Elora Gorge Conservation Area

A nice place to visit for a picnic, bring your tent, rv, camper, etc and stay there overnight.

I was very disappointed in the Gorge. The trails are very poorly marked and I was surprised at the rough uneven terrain. Couldn’t find the swimming area or any waterfalls. The rest room was clean. Some garbage on the trail. Did all three trails.

There is an entry fees of $8 per person.
There are three trails that you can go. They are not tough so can go with kids as well but not with stroller and all. You can enjoy tubing but tickets should be purchased in advance. There are multiple parking lots.
You can enjoy a day out with your family but carry your own food and water as there no foods stalls inside that.
I didn’t find Look out points much attractive, I think tubing would be fun and that is on my bucket list, will definitely try next time.

If you are in and around Toronto this place is a must to go, specially for the tubing experience. We really enjoyed the adventures experience of tubing.

You have purchased the ticket online except the entrance ticket to the park.

The walk to n from the tubing rental place and to launch area is about 15-20 min where as the walk to tubing rental place to the end of river is around 20-25 min, so be prepared to walk a lot.

The tubing is safe subject to you have all the recommended stuff with you.
You have a shower place so it’s kind of good.

Great park and will definitely come back for a longer stay. We stayed for 2 nights in the "I" section, the entrance is off Middlebrook Road-not the Main Entrance. Our site was very nice and backed onto a treed area. Fairly big sites (around 90' x 50') in that part of the park.
Fire pits & picnic tables at every site. The washrooms were clean & well maintained. The staff were friendly and helpful.
Great hiking in this park.
We didn't get a chance to go Tubing although that's on the list for our next visit.
Price is fair- under $70 for the night including taxes and fees. One drawback is that it is next to impossible to get a live person on the phone to help with reservation inquiries. I tried calling a few different times and could never get through to anyone.

TUBING 3.5/5

Did I have fun tubing? Yes. Would I go tubing again here? Absolutely. However, there are things that could improve the experience.

1. The walk to the tubing launch is 15 minutes from the registration and rental area. If you want to go another round, it's at least a half hour walk. They need to bring back the shuttle, which would save so much time.

2. There were painted foot prints on the ground that lead to the way up to the tubing launch on the first go. Any time after that is a different route back to the top, which doesn't have as much signage as it should. I was starting to think I was going the wrong way or missed a sign, but they are just very scarce.

3. I wish there were some areas marked for people who want to get out early during the float. For anyone who isn't enjoying the experience or is scared, it might be a good idea.

4. It can be hard to get out at the end of the float. There should be one or two people to help guests out.

I recommend investing in your own equipment, especially a durable tube, life jacket, helmet, and water shoes. I read reviews about the rental tubes being low quality, some popping during the float. Having the right life jacket is also important, and I'm not sure how well the staff are trained on fit.

Note that once you are in the water, you are completely on your own, no staff to supervise or assist if you need it. This might not be a safe activity for children under 12.

Park entry fee: $8.00/person
Cars were parked on the grass or anywhere they found the space.

Tubing: registration $20/person
Plan ahead, the line was long. If you rented the equipment elsewhere, you don’t have to wait in line but there’s no signs up indicating which wasted a lot of time.

Once you get the band, follow the yellow steps to the launching area. The hike is steep and long.

Once you get into the water, you are on your own, there aren’t life guards. The water flow was steady but other areas, fast. There is a area in between you can stop and dive off into the water. It’s not easy to navigate the where to go unless you paddle in some way (used my water shoes)

It’s beautiful along the way, the scenery is beautiful, you will pass a waterfall!

When you get to the end, it’s best to step off as it was harder when when you reach the chain.

Now the walk back to return equipment (if rented on site) and to the parking is also long but through the trail so just follow the signs.

Along the way, I saw many camp sites.

Tips,
Bring water shoes, rocks
Bring water proof case for car keys/phones. I guarantee if not secured, you will lose it.
Bring ropes if you want to stay linked to your friends
Wear sun screen
Wear life jacket
Wear helmet

We visited the conservation during the Thanksgiving long weekend. It was pretty busy likely due to the amazing and unusually warm weather this time of year. It's a beautiful park with lots of areas to picnic. The hike is easy and you get nice views of the river and the gorge as well as fall colors on display.

This place is fun, clean and so many things to do. If you love rock climbing and want to try your hands in some beginner stuff, walk towards the trail next to the gorge and try your hands on a few easy to moderate rocks!

Beautiful Conservation Area but people (maggots) litter in this little gem. Pack out what you pack in. Pretty easy concept. Would be a 5 if not for idiots.

I remember back in mid 80s we would party here and jump off the top in the ravine till they shut that down as other's we're getting hurt as it was fairly high jump if you didn't get in the right spot or landed right it was back flop experience lol great memories lots of drunken moments

Whoever runs this park would make a great nanny. The hiking just isn't worth it; it's virtually all behind a chainlink fence that keeps you from actually seeing the gorge. Such a shameful way to manage this otherwise incredible area.

The area is nice to look at but it’s fairly small with minimal hiking and the water is really only for tubing. If you want to take a short tube ride they rent the tubes and it looks like a good time but if you want to kayak, canoe or paddle board there are better option within a 15min car ride

We visited the Elora Gorge Conservation Area on September 19 2021.
We were near Kay Marston Pavilion. The Park is beautiful, but our experience was awful.
We faced a dangerous issue at around 6: 00 PM.
There was another group of people at a distance from us. They had a dog unleashed and it suddenly began to chase our kid and pounced on him. The dog kept chasing my kid. We were all screaming in fear and trying to rescue the kid. The dog owners very coolly replied that the dog will not bite. We complained about it to the security "Chris Blong".
He said he requested the other group to keep an eye on their dog.
He said to us that he needed proof that the dog was unleashed and it chased our kid.
If we are not comfortable, he said you can leave the place as it is a public park.
We were totally upset with his response. He said we can complain to anyone about him if needed. We all left the place upset. Our kid had nightmares and now he is afraid of dogs.
I tried calling the park several times to convey this, but no response.

We've introduced the Gorge to several friends and family members. While you can never really know how they feel, when those same people recommend it to others you can be fairly certain they DID really like it.
4 out of 5 only due to Covid & campsite closed with totally illogical patterns. And limited signage at the approach to the back gate.

Watch out if you rent tubing equipment. Their life jackets may not be sanitized and I got a bad rash on the front and back torso where the life jacket contacted. They refused to acknowledge and respond to my email about their procedure for cleaning their equipment. It's been 2 weeks and my body is still itching like crazy. Horrible experience and horrible customer service. Not to mention, the tube only moves for about 5 minutes of the journey. The rest of the 2-3 hours, you're trying to make the tube move due to weak rapids.

Great fun for the whole family. After tubing down the Grand River the walk back to the start is long.but worth it. Nice trails, etc.

I love this hike, I visit at least once a year. Keep in mind that it is not a loop trail though, so you end up walking back the way you came

So much fun great time they weee so organized friendly just can’t say enough great things about this company must try alone with a friend with the family just a great time

Really enjoyed our hike here. We did 7km. There are no blazes and at one point we wondered if we were still even in the Conservation Area but eventually we came out in the camp ground and figured out where we were. Going down the stairs right to the river was cool and seeing the tubers. Nice day hike from the GTA. Parking at the trailhead was full by 11 am but there are other lots in the park. You'll just have to walk to the trailhead. Bathrooms with flush toilets and running water were open for use August 2021. Masks required for them.

The place is over all nice. They charged 55$ for car entry which would have been fine if they are providing clean washrooms facility. Toilets seems to be not cleaned for quite few months atleast. You cannot even pass by them due to smell. If someone goes that far, definitely you will use the washrooms but seems they either have not hired anyone to clean them or not supervising or monitoring that the responsible people have done their job or not. I would request management authority to look into it seriously.

Great experience. Beautiful grounds and trails to hike. Could have done without yapping dogs and some constant screaming kids. The campsites are well kept and so is the whole park. Staff were very friendly. Will definitely go back

A good get away place with 1 hr drive from Toronto. Great place to have a picnic. Small little town with good vibe. Will visit again.

Great place. Lots more to explore until full review.

Attached photo is a safety hazard that I covered up with a rock and some sticks, and to update the management on it.
Small child/pet could slip through very easily.

Visited during lockdown so could not explore area fully. The place is amazing and good waterfall. It is good place for picnic and is very close to Mississauga.

Madison and team is super bestttttt.they’re really helpful and sweeeeeet Very hard to find good people these days, I’ll rate them 5 start for their awesome service.

The location is beautiful, the camp sites are good. There is lots to do in the area. The staff is helpful and friendly. I would have given a 5 star but Elora Gorge park is not accessible. We came with our family of 6 and my husband is in a wheelchair. The bathrooms do not even have one accessible toilet. It was very disappointing. So many areas could be improved by making simple low cost changes to ensure everyone even the disabled can enjoy the park. Over all it’s still very beautiful.

Great experience tubing on the river the other day. Super easy to reserve online in advance. We went a couple of years ago and while the rental life jackets still smell like gross old towels, they definitely did some major upgrades to the tubes they loan out. These ones were far superior, easier to carry and more comfortable with the back rest. Really fun way to spend a day.

It was a long walk to Tubing launch area and also after tubing back to parking. We have to carry tubing all the way which kinda makes the walk difficult.
Experience was good.

This place is good! Don't expect too much before coming here. I can say its best place for sightseeing, there is also tube launching activity (check timings before coming here). Flow is pretty hard so you can't canoe or kayak here. But you can go down near to the flow and sit there and relax, try to avoid weekends as this place gets bit busy.

If see any plastic waste Please collect and throw it to where it belongs (recycle bin) - lets keep these places cleaner- thanks

What a magical place! The dense forest, view of the gorge and ability to walk down to the water to explore made this a fun adventure.

Great place to hike and get away from the city. The place is a bit busy during holidays. Overall it is a beautiful location for photos and enjoy the view.

We were there for tubing (july 01 2021), it was great experience safe and amusing it was our 2th time and we will go there again, i am so grateful for rescue team i was stuck in 2th round in one part of river i call for Help somebody was there (above cliff) and respond to my request they call for help and they stay with me up to rescue team arrived they came to rescue me with RAFT and i got fantastic and Nice ride from rescue team to the end of river (i did enjoyed the scenery), Thanks all of you,

Thanks for those good people they did not ignore me when I asked for for help (good people with good heart)

Thanks for quick respond Of rescue team police and tubing team

you can have relax and great experience on Elora gorge conservation
Area

Have good and healthy summer

They closed the gate at the tubing entrance made it very unsafe to get down to water. Didn't post any signage to tell you so. Just charge 7.50 per adult plus 3 per child for nothing. Run down sports fields, no amenities, no splash pad, nothing to do but hike in hot sun.
I recommend Victoria Park in Elora, they actually have a stair case down to enjoy the river on opposite side of David Bridge.

Could walk into park for free from there. Don't pay the scammers.

One of the more beautiful places to walk within an easy drive of Toronto. Excellent variety of scenery and atmosphere. The vast majority of the trail is easy to do but there ARE spots you can wander that can be quite dangerous so stay with the kids.

Beautiful place to visit, the only coffee store we found in downtown does not prepare the greatest coffee/hot chocolate.please improve that flavor

The Gorge itself is a Beautiful natural attraction. Tubing is expensive but very fun and Be prepared to walk a long way for your good times. As far as camping goes. The sites are ok for the most part. The firewood is overpriced and terrible quality as per usual and to my disappointment there is no retail store within the park. With how many campers this place holds it seems foolish to not have a well supplied store and maybe some icecream/fast food for sale. Park staff were all helpful and friendly. Washrooms and showers are kept reasonably clean.

It's nice but you have to book way ahead of time or you'll end up getting a spot in the back near the roads and trucks are always driving by.

With the shuttle service down it was a long walk especially for those in our group who didn’t bring water shoes or flip flops (that’s me). The staff were all very friendly however prices are a bit high so I’d recommend bringing as much gear as you can to save $$. It’s anywhere between a 30-45 min walk depending on kids / ages from one end to the other however the tubing provided a lot of fun for a couple trips down the Grand River. A family of 5 costs us around $123 only renting tubes (had helmets and life jackets). Otherwise it was a fun relaxing day!

It costs $7 per person (adults, I am unsure about children and seniors). The camp ground is a dry area, no alcohol permitted (makes sense with a giant gorge there). The tubing I believe is $35 which includes admission and rental of tube, life jacket, and helmet. You can save on costs by bringing your own everything (many people wearing bike helmets). I do not recommend bringing your own tube because there is a risk of it popping or getting a hole due to the rocks/rapids. I rented a tube and mine popped on the ride, to which they refunded us our money, but I would not want to be bringing my own tube for that. Very fun and enjoyable experience, great views. Long walk back to the beginning but worth it to go again. You can go as many times in a day as you;d like, you just have to return the tube by closing. Its also first come first serve, if they run out of tubes you have to wait until someone returns theirs. We arrived at 8: 40 am and there was already a line for opening at 9am (A saturday in July, but it was cool and cloudy all day). By the time we returned our tubes there were people waiting for returns so they could go.

Highly recommend

Very nice park, and campsites, we came for the tubing, the rapids and the lazy ride was fun and relaxing, the walk there seemed quick, walk back seemed a bit longer, had a really fun time, went down the river twice, takes about an hour, rented our equipment from a place in town, the conservation areas equipment was older and not as good quality. The park has a nice apace to have picnics near the entrance, and there is a chip truck if you want to purchase food. We didn't do much else here so I'm not sure about any hiking paths here, was a fun time!

Amazing experience! Floated down the gorge and experienced small rapids, beautiful natural scenery, amazing geological formations and a pleasent hour and a half floating on a inflatable tube, relaxing in the sun. I highly recommend for groups, it's a lot of fun.

Be sure to arrive before rentals open - the rentals sell out incredibly quickly.

Enjoy multiple trips down the river since your rentals are good for the whole day!

Prices are ridiculous. $7 per person to get into the park, plus $30 to rent equipment (helmet and tube) plus an additional $5 for a wristband. Also, there’s a $75 deposite which you get back but still.
Customer service is definitely not their strong point. We had an accident on the river where two friends had been hurt, and when we told one of the people working there, Grace, she didn’t even ask if that person was okay, wasn’t sympathetic at all, and didn’t offer help. I understand they can’t control the water conditions and we signed a waiver, however she was simply rude and giving a lot of attitude. When asked for her name, she refused and was uncooperative. Then, we managed to speak to the superintendent (Gary) who was just as apathetic as Grace. Again, they can’t control the water conditions but there was offer to help or even the slightest bit of concern.

Tubing here is fun and relaxing for adults, but not so great for small kids unless you bring your own kid-sized tubes. The tubes available to rent are all pretty big, so my niece and nephew couldn't reach the water with their hands or feet when sitting in the tube. The current is very slow for much of the river, so that they would frequently get stuck somewhere, requiring an adult to paddle over to dislodge them.

$7 per person! For a large family coming for a picnic this is not affordable. Maybe get a family pass option? We turned around bc we couldn't afford that.

My husband and I were slack lining between trees and it was fun. It's $7 per adult to enter and the park itself is meh but not bad.

Nice area for picnics but it would be nice if there was more hiking trails throughout the park, for such a big area you'd think there would be a lot more trails. Paying $7 each for entry is a little steep as well

Love it. Make sure to reserve a tube PRIOR to your trip, 30$, look online it’s a few minutes away from the park but it will ensure you have the equipment and it’s actually a few dollars cheaper.

Worst customer service in park I've ever try to attend. My five-year-old and myself took a trip from London to there as they don't update any of their website or social media to say that tubing was sold out and at the beach is not available. Do not just randomly show up at this place called before you go there

Picture perfect. A beautiful place. Well cared for. Artistic community. Many places to explore. What's not to like? Absolutely nothing.

Talia and her team have been nothing but horrible to work with. I would not recommend Moonlight Glamping to anyone, ever. From being rude during the planning process (telling me I'm insecure for wanting a contract) to waking my wedding guests up at 10am to take down tents (though they were not ready to take the tents away until 4 hours later and could have been kinder through the process) to posting a photo of my entire guest list (first and last names) to their social media and refusing to take it down after several requests. They have been nothing but inconsiderate and disrespectful. This company has a monopoly on glamping in Ontario and if a kinder more considerate company opened up, i'm positive Moonlight Glamping would not survive!

Was there a few years ago, loved the secluded camping and the lazy river! I'll be back next year as my honeymoon! Can't wait!

Such a beautiful area! We went on a weekday to tube down the gorge. A fantastic experience. So relaxing and beautiful floating down the river.

Great place to camp, lots of shade, highly accessible. Tubing on the gorge is great, just be prepared for long line ups for rentals.

First time going tubing at elora gorge. So much fun. The staff was really friendly and helpful. It's a 15 min walk to the start. And about a 45 min tube ride. It's a lazy river with a little bit of rapids. It's still very relaxing and you can't see anything except nature and wilderness while you're on the river. My 11 old son loved it. There isn't much supervision during the tubing down the river. You will get wet so dress accordingly and wear secure footwear (water shoes, sandals with straps, etc). Someone lost a sandal ahead of us. Did see people with sneakers which is good for walking but they were completely wet by the end. Changeroom with shower and washroom, and a small food shop at the tube rental area.