Blue Moon Retreat is located in the midst of the lakes and forests (magnificent fall colors) of the Hastings Highlands of central Ontario, Canada. The local area is a haven for those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of more populated areas as our local municipality only has a population density of about 4 for each of its almost 1,300 square kilometers. Of course, a major attraction of this area is nature and a prime destination is world famous Algonquin Park which is less than 50 miles away. While somewhat remote, we have good highway access from major population centers; e.g. Ottawa (a little over 2 hours to the east) and Toronto (about 3 hours to the southwest) and in fact many of our guests come from these centers or even further for weekend or mid-week breaks when these are available (outside of the summer high season).

Good year round access

Our country getaway is on the south shore of largely undeveloped Purdy Lake in the hamlet of Purdy (don't blink or you will miss it) which is between the towns of Barrys Bay (25 km to the east) and Bancroft (about 46 km to the south west). While somewhat remote, we enjoy good year round access as the driveways come directly off of County Road (formerly highway) 62. The contract for snowplowing the driveways on the property is with a local contractor who lives within a mile of the property and provides excellent and prompt service.

Services are not too far away

The closest services (country general store, gas station, restaurant..) are in Combermere, 7 km to the east on County Road 62 which then continues on to the larger center of Barrys Bay (about another 18 km) which has most services which you would need (e.g. supermarkets, restaurants, drug store, hospital...). If you go west from Blue Moon Retreat on County Road 62, the first small town you enter (in about 22 km) is Maynooth which has some more services than Combermere; but, Bancroft (another 24 km further on) has even more services than in Barrys Bay. As one who has driven a lot in cities, I just love the thought that the nearest stop light is almost 50 km away in Bancroft.

Visitors from out of province

For those coming from further away and have more time to tour, we highly recommend making the triangular tour of Toronto (side trip to Niagara Falls), Ottawa and Montreal (side trip to Quebec City) stopping at Blue Moon Retreat for a country break while on the Toronto - Ottawa leg of the tour. A variation on this for our American visitors would be to join at the east end of Lake Ontario (near the Thousand Islands) and returning to the U.S. at Niagara Falls at the west end of Lake Ontario.

Driving directions from major centers

Below you will find driving directions for reaching Blue Moon Retreat from Alexandria Bay, New York; Montreal, Quebec; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Ottawa, Ontario and Toronto (direct), and Toronto (northern route). If you need detailed driving directions from your location, we recommend using Mapquest (www.mapquest.com) - note: use Combermere, On (7 km to the east of us) as the hamlet of Purdy is so small it is not included.

Driving directions from major centers

From Alexandria Bay, New York:

Note: An alternate route is via Ottawa and it is about the same distance and time.

Approximate Distance: 170 miles            Estimated Driving Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

• Follow U.S. Highway 81 North across the 1000 Islands
• In Canada, becomes Route 137 North (follow for about 2.5 miles)
• Take Highway 401 west (direction Kingston/Toronto) and follow for about 72 miles
• Take the Highway 62 North exit (exit number 543B) towards CR-14 Marmora/Madoc
• Follow Highway/County Road 62 North right to Purdy (about 95 miles)
• In Purdy, blue sign 37343 for Shangri La, 37431 for the Chalet and 37369 for the others

Make the trip an adventure by stopping at one or more of the following attractions

• Upper Canada Village - Morrisburg (29 km (18 miles) west of Cornwall).
• Thousand Islands Sky Deck - Hill Island.
• Fort Henry - Kingston.
• Boat Tours (including one with hovercraft).

From Montreal, Quebec:

Approximate Distance: 385 km            Estimated Driving Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

• Follow Quebec Autoroute 40 to Ontario highway 17 (for about 80 km)
• Follow Ontario Highway 17/417 (towards Ottawa)
• In about 100 km, remaining on 17/417 start following the directions under "From Ottawa, Ontario" (Note: above distances & driving times are for the total trip.)

Make the trip an adventure by stopping at one or more of Ottawa's many attractions

• Parliament Buildings; Changing of the Guard; Canadian Museum of Civilization (including world's first combination IMAX®/OMNIMAX® Theatre); Royal Canadian Mounted Police Stables tour; Casino de Hull and many, many more
• Where else can you skate on the longest skating rink in the world? See the largest indoor display of native totem poles? Soar above the city in a biplane? Or bicycle along over 150 kilometres of recreational pathways that run along rivers, through parks and lead to most major attractions? In, Ottawa, that's where
• http://www.ottawagetaways.com or http://www.ottawakiosk.com/net.html

From Niagara Falls, Ontario - Direct Route:

Approximate Distance: 435 km            Estimated Driving Time: 5 hours

• Follow QEW Highway (for about 105 km)
• Take Hwy 427 exit (number 139) towards highway 401
• Follow 427 for about 6 km to Hwy 401 East exit
• Merge onto highway 401 East and follow it
• In about 20 km, remaining on 401 east start following the directions under "From Toronto - Direct Route" (Note: above distances & driving times are for the total trip.)

Make the trip an adventure by stopping at one or more of Toronto's many attractions
CN Tower, SkyDome, Science Center, Royal Ontario Museum, theatre district...

From Ottawa, Ontario:

Approximate Distance: 200 km            Estimated Driving Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

• Go west on Highway 417 / 17 - direction, Renfrew, Pembroke (for about 80 km)
• Turn left onto Hwy 60 (takes you through Renfrew Business District)
• Follow Highway 60 west for about 90 km to Barrys Bay
• At the all way stop in Barry Bay turn left onto highway/county road 62
• Follow Highway/County road 62 to Purdy (about 22 km)
• In Purdy, blue sign 37343 for Shangri La, 37431 for the Chalet and 37369 for the others

Make the trip an adventure by stopping at one or more of the following

• Storyland Park - 10 km North West of Renfrew.
• Bonnechere Caves - near Eganville.
• Blackwater (Sierra Designs) Factory Store - Foymount.
• Whitewater Rafting on the Ottawa River - about 13 km from Cobden.

From Toronto - Direct Route:

Approximate Distance: 270 km            Estimated Driving Time: 3 hours

• Follow 401 East (for about 60 km from Don Valley & 401)
• Take Exit 436 (Hwy 35/Hwy 115) towards Lindsay/Peterborough
• Follow Highway 115 for about 50 km (to south end of Peterborough)
• Stay straight to go on to Highway 7 east and follow it for about 14 km
• Turn left onto Highway 28 which you follow for about 100 km to Bancroft
• In Bancroft turn left onto Highway/County Road 62 which you follow for about 46 km to Purdy
• In Purdy, blue sign 37343 for Shangri La, 37431 for the Chalet and 37369 for the others

Make the trip an adventure by stopping at one or more of the following

• Canadian Automotive Museum in Oshawa
• Jungle Cat World in Orono
• Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough
• Lang Pioneer Village - 10 km east of Peterborough
• Petroglyphs Provincial Park - 55 km north east of Peterborough
  300 - 500 Aboriginal rock carvings. 600 - 1,000 years old
• Kawartha Downs - slot machines - Fraserville just south of Peterborough

From Toronto - Northern Route (via Algonquin Park):
Watch for the moose (especially during May when a lot are on or near the roads as a collision with one can be quite dangerous)

Approximate Distance: 390 km            Estimated Driving Time: 5.5 hours

• Follow 400 North (towards Barrie) for about 82 km
• Take Highway 11 North for about 115 km to Huntsville area
• Take Highway 60 for about 105 km (goes through Algonquin Park)
• Turn right onto Highway 127 which you follow for about 38 km to Maynooth
• In Maynooth, turn left onto Highway/County Road 62 which you follow for about 22 km to Purdy
• In Purdy, blue sign 37343 for Shangri La, 37431 for the Chalet and 37369 for the others

Make the trip an adventure by stopping at one or more of the following

• Santa's Village & Sportsland in Bracebridge (50 acres of family fun)
• Algonquin Park Museums - Visitor Center; Logging Museum or Algonquin Gallery