Friday, 2 January 2026

Horseshoe Resort, Barrie, ON

Gord and I spent the last three days at Horseshoe Resort (north of Barrie) … we drove up on Wednesday and came home today. 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 yesterday afternoon 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 yesterday morning and in the hot tub and pool yesterday afternoon (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.

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