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!

The parking lot is a short walk to the sandy beach. There are some rocks when entering the lake but…read morethey aren't a problem if you wear water shoes. The water is shallow and safe. In June the water is cold but your body will adapt quickly on a warm day. Power boats aren't allowed in the roped off swimming area. There are picnic tables and a general store that sells fast food and souvenirs. The bathrooms are fairly clean with flush toilets, sinks and mirrors. The park also has change rooms. They offer educational sessions for children at certain times. The only thing keeping me from giving this provincial park 5 stars is the reservation process. Once you reserve a day pass, you can't get a refund if the weather forecast changes to cold or rainy and you can't even move your reservation to another date. So your money is lost. But if you don't reserve in advance for a Saturday or Sunday in the summer, there's a chance they will be full. The website doesn't give a price for seniors. There is a discount but it's well hidden.

Sibbald's provincial park is a great place for families. They have activities throughout the summer…read moreteaching kids and families about the different things around the park. A few walking trails. Some nice little fishing holes close by.

We had an awesome time fishing on Lake Simcoe for the first time with SR Fishing. Steve was very…read moreknowledgeable and patient with our teenager. With Steve's guidance we were very successful in landing big lake trout. All in all, we highly recommend going out with Steve of SR Fishing. Next time we will go after Bass. Thanks Steve! At one point we had two hooked at the same time! It was a monumental event! Steve said it only happened one other time this year! It was a fantastic family outing.

The people at the marina are friendly. I rented a fishing pontoon boat for the day, which was very…read moreaffordable in comparison to nearby marinas. The boat was very clean. The marina was easy to find and there was ample parking onsite. When we went in at lunch to gather a couple more people, they called to make sure we had enough life jackets for everyone onboard.

I wanted to plan a last minute kayaking trip with my partner so we found this place in Keswick and…read moredecided to just do a walk-in. Upon arrival, it may seem like it's difficult to find parking, but once you drive past the shop, there is a lot of parking behind. We walked into the shop, and within seconds, staff greeted us. It was great and easy to know everything as there was a giant menu of all the services and water activities they provided. We asked for 2 single kayaks, and they told us there were plenty! 1 single kayak is $25/4 hours, which is an amazing price. This also includes a lifejacket and paddle. You honestly can't find this deal in Toronto. You get charged a mandatory damage deposit of $200 per kayak first, and once you return from your trip, you get your deposit back and pay the $25. The staff were very nice and the lake was great! The kayaks and paddles were super sturdy and well maintained. We went around 2pm and there were a decent amount of people, but not too packed. Later in the afternoon is when we saw it started getting pretty busy. There was a hiccup in payments at first, where the first card machine didn't work, so I used a second one. After my trip, I checked my bank and they charged me twice. They were super nice and accommodating and refunded me back the amount. I will definitely be back and rent with them again!!!

Unfortunately this pontoon rental facility is a miss. To start the facility is a mess the…read morebathrooms are some-what of service and a science experiment. There would be less mess in an animal pen. The prices charged are no reflection of the state of the facility and pontoons. The first pontoon we rented had a grease spill all over the side ledge of the vessel right beside the ladder to board and get off of the vessel for swimming. Thank goodness we did not add the feature as we would not have been able to use the bbq in the condition. Pontoon 17. On our second attempt the pontoon was still definitely not in spic and span power washed state as shown in the advertisement. FYI - upon arrival 10.00 to park a big vehicle. 10.00 for each fishing rod with 5 feet of line on them if that as they did not bother to re-line the rods between customers.and 10.00 per pot of worms. The pontoon engine was not in the greatest condition as it sounded like the water pump was not clearing the water well which made it very very loud sluggish and squirrelly to drive. We cut our visit short and upon arrival the owner came out to ask if we were done with the worms we could not use. Strange. No other questions. Also we found that the anchor line was short on the pontoon so check if you go. The marina is a little crazy to walk as well. Small slips and very very unkept grounds. This place has a lot of potential but unfortunately it seems that cutting corners will be its demise. Number 13 pontoon front door also kept opening as we drove the lake since the latch to keep the door closed was missing entirely. The booking staff are somewhat stern if you call to re- arrange your trip. Don't even try to cancel. please note ...The younger staff carrying out the physical departure and arrival are excellent in spite of the overall management of this place. I believe that at the price point for the rentals there could be a great deal of improvement made to this facility. Customers are taking their loved ones on the lake for a easy safe adventure and I feel that they are a little indifferent and lacking in maintenance. It's been a week since our trip and could not let this experience go unmentioned.

Callum a great guy, super friendly, ALWAYS on the fish. Takes the time to teach why he's doing…read moreeverything.. Caught my PB Smallie and then broke that PB and set a new one all in a single day. Regardless of your skill level, you're gonna have a great time out there

We visited Lake Simcoe at the end of May and found Happy Go Fishing Charters .We are so glad we…read moredid! Captain Cal knows the lake and loves to fish. We had a blast catching big lake trout and spending the day with him. In fact, we had so much fun, we went again later in the week! We would highly recommend Happy Go Fishing and Captain Cal! We can't wait to go back again!

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!

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.