Shade's Mills Conservation Area

Part of Grand River Conservation park.
Great lake for kayaking thanks to the little islands in the lake.

Beautiful and one of most calm conservation area among all conservation area of grand river.

Get spot to go for a relaxing paddle, great kayak rentals from Serene WaterSports. They located just left of the beach.

Lovely beach and trails. Took my family to visit. Beach was clean and lots of space to play soccer and sit and play board games. So close to everything. Definitely recommend.

NB get there early to get a good spot.

A great place to spend your evening time. A must visit during summers.

Note: Get your food to spend some quality time at the place.

Fishing is permitted at a specific area.

Went bird watching with my son and before that went with my son’s class for an excursion. We love Shades mill. Can’t wait to get a kayak and get on the water.

Lovely place.
$16 fee.
Kayak/tandem/boat- $15-150
Very serene while entering.
Family spot for bbq & picnic.
The beach is also good.
Too many mosquitoes but don’t worry the population of humans is more so there are less chances they will feed on you.

We often go there.
It's good for people in Cambridge, close to home and quick visit.

I didn’t get to see much of the conservation area during my visit. However, what I did see was a clean, well maintained area that is very family friendly.
Great place to go canoeing or kayaking as there are NO gas powered engines allowed in the small lake.
Great picnic areas. Nice family friendly trails.

Good place as a family trip for swimming and playing multiple sports such as volleyball, football, tennis there are places are set for these activities. And for those who like hiking you can explore different trails within the park but stay close to society as you may get lost in the woods.

The beach areas is not well maintained for the price of admission and they should limit or make a section for those who wish to BBQ. We setup a great spot and 30 minutes later we had two separate families arrive with Mini BBQs and the smoke was blowing into our area to the point where we just left.

Beautiful park with a nice sized beach, can get slightly busy when it’s warmer so I find there are not enough picnic tables to accommodate for a large crowd, overall would definitely return back as it is a beautiful spot to bring family and do a barbecue/ picnic

It’s perfect place to spend weekend. If you are near to Waterloo Region and Want to go for picnic with 3-4 families, you must visit here with Swimming Suits. This place has clean beach, volleyball courts, picnic tables, and Paid Parking. You may get a trail experience as well.

Best time ever! First time using a kayak! Noah and Jodi were the best! Helpful and knowledgeable. They are extremely well versed in their job, so much that it seems like their calling. Will definately take up kayaking. Can hardly wait to go back again. Thanks for such a fun day!

It is a Great place to visit. Nice and serene lake. Some good trails are out there. Also it is not very far away from the City of Cambridge. You can spend 3-4 hours very easily here and if you are coming with 2-3 families or a group of people, you can spend more time here. You can do BBQ here. There are benches all over the place. Washroom facility if provided. I believe it if open all year round but as summers in Canada makes these type of places more attractive.

This place sucked, not worth going if you're seeking a hike. It costs $7.75 per adult and the hiking trail has so many mosquitoes. It's absolutely unbearable. The beach with a lake has plenty of children and families so that one seems fine. Not much services and value to justify charging at all. The cost is probably just to pay for the attendants and guards of the borders! Absolute waste of cash. You can see the gate in the picture where they are collecting money. Additionally you need to park your car and get out to pay, they don't come to you.

I spend hours walking the beautiful wooded trails with our dog Callie. A great place for walking all season long. Relax by the lake or play some beach volleyball. The park is well maintained.

Good place to fish and kayak. Less busy on average than other conservation areas. No camping which can be a plus as it keeps quieter for other activities.

Long sandy Beach,
Perfect spot for group party or get together.
Three volleyball courts

Great little place to hike and see some nature right in the city. Trails are mostly accessible for strollers or wheelchairs, but the trails on the far East side were still a bit muddy.

Who knew there could be such great trails and a beach in the city! So clean. Well maintained. Lots of wildlife. Long trails. I take my dog many times in the summer. Seems like it would be great for snow showing and cross country skiing also because the trails are wide.

Would love to camp here as part of year pass. Great yearly cost and quite walks with dog with lots of trails well maintained.

Took an hour to drive here. When we arrived we asked where the boat rentals are as advertised they are offered Saturday and Sunday. We went down to the boat rental area and no one was there so we drove back up to the main gate. They informed us there that the person who runs it was not in today.why would you not tell us that when we first asked asked at the gate and before we paid for a full family to get into the park. Instead they take our money and gave us doing trips back and fourth for no reason. Scam don't come here. Unprofessional and looking to take your money from you and lie to you even though they know services aren't available. SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM

What a beautiful park! I just wish they were open later during the week. Overall a great park with lots to do and is well maintained!

Gorgeous conservation area plenty of trails and activities for everyone. A great pot for ice fishing, pike and perch

Amazing place with beautiful trails and a beach where kids can play and go into the water. A lot of outdoor sports can be played here and they have predefined BBQ spaces.

Great area for swimming! Can be a little busy especially with lockdowns which leads to a lot of trash being left around but still a really nice spot to bring your friends!

Great place, nice beach, but the Bathrooms are discussing Flies everywhere and it is so dirty and smelly. I would suggest you just wait to go.

Diversified trails for walking, hiking or biking. Nice beach area. Some issues with littering along the trails and dog feces not being picked up by owners. Possibly due to increased usage but not acceptable.

Great beach and shaded areas, washroom facilities are very poor, had to search for one only to realize it was an outhouse. Not impressed.

Ample parking and well maintained washrooms, lawns and beach areas makes this location pleasant to go to. Relax and enjoy yourself if you get a chance to go there.

Shade's Mills is our "go to" spot. Ample parking, lots of space to find a nice spot to picnic. Two Volly Ball sand courts, washrooms available and trails to explore. Dog friendly beach, but keep them on their leash when not in the water.

What a lovely place! Spent the day here kayaking and it was so peaceful. It wasn't overly crowded but there is plenty of space to park.

They have beach volleyball areas, shelters for rent, a designated beach and swimming area, a large boat launch area, and clean outhouse/toilets.

The hiking trials are beautiful and low difficulty. Highly recommend!

In all grand river area, this is the best place to go for kids! Clean water and big beach area. Also many tables for BBQ. But you have to go early if you plan to at weekends. Most likely after 11: 30 am will be full!

Not a huge park by any means but has a nice beach area where the water is clean and shallow enough for kids in the swimming area. The beachfront has trees that create lots of shaded areas with picnic tables great for hanging out. Canoes and kayaks can be launched for a small boat launch to go around the reservoir. Washrooms are kept clean. Not a free park though and you pay just under $7 per adult instead of by car. There are in and out privileges if you keep your receipt. Dogs allowed on the park but not on the water.

Beautiful views of the lake. Great beach and beautiful trails and picnic area. The road outside leading to the park is also very green and gorgeous.

A nice well maintained park. Memberships are available or you can pay as you go. A clean beach area with plenty of picnic tables and a few public BBQs. A great little lake for fishing, kayaking, canoeing or paddle boarding. The trails are great for hiking all year long. There is now a little playground and beach volleyball nets

Great little spot to spend time with family and friends. Beach area is super clean and maintained.

Beautiful, clean beach. Lots of shady spaces, picnic tables. Playground great for kids. + trails!

Fresh air, Trails, clean lake to swim in, playgrounds and picnic areas.affordable for the family and not too busy during the week.:)

Great place for a family hike. We went in the winter when the lake was frozen. A few ice fishers out there. There are lots of trails to take, but we were there for a short hike after a heavy snow so we just did a short loop around the main grounds. The only thing I'd suggest is better trail marking. It was hard to follow with the snow coverage and we missed part of the short loop because we didn't see one critical continuation of the loop. On the plus side, we found our car!:)

I love this park. The beach is ok and the water is fine. Good park for camping. The Best part, is that you wouldn’t know it’s within Cambridge city limits. I took a city bus there once and it was only a short walk from the bus stop.

Lots of things to see and do. Swimming, hiking, biking, and oneness with nature.
However, the cost is steep: $15 for a visit. This is the biggest downfall and probably the reason why we won't be back.

A nice place to enjoy in the summer. This place is quite clean and has a lot of area to do fun activities.

Enjoy going to the beach here, go swimming most days and it's completely safe. Only had to deal with sharks once or twice. I leave my Herschel backpack unattended while swimming and no one has ever stolen it or the lays chips I have inside.amazing community.

Great place for a day with the family. Not so good for fishing, at least we didn't get anything on the day we have been there. The lake is pretty interesting and deep, we found spots where it was 4-5 meters after the the lake was drained for winter.

Always enjoy being at this park. Couple blocks drive from the city and you're in the country.
Participated in the Shoppers run for womans health. Well groomed trails made the journey pleasant. It's always nice walking/running along with the beautiful scenes of nature on all sides of us.

It's within walking distance, it's generally litter free as they have tons of garbage cans that are emptied regularly! Lots of picnic tables and shade. Enough sand to have fun with the kids.

I love this beach, except the outhouses are APPAULING. Like we don't stay long because no one wants to use them.

This is a quiet, natural looking, beautiful lake in the middle of Cambridge, Ontario. Walking/skiing trails are well kept. The water is safe for all ages, and usages- swimming, canoeing, and hand and sail powered crafts. It is well-maintained by the Grand River Conservation Authority. There is ample parking, many tables, sheltered spots as well as beach space. The property is fifteen minutes by car from anywhere in Cambridge, and within walking distance for most residents, but aesthetically, miles from civilization

Clean. Good beach. Good lake for a swim, kayak, canoe, trail walk and especially paddleboarding. If you want to use the park before 9am and do not have a membership it will be Credit Card or Cash only, $14 for the un manned gate. 9am and after $7 at the manned gate. Staff are pretty good.

Awesome little park with great picnic areas, kid's programs, well maintained beech with clear water. It is a hidden Gem.

Almost perfect! This year the sand seemed a little thin in the water. Not sure if they can add more sand over the off season.
I love the amount of trees near the beaches, the pergolas, the nature's events, the volleyball courts, most of the playground. The slide is always really hot in the sun. My toddlers have both shrieked in pain not realizing it would be hot and putting a leg on it. They don't even attempt it now, they just call it "hot slide".

Love this place. There are plenty of picnic tables, small beaches and two sandy volleyball areas. Furthermore, the washrooms are always clean. The entry fees are C$ 7 for adults, C$ 5.5 for seniors and C$ 3 for kids.

Restroom or washroom is very bad. Also water quality is not enough for swimming. But it is enough for BBQ outdoor act.

We spent the whole day there
It’s really fun and amazing place for summer
Everything is perfect

Great staff. Free fishing gear rentals (tackle and spinning rod) multiple locations for bank fishing as well as lots of space for off shore fishing as well. My kids loved the beach and lots of shaded areas to set up for the day

Awesome place to play VB on the sand.great beaches.variety of water boats but disgusting washrooms:)

We only went to the beach area which was amazing, nicely organized, clean, & was not crowd, next time we will try the hiking trails

This place is a scam! Don't go here. Just for a park you have to pay so much and the environment is disgusting because of the ducks. One time I went for a field trip with my school and the tourist who works there is really mean, annoying, and boring.that tourist doesnt care about safety and does whatever the hell he wants. I GOT LOST in the forest, and the teachers were looking for me for so many hours. Luckily I got found

WORST PLACE EVER.

Think Shades mills has taken the spot for our latest 'go-to' spot for a dip. Just enough beach space to have your own little patch of grass or sand and enough water space to do the aquatic back rollovers and fish dives galore. The trails in and around make for an adventurous entry and exit on bike or by foot. All around thankful this place is so local.

One of our fave spots to go as a family. Great way to spend the day in the summer, picnicking on the beach, canoeing on the lake, swimming. Also love the various kids day camps offered that really get kids out into nature! The new playground is a great addition as well. Cost is very reasonable for a family.