On April 30, 2026, Simcoe County officially opened the Barrie-Collingwood Rail Trail extension from Stayner to Angus. Before then, there was the 12-kilometre Clearview Collingwood Train Trail which was renamed when the extension opened. With Victoria Day being a nice day – but hot with temperatures exceeding 30’C – I brought my bike on the GO Train to Barrie to check it out.
En Route to the Trail
Getting to the rail trail from Allandale Waterfront wasn’t too bad. Except for a short stretch under Highway 400, Tiffin Road had either painted bike lanes or paved shoulders all the way to Highway 90.
Riding on Highway 90 with a posted 80 km/h speed limit was made more tolerable with wide paved shoulders. Even so, I chose to use Sideroad 30 from 9th Line for lighter traffic, though you may want to use the traffic signal at County Road 56 instead.
One nice sight from Highway 90 was this old RCAF plane.
About sixteen kilometres later, I arrived at the start of the Barrie-Collingwood Rail Trail at 5th Line.
The trail crossings show a mini trail map, your location, and the distance to the end of the trail. The wayfinding was very good throughout.
Angus to New Lowell
To properly evaluate this trail, I split it into three sections. The first is Angus to New Lowell, the second is New Lowell to Stayner (which was completed last year), and then Stayner to Collingwood. The first part of the trail had decent (but intermittent) shade and good trail quality, while a fair number of people were already using the trail a few weeks in.
Since it was hot out, some people – including a dog – enjoyed some time in the water near Angus.
There are three major rest stops at Angus, New Lowell, and Stayner. Each stop had a large trail map, bike racks, benches, and a sign indicating the history of the trail. The stop at New Lowell also had a bike repair stand.
Here’s a picture of the sign showing what the trail was used for over the years.
One thing I love about this trail is the targeted use of safe road crossings including this traffic signal at Highway 90. It made for a very safe riding experience; like what I felt on the Caledon Trailway.
At Sunnidale Tosorontio Townline, the trail becomes straight as an arrow most of the way to Collingwood. It was there where I noticed the trail next to County Road 10 was wide enough to almost allow for four people riding side by side.
New Lowell to Stayner
After you pass New Lowell, you start to get some views of the Blue Mountains along with farmland.
The trail on this stretch felt a lot rougher with loose gravel compared to the other two trail sections which led to slower riding. This stretch felt a lot more open with less shade, but the new trail has a lot of these stone benches to rest.
The Stayner stop had several picnic tables in the shade.
Unfortunately, exploring Stayner would have to wait another day.
Stayner to Collingwood
The Centennial Kinsmen ParticiPark past Highway 26 has a playground for the kids.
Some older Clearview Collingwood Train Trail signage can be found. I found this existing trail to have the smoothest gravel with some more variation such as curves and hills, as well as some remnants of the old railway line. There were also a couple of short, paved sections within Collingwood. However, it could use some of the stone benches and new wayfinding signage found on the new extension.
A few horse farms could be found as well.
There was one part of the existing trail which required a slight on road detour, but you get to see this small old rail bridge.
The landmark Collingwood Terminals Limited siloes and the Port of Collingwood.
The Millennium Overlook Park is a must. You can get sone nice views of Georgian Bay, while the park is popular with sunbathers and people diving into the water.
If you wanted to find the Georgian Trail to Meaford, look for the Waterfront Trail signage which will point you to Side Launch Way. I then had a cobb salad at Freshii nearby before riding back.
Heading Back Home
On the way back home, I noticed a few old boxcars placed next to the trail.
You can also see the old Collingwood train station which doubles as a park.
This shaded area is very nice, but it marked where the body of 13-year-old Glory Whalen was found in 1903 who was killed by a gunshot wound. It was one of the oldest unsolved crimes in this country.
About 73 km in between Stayner and New Lowell, I started to feel tired with the heat and rough gravel. Even so, that didn’t stop me from getting to Angus.
The trail ends at 5th Line because the Barrie Collingwood Railway is active from that point to the start of the Thornton Cookstown Trail. I would encourage Simcoe County to extend the trail next to the railway to at least County Road 27 (a.k.a. Barrie city limits) and then build a multi-use path on the south side of Highway 90 for the one block to Tiffin Road to make it more accessible.
After arriving at Barrie, I stopped by Malone’s Pint House for some fish and chips along with a much-needed beer.
Before boarding the train back home, I rode by the waterfront which was packed with people and had a nice cool breeze.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Barrie-Collingwood Rail Trail has potential to become a popular trail with safe road crossings, decent trail amenities, small towns along the way, and Georgian Bay at the end. There are a few shortcomings such as the rough trail quality and lack of shade from Stayner to New Lowell, as well as the trail ending at 5th Line. If the trail could be extended further east towards Barrie to avoid having to use Highway 90, this trail could even give the Caledon Trailway a run for its money. 😉
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