Where the Back Roads Lead to Something Beautiful.

Some places just feel like a deep breath. Clearview Township is one of them. Tucked just 40 minutes west of Barrie and less than an hour from the GTA, this patchwork of rolling hills, river valleys, and heritage villages sits at the edge of the Niagara Escarpment — one of only 15 UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in all of Canada. The moment you leave the highway and take to the back roads, you understand what people mean when they say the landscape here does something to you. The views of South Georgian Bay open wide and unhurried. The orchards and farm stands line the roads like an invitation. It feels, simply, like the countryside is asking you to slow down.

And you will want to.

Creemore — The Village with the Big Heart

The name Creemore comes from the Irish Croí Mór, meaning “big heart” — and there is no better way to describe this place. Nestled on the eastern edge of the Niagara Escarpment, about 130 kilometres north of Toronto and just 20 minutes south of Georgian Bay, Creemore is the kind of village that makes you want to park the car and wander.

Mill Street is a delight — lined with independent boutiques, cozy cafés, and the kind of charming storefronts you just don’t find anymore. The well-known Creemore Springs Brewery anchors the village, drawing visitors who come for a cold pint and stay for the whole afternoon. The Saturday Farmers’ Market runs from Victoria Day weekend right through to Thanksgiving, overflowing with local produce, baked goods, and artisan makers.

Creemore also claims North America’s smallest jail — a tiny historic building that today has been converted into a museum, tucked right in the heart of the village. Around every corner, there’s something to discover — an art studio, a heritage home, a trail that disappears into the woods along the Mad River. For hikers and nature lovers, the Creemore Nature Reserve (known affectionately by locals as “the Mingay”) offers 5.5 kilometres of trails winding through forest, wetlands, and alongside a creek, with hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing all permitted.

Creemore is proof that the most extraordinary places often come in the smallest packages.

Stayner — The Heartbeat of the Township

If Creemore is the jewel, Stayner is the soul. As the administrative heart of Clearview Township, Stayner’s classic downtown offers locally owned shops, boutiques, and restaurants, all while keeping the town’s heritage beautifully alive. The architecture here tells a story — the kind of beautifully preserved Victorian and Edwardian buildings that make you want to slow your pace and look up.

The Clearview Collingwood Train Trail, a crushed gravel path following an abandoned rail line that once connected Collingwood to Toronto, begins right here in Stayner. Cyclists and walkers follow it through the tranquil countryside, stopping in either town for lunch. In warmer months, Station Park fills with the sound of live music, and the Story Book Trail — a community-built outdoor reading experience along the EcoPark Loop — brings families together in the most heartwarming way.

Come winter, Stayner becomes a hub for snowmobilers, with ample trailer staging areas and easy access to trails across the township. Free parking, always.

The Villages Beyond — Duntroon, Nottawa, Glen Huron & More

One of the most wonderful things about Clearview Township is that exploration rewards you endlessly. The township encompasses the communities of Avening, Batteaux, Brentwood, Duntroon, Glen Huron, Maple Valley, New Lowell, Nottawa, Pretty River Valley, Singhampton, and more — each with its own quiet personality.

The Dunedin Ravine Nature Reserve, located along the Noisy River Valley, provides habitat for species at risk including Butternut trees and Bobolink, and secures over a kilometre of the Bruce Trail’s optimum route. The Bruce Trail itself — Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath — runs right through this landscape, reaching its highest elevation at 540 metres at Osler Bluff Lookout. From up there, the world below feels very, very quiet.

Three golf courses weave through the hills — Duntroon Highlands, Batteaux Creek Golf Club, and Mad River Golf and Country Club. The Mad and Noisy Rivers, true to their names, rush through the valleys and offer some of the most beautiful scenery in Simcoe County. In autumn, the Pretty River Valley earns every letter of its name.

A Year of Celebrations

Clearview’s event calendar is one of those lovely things that gives you a reason to visit in every season. The Small Halls Festival, held annually the weekend before Thanksgiving, is a genuine treasure — a celebration of rural living, contemporary arts, theatre, children’s programming, and culinary experiences held in the intimate community halls that dot the countryside. It’s the kind of event that feels like being welcomed into someone’s home.

Trail Tunes, held each June on International Trails Day, connects over 100 kilometres of trails across Clearview, Collingwood, and Wasaga Beach, with free live music concerts staggered along the route so cyclists and hikers can pedal from one performance to the next. It’s joyful in the most uncomplicated way.

Three Farmers’ Markets, roadside stands stacked with the season’s best, apple orchards, and bakeries with warm butter tarts straight from the oven — this is a place that feeds you in every sense.

Clearview Township isn’t trying to be something it isn’t. It’s just exactly, perfectly itself — rural and proud, historic and alive, unhurried and deeply, deeply charming. Whether you’re coming for a weekend or imagining something more permanent, it has a way of staying with you long after you’ve headed back down the highway.

Some places just feel like home before you’ve even arrived.

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Want to explore Clearview Township further? Visit discoverclearview.ca for trails, events, and everything in between or talk to us and we will show you the way.