding for the first time so I really had nothing to compare it too. However, I can definitely tell you that Snowboarding is super fun and full of falls and biffs that make you stronger! It is about a 1.5hr drive to the mountain and the price for an all day lift ticket was $52 plus $42 fo rental and $6 for a Helmet. Make sure you bring your own goggles. The customer service at this place is truly exceptional. Before going to the mountain I emailed them and called them for details and everybody wqs quick to respond and extremely helpful. It was hard to find at first because I accidentaly went to the chalets insteas of the mountain. A simple ask for diections led me to the correct destination. There are about 20 runs all varying from Pony Hills to Infamous Black Diamond runs. It was busy but everything still moved quickly. Snowboarding was great at Horseshoe! I will definitely be going back! read more

This is a great place to learn to ski or snowboard but it's not a massive resort that offers a lot of challenging hills. We were learning to snowboard so it suited us fine. Out friends are good skiers and snowboarders and they had a good time but commented that the resort is not too challenging. They have night skiing/snowboarding so you can get a lot of runs in. Definitely recommend this place for beginners. read more

Horseshoe Resort - Ski Resorts Near Me - Barrie, Ontario