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Elora Gorge, Grand River, Ontario, Canada

The Elora Gorge is a small, scenic canyon of the Grand River, downriver of the old mill in the town of Elora.

Spring, Summer and Fall

The Gorge runs through a park operated by the Grand River Conservation Authority. The park offers car camping spots with little seclusion. A few hiking trails and grassy areas offer space for land-based activities, but the draw is the river. For most of the summer, the flow is low and ideal for tubing. In spring, and indeed for most of the year, this stretch of the Grand River is one of the most popular spots in Southern Ontario for whitewater kayaking and canoeing, if only for its proximity to Toronto.

Water can be class 5+ at full spring flood, when the water rises up the canyon walls. In peak summer, even a light paddler in a small boat will scrape rocks. At the lowest point, only a few spots offer whitewater.

The Chute is a straightforward run, but its few twists and jutting rocks make treating it with care a smart idea. Under the high bridge, about 3/4 of the way down the run, is Troll's Hole, on river right. Generally not a problem in the later season, it can be a dangerous keeper in spring.

From put-in to take-out, the paddling run is about 3K, and can easily be accomplished in under 3 hours. In fact, a straight run with no playing would take well under 2 hours for most paddlers.

The put-in and take out are officially through the park, for which you must pay admission, but alternate routes (putting in at the town of Elora, or climbing fences) are often used, especially in the park's off-season.

The park rents tubes during peak season.

To check water levels:
River levels are available on the Grand River Conservation Authority web site, but it's tricky to find:
- go to the site
- click on Current River Flows (under Watershed Conditions)
- read the terms and accept
- click on River Levels
- click on Upper Grand
At this point, one of the lines represents the Shand Dam Discharge. That's the best indicator for the paddling stretch of the Elora Gorge.

Rough guide to water levels (found in a comment on the Boater Board
40 - 60 cms is fun for play
80 - 100 is great for running big water (aka Ottawa River'ish)
100 - 150 is for extreme paddlers

Unfortunately, flows below 4.5 cubic metres per second are common in summer. You'll be scraping your boat in many places along the run. Still, it makes for a good beginner run.

This entry needs more detail on what the river looks like at various levels. Can you help? Click the "edit" links at the top of the page to add information.

Winter

Elora Gorge also becomes an ice climbing destination in the winter as shown by the video.

Getting There

Time from downtown Toronto: approximately 1 hr 20 minutes (in light traffic).

From Highway 401, take Highway 6 north (the turn-off is about 40 minutes west of Toronto, or 20 minutes east of Kitchener). If you're coming from the east, be careful: there are two exits for Highway 6, but the first one only takes you south. You want the second exit, which is another five minutes along the highway.

Highway 6 heads north as a divided highway (with some traffic lights here and there) for 15.5 km to where it ends, at #7/Woodlawn Road.

Turn right and continue for 2.5 km, past the McDonalds, over a set of train tracks, past the Home Depot.

At that point, you hit #6 again (the sign actually reads Woolwich Street). Turn left/north and follow #6/Woolwich for 4 km, past #30/Marden Rd.

The next left (right before the John Deer sign) is Wellington Rd. #7. Take that and continue north-ish for 13.5 km, past a bunch of farms, and up and down some small hills. You'll come to a few restaurants and a Tim Horton's. The lights immediately after the Tim's is the intersection with Wellington Rd. #21 (It's labelled South River Road on some maps, but I've never seen a sign with that name). Turn left and follow the road 1.3 km to the Elora Gorge Conservation Area entrance on your right.

Go in, pay your admission, and then into the park.

The Put-In

You can enter the park and put in there if you want. Unfortunately, if you put in where they want you to, you'll miss about half of the run.

The better bet is to put in near Ross Street in Elora. From the Tim Horton's on #7, continue north through the lights, then take the second street on your right -- Ross Street. About 60 metres in on the left is a gravelly lot. Park here, and carry your boat along the path to your left. A few minutes in you'll be able to take a path down to the river. BE CAREFUL! If you put in too far up, you'll be above the small falls (called "The Tooth of Time") at the old Elora mill.

Before and After

Best bet for cheap food and coffee is the Tim Horton's just before the #21 turnoff.

For a proper restaurant or bar, there are a bunch of places right in old Elora. Head back out of the park, turn left/east on #21, follow it past the lights at #7. At the stop sign, veer left, down the hill and over the bridge. You'll be on Geddes Street. Just over the bridge is Mill Street with a few shops and pubs. Keep on Geddes and you pass a few more, as well as a Shoppers Drug Mart, a BMO and a TD.

Nearer the park on Wellington #21 (if you're coming from Tim Horton's to the park you can't miss it) is the new-ish Grand River Raceway and Slots. It has harness racing on some nights, and slot machines to lose your money in at any time, on any day.