Rockwood Conservation Area Review

Site #152 

               PARK OVERVIEW

This park is part of the Grand River Conservation Area. This by far is my favorite spot to visit. This park offers a large clean beach on the Grand River. Beach is within walking distance from all campsites and tenting areas are very close to the beach. They enforce a strict 11pm quiet time and it is radio free. Park employees are well visible and patrol the park often. It Has 2 flush toilet stations with showers ($0.25), all other toilets are out houses. One bathroom in electrical sites and one in tenting sites. Bathrooms are centrally located so it's never a far walk from any campsite. 

                   CAMPSITES

This campground is split up into 4 areas; 2 electrical (Maple lane and Pineview), 1 non electrical and group camping areas. Both electrical areas have large grass sites but as it is with most campgrounds they lack trees and privacy. Pineview has the comfort station and those sites are half seasonal sites. Maple lane is all overnight sites and you need to walk to the comfort station. Cedar Valley is non electrical sites and is split into 3 small areas. The bottom area #175-192 backs onto a small river and it's very close to the beach and comfort station. These sites are a little less private. The Top Sites #150 -#174 are much more private but do require a small hike up and down a hill to the beach and comfort station. Be careful of sites #155, #159,#160 They back right onto the main road. We had no problems with camper noise. Rockwood has approximately 110 campsites in four main campgrounds, including 50 serviced sites (electricity and water), 16 full-service (water, hydro and septic) and 44 unserviced sites. Up to six people are permitted per campsite. Check in is after 2 p.m. and check out is before noon.

This park has towering pines, lots of wildlife, great trails with spectacular views from the cliffs. Caves, waterfalls, bridges, and large treed lots in tenting areas and great privacy.

          Canoeing/Kayaking/Paddle Boats

Canoeing is one of the most popular activities at the conservation area. Canoes and kayaks can be rented from the beach kiosk on weekends, weather permitting. The fee is $12/hr with a $75 cash deposit or a credit card number in case of loss. Start your journey at the beach and paddle upstream through small back bays and up to the waterfall created from the upper mill pond and its dam. You can even stop and check out your own tiny island. If you visit this park I would highly recommend renting a canoe and exploring the sites. Paddle boats can also be rented. Canoe, kayak and paddle boat rentals are available daily in July and August (weather permitting). Hours are Monday to Wednesday from 11:00 am to 5:30pm and Thursday to Sunday from 10:00am to 6:30pm. Contact the park for spring and fall schedule (May, June, September and October).

At the front gate you can also play put put ($$) it's usually free if it's raining, and buy firewood($$).

The concession is open weekends in June, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. During . July and August, it is open daily 11:00 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hotdogs, fries cold drinks and Nestle Ice cream treats are available.

                FOOD AND SUPPLIES

The town of Rockwood has one grocery store which charges an arm and a leg for everything, if you need supplies it is almost best to drive the 15min into Guelph and stop at the Walmart.

               TIPS ABOUT THE PARK

The ONLY downfall is this park lies beside a back road highway so at night you can hear the transport trucks- I really wish the city would deal with that issue.If the trucks were gone you would really feel like you were far away from the world. Another tip to mention for this park is put your coolers in your car, the raccoons at this park are masters of break and enter. At night they will steal the hot dog right off your cooking stick if you don't pay attention (my son found that out the hard way)!!! Also don't go off the paths...this park is full of poison ivy! I gave this park a 5 out of 5 because there are so many things to explore, the scenery is spectacular and the beach and bathrooms are all less than a minute away from your camp.You can also book online through the grand river web site. I have camped here since I was about 6years old. One childhood visit I did see two bears raiding a campers unattenuated cooler. I'm not sure if the bears were ever removed - but I never leave my stuff out at this campground for that reason.The food concession can be found in the middle of the conservation area above the beach area.

                  UNIQUE FACTS

Rockwood has a unique geological history that has left it with glacial bluffs, potholes and caves. The glacial bluffs were formed during the most recent ice age, which ended 11,000 to 16,000 years ago and range from five to 30 meters deep and seven to 200 meters wide. The conservation area has over 200 potholes that vary in size and diameter. They were created by hard debris like pebbles and boulders that were left by the Wisconsin glacier and caught in eddies in rapidly flowing melt water. The cave system is one of the most extensive ones in Ontario and includes stalactites, columns and flagstone. The conservation area has a network of 12 caves.Location:

Rockwood Ontario 3 hours from Sarnia