Family had a really great time here!…read more My daughter is 6 and wanted to try fishing after hearing about it at school. We didn't want to go far, with boat rentals, etc. This was perfect for us. The ponds are not deep, they get very shallow by the edges. You do need to cast quite far to get closer to where the fish are in the deeper waters. There are a bunch of pipes nearing the shallow waters, make sure you reel continuously over those areas, as a few times my daughter stopped and the hook got caught on the pipe. There are staff available to help you with your catch, to get the hook dislodged and fish dropped into your basket. They also clean and bag your fish on ice. Fish are priced by weight. A family ahead of us paid $94 for 4 fish, we paid $126 for 4 fish. Fish also tasted great. Their rules are stated on their website and on a board at the entryway. No dogs, no bbq, no catch and release. Respect these few rules and you'll have a great time.

I grew up in Markham and remember coming here with my Dad over 30 years ago. Decided to come here…read moreagain with him except with my kids to have an enjoyable time fishing from ponds stocked full of rainbow trout. Most things are the same, some have changed. They no longer have the awesome "food shooting gun" or the "vacuum powered fish cleaning suction machine". The upper and lower ponds now both stock the same sized fish (upper pond used to be bigger fish). You can rent rods, there's a fee per fisher, and fish is $33/lb and you can't throw back what you catch. Expensive, but altogether reasonable because you're paying for an experience and not the fish itself. Staff are friendly and helpful, especially if you need help landing a fish. Went at opening 10am and they weren't busy. First hour we caught nothing, even with the provided worms and power bait. We then learned that technique matters! Tip - the rainbow trout are less interested in a non moving bait and bobber. They much prefer a slow reel and want to chase their food. Once we figured this out we were catching like crazy! One of my kids even caught a fish with a landing net! Super fun. Decided to keep 5 fish for a total of $180. Overall worth it for the fun experience w the kids. Down a star because it's expensive and not something we can afford to do frequently.

Great place for introduction to ice fishing! I went with a friend and we both have ZERO ice fishing…read moreexperience, let alone any fishing experience and decided to give this a try. Ice fishing outfitters were great! Easy to make a reservation just by calling their phone number and they were very accommodating with the date and huts. You do have to bring your own fishing rods though. It was an easy drive there and the place was visible and easy to find. We paid up ($50/person) at their office and the lady at the desk was very nice! We then got into their shuttle hut and was driven out about 10 minutes to our own hut in the middle of the lake. The employee set up the ice for us, gave us some brief instructions and handed us the mino fish bait and then drove off. It was a cute little red hut with a heater inside. The heater gets VERY warm so no need to be afraid of the cold. It was big enough to fit 4 people, but I think would be very squished. For 2 people it was great there was room to move around. With no experience we managed to catch a few fish, it was very exciting! The staff comes around every few hours to make sure you are ok and you have supplies. All the staff were very friendly. They even offer food delivery in case you forgot your lunch. When you are ready to leave you just give them a call or let one of the staff know when they are coming around and they pick you up and drive you back to land. It was a wonderful way to spend the day and definitely made us fishing fans!

We were here for the Doors Open 2026 event. The event we could enjoy the boat trip around the lake…read more The boat trip must be registered ahead, there were spots limited. We didn't know that ahead, but we were lucky that someone gave us their spots. We walked around the conservation area and the lodge. Then it was the time to do the boat cruise. Before onboarding, we had to wear the life jackets, the staff were so responsive that double check our jackets before stepping on the boat. The staff were really informative that introduced a lot of environmental concerns and information to us. The boat cruise almost an hour. We saw different birds and fish there. We also learned that they have different programs and camps for different ages. It's a good place to get started for kids understanding the environmental impacts.

It is a nice quiet intimate Beach. I love that the shore is sand but I hated that the minute you…read moreenter the water it's all rocks. So I would suggest bringing water shoes They have a lifeguard that was out and watching and they have the shallow area and a deeper area sectioned off The beach is right behind the bike path so you can bike or go for a walk on the trail if you wanted to Parking is $10 an hour which I do feel is a bit extreme and when I arrived the parking attendant was giving out tickets so they do monitor whether or not you are paying for your parking Overall it's okay but for me I absolutely hate rocks in the water that was very uncomfortable for me even if I had shoes I would still feel all the pebbles under my feet and combined with the overpriced parking I would not go back

Great little beach! This one is located on the north side of…read moreKempenfelt Bay, which is part of Lake Simcoe off to the east. It's down a bit of a hill from the road, and you'll see a parking lot on the right which is where you park. While you can continue to drive down to the beach, there is no parking and you would be blocking emergency vehicles in the event of a problem. The bathrooms are pretty good here and there were lots of people on that warm and windy day in August. This is a great spot to keep in mind when in Barrie as it's close to downtown.

Love this place! Gives you access to the water directly and the view? STUNNING!…read more Always a great spot to catch a good sunset. Mostly usually less crowded so that's a plus too.

Today we went to Lake Simcoe public beaches. But calling them "public" is a stretch. Local people…read morehave taken over the beaches, placing heavily armed police to guard the parking areas and not allowing anyone they don't recognize. The "public" parking was half full, and they let in people they recognized but not strangers. The police were nasty, very aggressive, and threatened us. When I stopped a few times on the shoulders and entered one of their members-only parking lots to let my daughter use the washroom, they sent a police trooper in a vehicle to escort us from Simcoe County. This is the first time I was afraid for my life in Canada. Worse, this is funded by our tax money to defend public property from the public.

Earl Rowe Provincial Park is another Provincial Park in the area that I love to spend a nice Fall…read moreDay at. Why?? Because this park is just deserted! Hardly anyone there. The hiking trails are not as well marked as Bronte Creek, however it is not as big and so even if you do get lost, you always can find your way back! A lot of the dog owners in the area brings their dogs here to swim in the lake. The beach is off bound to dogs during the busy summer months. Though early spring time and fall, they are welcome to take a dip in it! Day Use charges does applies!

My go to, a must, every year, starting around may-early sept my family and i hit earl rowe since…read moreits the most quieter, cleanest , barely no animals just raccoons time to time, and spacious campsite. Around $46 a night, i believe wood is around $8-$11 per large bag so you need 2-3 bags a night if preffered

Small beach off the beaten path…read more Minet's Point Park is a quiet beach in Barrie situated south of Centennial Park across the Kempenfelt Bay. We chose to come here for our annual beach trip as the other beach is always packed with festivities and crowds in summer. In contrast, this beach was quiet this past weekend with a good amount of beach space. There are a few picnic tables and a large kids playground with a few features similar to those at the bigger park. No BBQ is permitted. The beach is unsupervised but there is a buoyed area. Windsurfers were launching nearby while ducks roamed about. The only downside is the expensive parking at $15 hourly and $60 max for the day. Street parking is by permit only. Skip it or hit it? For a quieter beach day, this is a decent pick in Barrie.

Minet's Point Park is a city park with a beach included. It…read moreis unsupervised, so use at your own risk. Alongside the kids swimming area, marked with buoys, there is a boat launch used by kayakers and made it fun to watch as you laze around the waterfront. The parking lot is right there, in direct view of the beach which is outstanding. A treed field adjoins the parking lot so nature is right there to greet you as you step out of your vehicle and take in the greenery. There is even a small picnic area that can accommodate the party grillers in the crowd, the ones that make everyone jealous with their delicious smelling griddles. As if that weren't enough to make this spot super family friendly, there is a young kids play structure directly behind the beach to top it off. There are some stones mixed in with the sand here, and some can't handle that so if it bothers you, then bring crocks or something to wear into the water. The swimming was good here with clean water and just a few waves that day from power boats going by. The bathroom is located further away near the park entrance, and the mens side at least was filthy and stank. You should avoid going in unless you have to. The view is nice looking at the north side of Barrie, with a side view of the end of Kempenfelt Bay, the harbour front downtown area with all the action happening. Nice view!

Nice park in the Oak Ridges neighborhood of Richmond Hill. One of the only lakes in the GTA where…read moreyou can do water sports in calm water such as kayaking, paddle boarding and canoeing. There is a very small beach - Sunset Beach where you can launch your watercraft. Don't advise swimming in the lake - probably high bacterial counts. There's a nice trail and boardwalk close to the beach and some picnic areas a bit higher up along with a splash pad. Plenty of parking - free if Richmond Hill resident with pass. Others have to pay. Gets very busy on Summer weekends.

The park is not very big, but it has a splendid view of the lake and is very nice to go for a…read morewalk/run or biking. It doesn't have a lot of parking spaces and if you arrive early, you will be lucky to find an empty spot. Even then, you have to pay at least an hour parking fee to park there; which I believe maybe 1/2 hour would be enough for a small park. There is a paved walkway along the waterfront and you can enjoy the nice scenery during your walks. You also can use the designated area to load your canoe, or you can go to the canoe club and rent one. The washrooms are now closed due to COVID-19 pandemic.