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Elora Gorge Conservation Area

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Elora Gorge Conservation Area

Elora Gorge Conservation Area is located in the town of Elora 25 km north of the city of Guelph in Ontario. Elora Gorge is part of the Grand River Conservation Authority. It is not only a popular Day Use Area but there are also hundreds of campsites for overnight use.

Main categories to plan your visit
Site Review:
Activities:
Things to Know:
IMO:

Site Review:

The campground area is divided into several sections. Sections C, F and I have serviced sites while sections A, B, D, W, G and H are all unserviced.

We stayed in section F at site #372. This is a back-in site serviced with electricity and water.

The sites in section F are fairly large. We had ample space for our equipment. Some levelling was required. All of the sites had a mix of sun and shade.

Visual privacy at many of the sites was hit-and-miss. Some sites were private and you couldn’t see any other campers, and some sites were very open.

Each site had a picnic table and a designated spot for a campfire that was determined by a ring of rocks.

Most of the campground sections bordered Middlebrook Rd. Traffic noise was heard throughout the sites. The road was busy but not “highway traffic” busy. I found it easy enough to tune out.

Trailer Sanitation Dump Station:

There are 2 dump areas. One near section F. The other is between section B and section C.

The dump station near section F is directly across from a couple of unserviced sites in section E. I do not know why campgrounds place the dump stations in such close proximity to sites. I would consult the campground map and avoid these sites when booking. (Sites#414, 416, 417, 418, 421)

There are comfort stations with flush toilets and showers located throughout the park.

Activities:

The Gorge:

The principal activity at the Elora Gorge Conservation Area is the gorge itself. People come from far and wide to tube down this natural lazy river. Expect to be on the water for about an hour to tube this 2 km stretch of river. Surrounded at points by 22-metre-high cliffs and with the occasional rapids it is a ride you don’t want to miss.

Here’s how it works:

Tickets:

  1. No walk-up sales of tubing tickets or equipment rentals are available. Tickets for tubing and equipment rentals must be purchased online and in advance.
  2. A security deposit of $75 will be required for all equipment rentals.
  3. Tickets can be purchased up to 3 days in advance. 
  4. Tubing tickets and rental fees are non-refundable and non-exchangeable after the online order transaction is completed. (The ONLY exception to this policy occurs if the tubing is closed by the Grand River Conservation Authority.)
  5. The conservation area day-use admission fee is not included in the tubing ticket purchase and must be paid at the gate upon entry to the conservation area.
  6. Participants must register with their pre-purchased tickets at the tubing equipment rental building, where they will receive a wristband.
  7. Participants must sign a waiver. Those under 18 must have a parent or legal guardian sign the waiver.
  8. You can bring your own equipment, however, for those using their own equipment:
    • Helmets must have a chin strap;
    • Pool inflatables are not permitted (e.g. flamingos);
    • All equipment must be shown to staff prior to the issue of a wristband at the time of registration
    • Staff has the right to refuse the use of unsuitable equipment. 
    • No partial equipment rentals are available.

Once you are registered and have your wristband:

  1. Take your equipment and walk the marked route to the launch spot (the shuttle bus for tubing is no longer operational).
  2. This is a significant walk. You could drive to the launch site, but this would require you to actually leave the Elora Gorge Conservation Area and detour through the town of Elora and re-enter the park on the other side of the gorge. There is no bridge you can drive across to access the other side of the gorge from within the park. The only bridge that allows access to the launch area is “pedestrian only”.
  3. You launch at the designated spot only.
  4. You exit at the designated exit spot. There are no other spots to enter or exit along the river.
  5. Some spots along the river are slow and you might have to paddle with your hands, and some spots are fast and you might get dumped from your tube.
  6. You have to carry your tube either back to the launch site or back to the registration building. There are no facilities to transport you or your equipment.

Notes:

  1. Be prepared to wear shoes or sandals in the water- you need them for walking and there is no place to store them.
  2. There are no lifeguards or river patrol staff.
  3. All participants must be 48 inches tall and children MUST be accompanied by an adult.
  4. You are reminded that this activity is not the same as a controlled water park ride.

Swimming:

There is no swimming available. You will however find a splash pad located in the picnic area.

Hiking:

There are about 5 km of easy walking trails to enjoy at Elora Gorge Conservation Area with spots from which you can view the gorge. There is an interesting geological feature called Hole in the Rock that you can access from one of the hiking trails. It has a staircase that you descend through a massive boulder. One of the trails also features a bridge that you can use to cross the gorge. It also affords a nice view of the floaters as they pass underneath.

Biking:

You can bike on the camp roads.

Cottontail Road Trail:

Directly across from the main entrance to the Elora Gorge Conservation Area is a trailhead for the Cottontail Road Trail. This starts out as a nice crushed limestone path. but after about 2 km you cross Sideroad 4 and the trail is gone. The trail map indicates that the trail continues but it was nothing more than a country road and the mowed edge of the farmer’s fields beside it.

Elora:

The town of Elora is quaint. It has a picturesque park (Victoria Park) where you can use a staircase to go down into the gorge. You will find restaurants and shops in Elora as well as the photo-worthy Elora Mill.

Elora Quarry Conservation Area:

The Elora Quarry Conservation Area and the Elora Gorge Conservation Area are 2 separate properties. Elora Quarry admission tickets and vehicle permits are not valid for admission to the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. Your Day Pass for one does not grant you admission to the other.

The Elora Quarry:

The Elora Quarry is a former limestone quarry that is a popular spot for swimming. The cliffs that surround the 2-acre swimming area reach 40ft high and provide a stunning backdrop for those sunbathing on the sandy beach.

Fees for the Elora Quarry:

Things to Know:

  1. There is a trailer sanitation dump station within the campground area.
  2. Grand River Raceway is nearby.
  3. Dogs are permitted in the park.
  4.  Alcohol and cannabis use is banned
  5. Wood is available for purchase at the main gate.
  6. There is a small concession stand located in the parking lot near the registration building.

IMO:

The Elora Gorge Conservation Area is among one of the better conservation area campgrounds I have stayed at. There are two reasons for this:

  1. No seasonal sites- thus no people who have turned the campground into their own personal summer retreat where you end up feeling like an interloper on their vacation.
  2. Alcohol ban- People were drinking, but the threat that you could be ejected from the park did make people dial it in a bit and keep the rowdiness in check.

We decided to check out Conservation Areas this year, primarily because securing reservations for Ontario Parks has been so difficult. As a general observation, I haven’t liked the conservation areas as much, but Elora Gorge Conservation Area is different. The gorge is beautiful and the tubing is a unique activity to enjoy. The nearby town of Elora is pretty and worth checking out. The camping is ok. I would recommend Elora Gorge Conservation Area as an RV Place to Go.

 

 

 

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