Barrie sits on the southern shore of Lake Simcoe — a city shaped by the lumber trade, the railway and the Georgian Bay cottage country economy. Its abandoned landscape reflects all three: grain elevators decaying on the lakefront, sawmill ruins in the surrounding Simcoe County forest and WWI and WWII military barracks on the base that trained generations of Canadian soldiers. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Barrie, selected from our Abandoned Places Map Canada — 2,500+ GPS locations across Canada.
Why Barrie Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
Barrie's urbex landscape is defined by the Georgian Bay timber trade that built the city and the agricultural and military history of Simcoe County. The combination of lakefront industrial infrastructure, rural sawmill ruins and the WWII training base at Borden creates a distinctive Southern Ontario urbex geography within easy reach of the city.
1. Tiffin Grain Elevators – Barrie, Ontario — Early 20th-Century Lake Simcoe Grain Storage Complex, Rusting Steel and Concrete Structures on the Waterfront (Known Location)
The Tiffin Grain Elevators on Barrie's Lake Simcoe waterfront were a critical node in the southern Ontario grain transport network — receiving grain by rail from Simcoe County farms and transferring it to lake barges for shipment north toward Georgian Bay. The massive concrete and steel elevator structures, now rusting and decaying on the Barrie waterfront, are a local landmark visible from Centennial Beach. Abandoned for decades as road and rail transport made lake grain transfer obsolete, the elevators have become Barrie's most recognized industrial ruin and one of the most dramatically sited abandoned places in the city.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Barrie Ontario
2. Base Borden Abandoned WWI and WWII Barracks – Barrie Area, Ontario — Canada's Largest Inland Military Training Base, Original 1916 Wooden Barracks Still Standing (Known Location)
Canadian Forces Base Borden, just 20 minutes south of Barrie, has trained Canadian soldiers continuously since 1916 — making it the longest continuously operating military training base in Canada. The original wooden barracks built for the WWI expansion of 1916-1918 and the brick structures added for WWII training are in various states of abandonment alongside the still-operational sections of the base. Hundreds of thousands of Canadian soldiers trained here before shipping to the Western Front, Dieppe, Normandy and Korea. One of the most historically significant abandoned military sites accessible from Barrie. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in Canada →
3. Jarratt Sawmill – Simcoe County, Ontario — Victorian Lumber Mill, Rusting Machinery and Collapsing Wooden Structure, 20 Minutes from Barrie (Known Location)
The Jarratt Sawmill in Simcoe County is one of the best-preserved examples of the Victorian lumber industry that built both Barrie and the Georgian Bay cottage country — a working sawmill complex whose rusting circular saws, log-handling machinery and collapsing wooden mill building have been slowly consumed by the Simcoe County forest for decades. The Georgian Bay timber trade was one of the most productive forest industries in 19th-century Canada; when the accessible timber was exhausted the mills closed and were left in place. One of the most atmospherically complete abandoned places near Barrie for Ontario lumber industry archaeology. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
4. Abandoned Simcoe County Farmstead – 1880s-1900s Ontario Farmhouse with Bank Barn, Stone Foundation and Timber Frame Still Standing, Rural Barrie Area (Exclusively on Our Map)
A complete 1880s-1900s Ontario farmstead in the Simcoe County countryside near Barrie — the original farmhouse with its Ontario Gothic roofline, the large bank barn with hand-hewn timber frame construction and the stone foundation root cellar intact in the hillside. Rural Simcoe County has seen significant depopulation as agriculture consolidated through the 20th century; dozens of these farmsteads stand empty across the township road network within easy reach of Barrie. One of the best abandoned places near Barrie for classic Ontario agricultural heritage photography. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
5. Abandoned Lake Simcoe Shoreline Ice House – 1900s-1920s Commercial Ice Harvesting Building, Timber Frame Structure, Remnant of the Pre-Refrigeration Industry (Exclusively on Our Map)
Before mechanical refrigeration, Lake Simcoe supplied commercial ice to Toronto and the surrounding region — harvested in winter, packed in sawdust and shipped south by rail for use in household iceboxes and food storage. The timber frame ice storage buildings that served this industry still stand in various states of decay along the Lake Simcoe shoreline near Barrie — a pre-refrigeration industry that was made completely obsolete within a decade by the spread of electric refrigerators in the 1920s-1930s. One of the most historically unusual and most distinctly Canadian abandoned places near Barrie. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Barrie
- Ontario winters: Barrie receives heavy snowfall and extreme cold November through March — abandoned structures are significantly more dangerous in winter conditions; always check weather before any exploration
- Military perimeters: Base Borden is an active Canadian Forces installation — never cross fenced perimeters; observe from public roads only
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in Barrie
What is the most famous abandoned place in Barrie?
The Tiffin Grain Elevators on the Lake Simcoe waterfront — massive concrete and steel grain storage structures that served as the transfer point between Simcoe County rail grain and lake barges. A local landmark visible from Centennial Beach, they are Barrie's most recognized industrial ruin.
What was the Lake Simcoe ice industry?
Before mechanical refrigeration, Lake Simcoe was one of the primary commercial ice sources for the Toronto region — harvested in winter, packed in sawdust and shipped south by rail. The industry was made completely obsolete within a decade when electric refrigerators became affordable in the 1920s-1930s, leaving the timber-frame ice houses along the lakeshore to decay.
Why is Base Borden historically significant?
Canadian Forces Base Borden has been Canada's primary inland military training base since 1916 — the longest continuously operating military training installation in the country. Hundreds of thousands of Canadian soldiers trained here before WWI, WWII, Korea and subsequent deployments. The original 1916-era wooden barracks from the first expansion are among the oldest surviving military training buildings in Canada.
🎯 Summary
The abandoned places in Barrie range from grain elevators decaying on the Lake Simcoe waterfront to sawmill machinery rusting in the Simcoe County forest and pre-refrigeration ice houses from an industry made obsolete overnight by the electric fridge. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Barrie captures a different layer of a city shaped by timber, agriculture and the Georgian Bay economy.
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