Barry's Bay

Barry's Bay is a town of about 1,300 people in the Township of Madawaska Valley in Eastern Ontario, near the eastern entrance to Algonquin Provincial Park.

History
This area of Renfrew County was first settled by non-Indigenous people in the early 20th century along with other communities on the Opeongo Line. The town served as a standby base for the Canadian military during the war years. Local workers and lumbermen were reformed into soldiers to help contribute to the war efforts of Canada in World War II.

It was first named 'Kuaenash Ne-ishing' (Algonquin for 'beautiful bay'), and later named after James Barry, a foreman for McLaughlin's Lumber in Arnprior who constructed a cabin as his headquarters in the area where St. Hedwig's Church stands.

Get in
Barry's Bay is at the northern end of Ontario Highway 62, at its junction with Ontario Highway 60. It is 185 km west of Ottawa - follow Highways 417 and 17 to Highway 60 near Renfrew.



Get around
The nearest taxis are in Pembroke (Ontario).

Sleep
As the second-closest town east of Algonquin Provincial Park (Whitney is right at the park's entrance), Barry's Bay gets quite a few overnight visitors who are tired of camping in the park.

Go next

 * Algonquin Park - to the west, Ontario's oldest provincial park. Highway 60 passes through the southern part of the park just after Whitney.
 * Bancroft - a cottage country town with a heritage of mining and minerals.
 * Maynooth - a town on the way to Bancroft.
 * Addington Highlands - to the south, in Quinte-Northumberland. A rural area that hosts dark sky viewing areas for stargazers.