Elora Gorge Conservation Area

7400 Wellington County Rd. 21, Box 356
Elora, ON   N0B 1S0
Approximate latitude 43° 40' 9" N
Approximate longitude 80° 26' 29" W

August 2009 Site #88 unserviced site

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Park Review: I gave this park a 4 out of 5.
A Total Alcohol Ban is in effect for all dates throughout the season.

 This campground has large treed lots and great privacy. I am not a bird watcher but I did notice many beautiful birds that you would never see around here. There is a man made beach with 2 swimming areas. It is on the small side for a beach but it does the job. It is within walking distance from most unserviced sites but from the serviced sites it is a long walk. The park says it has a concession stand which is really just a hot dog vendor and was really only open during lunch. Elora Gorge Conservation area has 312 unserviced sites, 145 serviced sites with water and 15/30 amp electrical and 20 serviced sites with 15 amp electrical. Up to six people are permitted per campsite. Check-in is after 2 p.m. and check-out is before noon.


CHALET / BATHROOMS AND SHOWERS
MAIN BEACHVIEW OF BOTH BEACHES


There are out houses throughout the park as well as a couple flush bathrooms with showers. Not sure if I just picked the wrong shower but mine was freezing cold. Showers do cost $.25 as with all Grand River Parks. I did find this park was not as well kept as the other parks, our out house was out of toilet paper for 2 days and was almost over flowing YUCK! - when they did come to clean it - they did a great job. Though they decided to clean it with loud generator powered power washers at 8:30am - good morning!.

When we arrived everyone was just leaving from a long weekend. The tube loading area was very crowded. There is a lack of proper stop signs, and the small park roads were crowded with tubers walking up and down the road - there are no side walks for tubers???. Tubers end the ride on a very small one lane bridge. It became congested with cars waiting to pass, tubers waiting to get out, people standing on the bridge, and fishers. I just thought this park could have used a bit more planning for roadways.

Walkway / Roadway


The second night we were woken up by cat like growling and rustling near our cooler (which after having no problems the first night thought our cooler would be fine wedged under the picnic table), so suspecting small animals we went out to inspect the damage and found  3 bobcats circling our site (Big cats in the dark = terrified camper) - The first night we did notice an unusual lack of chipmunks and raccoon activity - this may be the answer. So be aware - bobcats do lurk this campground.

Our Site                                                                         Bob Cat


Overall once the weekend traffic died down it was really peaceful, it's far from a main road so unlike the other parks where you can hear the traffic this park was quiet. We really like the park, and the benefits out weighed the imperfections. We did not have time to do all the hiking trails due to rain but we did go to "The Hole In The Rock" which sounded cool, but really all it is, is a walkway through a hole in a cliff. "Hole in a Rock"

HOLE IN ROCK




The town of Elora in 1 min down the road with small shops, grocery store, and some good places to take pictures. There is also a barn shaped casino right down the road - great for rainy days!


ELORA OLD MILL - ELORA



ELORA MILL




 

ELORA CASINO




TUBING


TIP: Tubes sell out before 10am. Tubers must register at the beach concession and purchase a wristband  a credit card imprint is required to rent tubes, helmets, and life jackets - which are mandatory. You can bring your own equipment but I would strongly recommend if you have never been here - rent theirs. We brought our own tubes to save money and regretted it. You need to have a very thick tube as the river is fast flowing and very shallow. Those under 18 must have a legal guardian sign a waiver and must be at least 42 inches There are jagged rocks everywhere so unless you want to lose a but cheek get a real tube. There is a height restriction for a good reason. I would not recommend this for children under 12 - it is very hard to stand in fast moving water if you flip off a tube. Some times your tube will get caught between jagged rocks and you need to be strong enough to get unstuck. I am 30 and prety athleteic and I got stuck in a rock at the mouth of a waterfall - the current was so fast I could not stand and the force of the water on my tube prevented me from moving without great effort. I was watching parents on tubes with five year olds - not a good idea. There is no way out of the Gorge once you start tubing apprx.45min. We got caught in a severe thunder storm half way down. We did manage to find a way to scale a gorge wall and make it back to our site, other tubers were not so lucky. They got stuck hanging on to cliffs for dear life to get out of the storm. On weekends only they have a school bus operating to pick up tubers at the end and drive them back to the start, during the week you get to do the half hour walk back to the start. Don't get a site off the main road on a weekend or you will hear a school bus go by every half hour and have tons of kids walking past your site.
Make sure you bring shoes that you can get wet. And make sure if you have to drive your tubes to the launch area that you don't bring your wallet and have a safe zippered pocket for keys.


This is the begining of Elore Gorge Tube Ride....you can clearly see jagged rocks everywhere...more times than none you don't go around them. This is not a lazy river ride.

TUBING



ELORA GORGE




Cost $28/n unserviced 7 days a week