elora gorge conservation area

We went just for the tubing. Although it's expensive for a family of five, it's fun fun fun. No young kids, can be a wee bit hazardous.

I went tubing yesterday with my son & husband. Both my son & I lost our tube at the beginning of the river in the first rapids. I was terrified & so was my son (12 yrs old) .. I could not get my footing for 100 metres as I went tumbling down the rapids without my tube .. all I could hear was my son screaming for help. Today we are bruised from head to toe. Be very careful if you decide to do this.

If you want to rent a tube you have to show up at 8 am (the park opens at 9). We made the mistake of showing up at noon and all of the tubes were rented for the day. Tubes should have 2 hour maximum, but instead- you are allowed to rent them for the entire day- that is why they sell out by 9 am. One girl said she waited in line for 4 hours. We gave up on the line and went to the gorge which was packed but we swam- which was okay. We went back to the tubes at 5 pm, waited in line for an hour, and then finally got a tube. If you don't return it by 7 pm, they keep your deposit, so we had to rush the entire thing. We walked to the launch station in bare feet because the river is too rough to wear your flipflops (so wear watershoes). The walk was about 2 km on gravel and our feet were bleeding by the end. Then you walk another 2 km to return your tube. There is a shuttle bus but it fills up quick and you have to time your river ride perfectly to make the bus. Waste of $28 + $6 park admission.

Nice camp sites. Tubing down the river is a hidden gem not to be missed. Facilities are well kept and patrons are mostly families and couples. Clean wash rooms and warm water showers for $1. The only issue I have with this attraction is the fact that the rangers are generally young, power -tripping males. During our latest visit 4 of us (all mature adults) were constantly being "checked in on" during the evening with silly searches to enforce their "no alcohol" policy. Rude and unprofessional, I truly hope the park gets this last piece of their act.

Camping: We camped here in area F (site 396 specifically). Site was very small, there were some larger sites in the area, so make sure you pick an appropriate size. Campgrounds are nice and clean, Area F has a nice playground and field so if you have small kids, they will enjoy it. Only issue is the washroom set up is TERRIBLE. There was practically a line up at all times of the day. The washrooms in this area are individual male/female bathrooms. There's only 5 or 6 which made the wait very long, especially in the AM. I would suggest the other area's to camp in as they had proper separate washrooms for male and female. TIP: Avoid Area F. Gorge: We lined up for 1.5 hours (timed it) to get a couple tubes. Most tubes were very irregular so you would flip out easily depending on what you got. The river was very fun, we all had a blast. minor cuts and bruises, but what do you expect. It's a flowing river. My advise, buy your own tube from canadian tire or walmart etc, they go for $10 - $15. Renting one is $15. Buy your own life jacket, and bring your own bicycle helmet, or any helmet with a strap works (confirmed). You just need to pay $3 for the wrist band. We brought our own gear but some of our group had to rent. If you are worried about the rapids, skip the first one. The rest are easy.TIP: Bring a small paddle with leash to tie to your arm, some areas are very slow and a paddle came in handy .We also brought along and used a 1-person inflatable boat and a 6 person fishing raft. Each handled the river well, no issues. You can pretty much bring anything inflatable. One inconvenience was that we had a campsite in the middle. We basically had to leave a car at the end and have someone drop us off at the start. Unless you wanted to take the school bus (included). Tip: Book a campsite near the end or start of the river tubing so that you can walk the start or finish. Elora Quarry: We did hit up the elora quarry, its beautiful, nice scenery, tiny beach, Was crowded, neck to neck so we left. Lots of people jumping off the cliffs, was supervised with park ranger. Your camping pass gets you access to the other conservations so access here is included during your stay. Drive to here from Elora Gorge is about 7 minutesBelwood Conservation: We went here immeidately after elora quarry, this was another 11 minute drive from the quarry. It's a much larger lake, again access is included in your camp stay. We went kayaking here, launch points all around. Volleyball nets, clean bathrooms. Lots of picnic tables. The beach is even smaller than the quarry, looks man made, Water was brown, Wouldn't recommend the beach side. This is mainly for the lake, fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking etc. More tips:- There's a walmart 8 - 10 minutes from elora quarry, or elora gorge in case you forget anything (i forgot water shoes so we headed there to pick up some for $6, while you are there, might as well get a life jacket and helmet lol)- The town was a nice visit