North Simcoe Railtrail

From the south, the trail leads through the shaded canopy of hardwood brush to an opening with a view over Minesing Swamp and as far north as Collingwood's Blue Mountains. The Minesing Swamp, one of Ontario's largest remaining wetlands, is an internationally significant complex of swamps, marshes, bogs and fens. Benches have been installed at this site, which is commonly referred to as the Vista site. You can easily access the Vista Site from Old Orchard Road. A memorial to Terry McCauley, a very committed trail volunteer, has been erected at this site, as well as a Thank You plaque to the cadets from CFB Borden, who spent thousands of hours on various sections of the Trans Canada Trail in Simcoe County in the summer of 2000.
At approximately 4 km (2.5 miles), log steps rise up an embankment on your right to Fort Willow. Walk up and explore this historic site where hundreds of tons of military supplies and trade goods were stored during the War of 1812. A reconstruction project is in the works. Interpretive signage and washroom facilities have been installed. Parking facilities are available off Grenfel Road.
A wide marsh, an excellent birding site, surrounds the trail as you travel northward for about 3 km. Birds galore chirp and flit among the reeds and bulrushes. Turtles cross the path. White shells from scavenged turtle eggs litter the throughway. The Brereton Field Naturalists and the Friends of the Minesing Swamp have erected a viewing platform at the Mayer’s Marsh, just south of Highway 26. A small side trail, the Mayer’s Marsh Trail, which is designed for pedestrian use only, follows the embankment of the Willow Creek from the Harry Adams Bridge to Vespra Valley Road. The bridge was named after Harry Adams, past Reeve of Vespra Township, who was instrumental in securing the railway corridor as a recreational trail.
	At Highway 26, you will enter Minesing Station Park, with ample parking, a pavilion, and a privy (May to October). In front of the pavilion, you’ll find a commemorative rock in honour of Paul Gleason, founding member of the North Simcoe Railtrail Inc., and past president of the Ontario Trails Council. Paul was also very active with the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs in various capacities.
Upon crossing Golf Course Road, the trail passes through a dairy farm. To allow cows free passage across the trail, two gates have been installed. Be sure to close the gate after you pass through. North of Hendrie Road, the trail passes through Springwater Golf Course. Golf carts cross the trail. South of Horseshoe Valley Road (County Road 22), the trail goes through some dense hardwood forest. North of Phelpston, the trail is particularly scenic as it passes through forest and swampland - another excellent birding spot! Between Flos Road 7 & 8, the old railway right-of-way has been sold off to private landowners. The trail therefore detours to the west on Flos Road 7 to Ushers Road, turns north on Ushers Road to Flos Road 8, and then east for approximately 1 km, until you can rejoin the trail towards Elmvale. In Elmvale, the trail will take you through Heritage Park, a beautifully landscaped greenspace with a commemorative gate, an open air amphitheatre, ample parking and washroom facilities. The community of Elmvale offers many quaint stores, tearooms and restaurants, a hardware store, gas stations and a grocery store. At Flos Road 10, there is a detour east on Flos Road 10, and north along County Road 27, until you can pick up the trail again on the old railway right-of-way at County Road 6. Continue for another 2 concessions until you reach the Tiny/Springwater boundary, where you can proceed on the Tiny Trail for another 22 km towards Penetanguishene and Midland.