Directions to the Pennsylvania Club - 346 miles from New
Castle, PA
- Interstate 79 North towards Erie, PA.
- Take Interstate 90 East towards Buffalo (there is a toll once it becomes the NY Thruway).
- From I-79, drive 94 miles, go through the NY Thruway toll gate and take exit 53 to merge onto Interstate 190 North towards Buffalo/the Peace Bridge.
- Go approximately 6 1/2 miles and take exit 9, the Peace Bridge exit (If you want to stop at duty free, do it before you cross the bridge). Cross over the bridge and go through Canadian Customs (there is a toll after going through Customs).
- The road going from the Peace Bridge is the QEW.
- Continue on the QEW for about 60 miles (remember that in Canada, distances are in kilometers) to the EZ407 East (after you have passed Hamilton, Ontario and just after you have passed the exit to Burlington, you will cross a huge bridge (James N Allen Skyway). The EZ407 exit is shortly after that).
- Stay on EZ407 East until you see Route 400 North, Barrie (approximately 40 miles).
SPECIAL NOTE: The very first service center area on 400 North has a Fish
Ontario in it. You can buy licenses and bait here. Depending on the time and if you need bait, it is a good place to do so. As an alternative, there is now a Bass Pro Shops store located
at the first exit on 400 North, just after 407 joins 400, (exit #32 - Bass
Pro Mills Drive).
See the specific location (Bala, MacTier, Moon River) you ’re going to for the rest of the directions:
To Bala:
- Bala is a cute little resort town if you want more than just a place to sleep for the night. There are a couple very good restaurants, tourist shops and more.
- To get to Bala, from the 400 North/Route 11 interchange, just north of Barrie, go approximately 45 miles to Route 38. Turn right on Route 38 and go approximately 10 miles to the T. There are several places to stay (I usually stay at the Dudley Inn - (705) 762-5575. To get there, turn left at the T and it’s a couple miles on the right.)
- To get to the Marina from Dudleys or Bala, instead of going back out to 69 via Route 38, go north on 169 (i.e., turn right out of the Dudley) and follow 169 until it T’s at Route 69. Turn LEFT and go 1 mile to District Route 11 Muskoka – MacTier and turn right.
To MacTier:
- Take the 400 North to exit 189, Highway 69 MacTier. Go approximately 2 1/2 miles to District Route 11 Muskoka (you'll pass the Avon Motel, then there is a sign to MacTier just before the turn). Turn left and follow Rt. 11 about 1 1/2 miles. Just past the school on the right is the LCBO store for alcohol; next intersection after that is the grocery store (Foodland) for food, soft drinks, snacks, etc. Right behind that is Wayne’s Hardware (can get your fishing license there if needed). If you need overnight accommodations, there is the Avon Motel just before the turn onto District Route 11.
To Moon River Marina (from MacTier):
- From downtown Mactier, follow Rt. 11 about 2.3 miles until you see a blue District Parry Sound sign and multiple blue directional signs to various places (it is also the end of District Route 11).
- Turn left on that road (Healey Lake Road) and go 11.4 miles to where the road splits. Take the left fork, drive for 100 feet and turn into the Moon River drive. Follow it down to the buildings.
NOTE: Moon River Marine does not sell fishing licenses (they do sell liquor,
though). The marina at San Souci sells fishing licenses.
Some phone numbers:
Dudley Inn in Bala: (705) 762-5575
Avon Motel just outside MacTier: (705) 375-4647
Pennsylvania Club: (705) 746-8699
Moon River Marine: (705) 375-2342
Coordinates for the PA Club: N45° 10.75, W80° 05.12, Elevation 560'