Kahshe Barrens Trail

This Saturday I pulled myself out of bed bright and early to make a trip to Gravenhurst, about an hour and 40 minutes north from where I live. I want to say it was with all the best intentions, that I wanted to get outside, go on a hike, be active, and enjoy the weather... all the good things that were actually secondary to my true plan - I wanted to visit my favourite brewery.

I've been dying to make a trip to Sawdust City Brewing for weeks now, ever since I saw their Oktoberfest releases. However, as much as I love their beer and they're my favourite brewery, it's hard to justify a trip. So, on Friday, I started searching trails in the area and settled on the Kahshe Barrens Trail.

Even wearing my Sawdust hat

It was incredibly easy to find. If you're coming from the Toronto area you take Highway 11 North and get off at the Muskoka Tourism Office, between Washago and Gravenhurst. You can't miss the building and there's lots of parking. The trail head, as well as the rest of the trail, is clearly marked.

The trail consists of two loops and I believe it was just under five kilometers in length. With the ground slick with wet leaves from rain the night before I was glad I wore trail shoes instead of my usual running shoes. I also found that because the entire path was covered in leaves I had to be a little more cautious about my footing as there were lots of rocks and roots to trip over.

I brought Cooper with me and it took us about an hour to cover the trail, including stopping for a few pictures. We didn't encounter any wildlife but Cooper picked up on a ton of scents. Even on an overcast, occasionally drizzly day, I thought the Kahshe Barrens Trail was beautiful and it was easy to forget we weren't far from the highway.

If you're driving through Muskoka from Toronto I highly recommend pulling off for a little adventure, even if you only complete the first loop.


Where have you hiked lately?