Copeland Forest is one of the largest publicly owned upland forests in Ontario: about 4,400 acres of pine, maple, oak and beech in Simcoe County, with ten hiking trails through it, five easy and five moderate. A Parkbus guide picks the route. Two hours from Toronto and home the same evening.
Pick your date below. The bus leaves from 34 Asquith Avenue, just north of Yonge and Bloor.
Cancel 14 or more days before you go and you get 90% back.
A Parkbus guide leads the group all day, so you do not need to know the trail.
A short, flat walk on even ground, at your own pace.
A full-size coach: reclining seats, air conditioning, large windows, a washroom on board and room for daypacks and gear.
Copeland Forest sits in Simcoe County, between Barrie and Orillia, on land owned by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. It is managed as a resource area rather than as a park, which is why it feels different from the provincial parks on our other trips: no gate, no campground, no visitor centre, just forest and the trails people have used for decades.
Ten trails are mapped for walking, five easy and five moderate, and the same network carries mountain bikers and, in winter, cross country skiers and fat bikes. In October the hardwood turns while the pines stay dark, which is the combination worth coming for.
The Friends of Copeland Forest look after the trail map and much of the day to day care of the place. We walk it with a Parkbus guide, who picks the route on the day.
Four thousand acres, two hours from the city
One forest, a guide, and five hours in it.
We pick you up
About 100 metres north of the Yonge and Bloor subway entrance, on the Yonge Street side. There may be more than one coach, so check you are in the right queue.
This route runs a full-size coach, with a washroom on board.
A guided walk through the forest, with lunch trailside. Your guide sets the route out on the bus and picks it for the group on the day.
Good to know:
We drop you back
The bus returns to the same place it left from, so you go home the way you came.
This is our estimated return time, not a guarantee. Traffic can change it and some trips do run late, so please leave yourself some room afterwards rather than booking something tight against it.
Forest walking in autumn.
There is no visitor centre and no shop. Bring your lunch and your water with you, and plan on the bus for anything you forget. We stop on the way there and on the way back.
One Sunday, for the colour. The date and the fares below come straight from the booking system.
Only one trip scheduled
October 18
This is the only date this season, so there is no second chance at it.
We're Canada's outdoor bus service. Since 2010 we've taken more than 300,000 people to parks and trails without a car. You bring a lunch. We handle everything with wheels.
About 4,400 acres, which is one of the largest publicly owned upland forests in Ontario. Ten trails run through it, so a busy day here still feels quiet.
Five of the ten trails are rated easy and five moderate. Your guide chooses on the day, for the group and for the weather.
A trout pond, the Ducks Unlimited pond, and the headwaters of the Coldwater River all sit inside the forest.
Tall pines, and maple, oak, beech and birch turning over at the same time. It is a forest that is worth the trip in spring and again in autumn.
★★★★★ 4.6/5.0 on Google
“I just recently went on my first guided tour with a friend of mine from work. And man, was it amazing! Speaking from someone who doesn’t drive. This is a must!!”Linda Ann · Facebook · Jun 2024
I have always had excellent experiences with Parkbus. I have been to many of their destinations, and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. The ambassadors have been knowledgeable and friendly. The drivers drive safely, and with the passengers’ comfort in mind.Sharlene Haye · Google
Came with my friend in April, our guide Mike did a great job! Nice tour, small group, everything was great! Will go again!Natalia N. · Tripadvisor · Jul 2025
Cancel more than 14 days before departure and you get a 90% refund, with 10% withheld for payment processing. Inside 14 days refunds are not available, except for a medical emergency in the 48 hours before departure, which needs a signed doctor’s note within 14 days of the missed trip and returns 50%. Tickets are transferable: you can change the passenger name up to 48 hours before departure.
If Parkbus cancels a trip, you get a full refund. We decide no later than 48 hours before departure and only on confirmed conditions: the park closed or the park authority asking us to stand down, an evacuation order or alert, an area restriction order, the highway closed, or the trip judged unsafe to run. A forecast is not one of those things, and trips run rain or shine.
Two hours from Toronto, and somebody else drives it.
Not quite the right fit? These all leave from the same spot downtown.
