Simcoe Circle

Circumnavigating Lake Simcoe

The Simcoe Circle Bicycle Tour is a circumnavigation of Lake Simcoe, Ontario. It's a three day ride just north of Toronto, starting in Bradford which is located near the south end of Lake Simcoe. Lake Simcoe is a relatively shallow lake with shoreline perimeter of 303 km.

Cyclists ride clockwise around Lake Simcoe, staying close to the shoreline wherever possible. The route travels through summer cottage districts that hug the shores of this lake and past long-established farm districts that surround the lake.

If driving to the start point from Toronto, travel time is approximately 1.5 hours. Bradford is served by GO Transit and riders who prefer public transit will be able to travel to the start point by bus/train or train, with departures in downtown Toronto or on the northern end of the city at Downsview.

  

Tour Itinerary

Day One to Orillia

From Bradford riders travel through the Holland Marsh and then north staying as close to the lake as possible. Ride around the beautiful Barrie harbour at Kempenfelt Bay, past the famous » Spirit Catcher sculpture by Ron Baird. From Barrie hug lake Simcoe till you arrive in Orillia, the home of renowned Canadian author Stephen Leacock. Orillia is widely considered to be Mariposa, the fictional town in Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. The sinking of the ramshackle steamboat Mariposa Belle is among the more memorable episodes in that series of short stories.

Day Two to Brechin (Mostly Road)

Early the next day pass by the Mnjikaning Fish Weirs, a national historic site. These freshwater fish traps pre-date the Great Pyramids of Egypt and are among the oldest remnants of human habitation in North America.

Day Three, returning to Bradford (Mostly Road)

The route follows the west side of the lake as it passes by farmland and through a cottage district that is being transformed to year-round residences away from the bustle of the big cities. We'll pass through portions of the Holland Marsh again, the richest patch of farmland in Ontario that often is referred to as the province's vegetable garden.