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McNally1979
I had a groupon for this but didn't realize until later that it was for off peak season. I figured that I wouldn't find a date during September or October that would have good weather. Well, when I saw the forecast for Sept.27th (my bday) was going to be 25 and sunny I signed up.You go and register that you are there and they give each group a waterproof bag for your belongings. After registering, my son (6 year old) and I went back to the car to get changed and packed. Now this isn't one of my brighter moments, but I managed to lock my keys in the trunk after I finished getting ready. This put a sour taste in my mouth that I feared would last the whole excursion. NOT TO FEAR, Phil saved the day. Phil is one of the people who register you when you get there. He went above and beyond and actually use his CAA membership to have my keys freed. You have no idea how much that put a positive spin on the rest of the day. When we got back to the parking lot after the trip, my keys were waiting for me. Well done!The trip itself was great...about 2 hours depending on the weather how much paddling you do and height of the river. 25 is the perfect temperature for this, as there are some area's of the river that are slow and sheltered with no breeze...it got quite hot. Luke was our guide...been doing it for 3 years. He is very knowledgeable when it came to rafting and he also took us on a quick nature walk and showed us different plants and trees indigenous to the area. Pretty cool. We also hit a fresh water springs that was very cold and filled up our water bottles...very nice.All in all, great time, the people on the raft I didn't know but made it that much better. recommended for anyone. My son now wants to do the same thing but with more rapids...when there were no rapids, he was a little bored.
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CharloToronto
We rented 2 stand up paddle boards and a tube for our 6 year old with a kayak paddle for him. We all had such a wonderful time. Our water boards just went with the flow of the river, but we could also actively paddle and try standing up during the faster parts of the river to keep it interesting. There is an abandoned small mine along the way as a stop, as well as some charming places to stop and picnic. It was enchanting time, and felt so peaceful. After leaving the grand, we felt like we'd taken a week off.The bird life is wonderful and we saw dappled baby deer with their mother.The paddle boards aren't snazzy - they are serviceable ones meant for a rental company. But we had an absolute blast on them as you could sit, kneel and stand which made for variety. We fell in lots as well. It rained at one point - it made it even more fun to deal with that.Great experience! And grand river staff and owners are great to deal with - knowledgeable, friendly folk.
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greyrose58
Being new to rafting, we opted for the Cayuga Guided Tour rental. The check in was easy to find and they were friendly, quick and accommodating. We walked the block and a half to the dam area where we were efficiently taken care of. Our guide for the day, a great fellow named Nick, took us through the necessary lessons of how to paddle, how to stay safe and what to do in an emergency. We then boarded our raft and had a delightful day on the Grand River. The run was easy with a few little rapids and was great fun for all from age 5 to 62. Our guide was knowledgable and told us about the area and wildlife and vegetation. Thanks Nick for making our outing a great one.
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Garrett1985
I had the opportunity to tube down the grand river with my work colleagues this summer. What an amazing experience! Not only was it fun & relaxing to drift down stream with our staff, but it was filled breathtaking views of the grand river valley! The staff at Grand River Rafting was very personable, helpful and safety was their number one concern at all times. While on tour our guide taught us all about the unique flora and fauna along the banks and pointed out a number of historical landmarks that you can only see whilst on the river (my favourite was the cave).I highly recommend this experience for anyone looking for a relaxing adventure! Good for all ages, family/friends and for all levels of experience!
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ZurichPizazz
I had a guest from Europe that was looking to experience something outdoors and typically Canadian. Given that we don't own a cottage I was more limited in my choices. This was the perfect activity. We went canoeing on the Grand (Cayuga trail) and it was quite fun. I was alone with 2 teen girls and I managed but a word of caution; if you have never canoed, be careful especially at the start where there is much current. I had experience canoeing on a lake, not in current. Within 2 minutes of our departure we had overturned the canoe! Thankfully, we were close to shore and the water was not deep. Still, it gave me a little scare. The rest of the trip, once I got re-acquainted with handling a canoe, we smooth sailing… :-)
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6SarahL6
I myself checked the trip advisor reviews before booking to see what people were sayin facebook about their experiences. So I wanted to give my two cents to help the next person looking for an outdoor experience. Pros:- able to call and make reservations day of for canoe rental- owner was very informative and helpful on check-in- check in and water edge to get into canoe was a simple 1-1/2 blocks away. Could drive to this location or walk- easy to get into canoe with help from employee. This is key if you are a bit older, it's a bit of a steep hill down but is very doable. - overall route was easy and relaxing, def not for the experienced, but perfect for beginners- given water and a dry bag for personal items and snacks. Extremely handy - cute places to stop along the way- natural springs, a mine, picnic, washrooms and body surfing area- easy docking at end of course with a shuttle back to carCons:- the map given is incredibly difficult to understand once you are out on the water (I would recommend audio recordings what guide tells u about map when you sign in. So you can replay it to yourself) otherwise a map update would be the perfect solution- wait time for signing in was quite long due to it being a busy holiday- hard to find all the sites to see once on water due to the hard to read map- shuttle is every 50 mins, if you missed the shuttle. The wait time would not be nice as there isn't much to see or do at exit location
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67kendac
It was the first time we had tried a canoe experience like this, and we had a GREAT time! There was a bit of a wait to check in when we arrived to pay. They were very busy. The gentleman who checked us in was the owner, and was friendly, and knowledgeable. After going through the map/course with us, we were given a dry bag to put our gear in, and we walked a block and a half to the water. We tracked down a staff member to help get us set up with our equipment. We had so much fun canoeing down the mapped river. I do have to say however, the map really needs updating. Some things we couldn't clearly recall from the verbal overview at check it and they really weren't clearly marked on the map, so we missed some things we really wanted to see. I'd suggest a new, clear map, with all the key points numbered perhaps, with a legend, so that you can easily find the points on the map. We all looked at it and had the same issue, and when we finished the other canoe with three customers had some of the same problems.Aside from our evident lack of skill steering the canoe while paddling, we did get the hang of it a as we went on our trek. We had a lot of laughs, got splashed and wet, saw blue herons along the waters edge....we stayed cool and enjoyed ourselves on what would have been a very hot day. When we arrived at the final destination it happened that the van was there to take us, and the other three customers back, within about 10 minutes of having arrived. We were told when we checked in that the shuttle was every 50 minutes. I would not have been so happy to have just missed the shuttle and had a long wait, so I was thankful the timing worked out so nicely. You will need a cell phone to call the office when you get to the marked location on the map, so that they know that you will be finished within 1/2 an hour. I had mine in a waterproof phone bag that I brought with me, and hung around my neck. All of our belongings stayed dry in the dry bag they provided which was very roomy. There will be picnic areas you can stop and eat at, or, if you get beached on the rocks in the middle of the river like we did, you can stop and have your snack there! :)The price was very reasonable for the 3 hours we got to spend out on the water. Highly recommended!
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MonaA928
Was a bit worried - had never kayaked before but our guide / teacher Laurel was excellent - she patiently showed us the ropes, answered all of our questions and took us on the most amazing adventure down the Grand River - thanks so much - I will be back
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mhill77
This was a spur of the moment idea for my wife's birthday. With only two days to set up a booking, everything went smoothly. Booking was made via email and it was very convenient.We were doing the tubing adventure on the Grand River.On the day of the tour, we showed up at the specified location and Garth and his crew were there waiting with all the supplies needed. Maps were provided along with a large dry bag and of course life jackets. The flow of the river itself was very relaxed, we were told there was no rush to finish, go at our own pace. Once at our finish point, after a phone call was placed, we were picked up for a drive back to our starting point. We were picked up by the owner, Garth, and were treated to some history of the company and all the great work he does with the native youth community. He also treated us to an edible wild flower, a native of broccoli family, an added bonus to the experience. We will definitely be coming back, hopefully before this summer ends.
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Kennington_High_St
This was our first time having a try at the kayak. We wanted to make sure that we had some instruction and thought that a guided tour might be also nice. So glad that we chose to do a guided tour with instruction. Our guide ROXANE was fantastic. Personable, knowledgeable and professional, she made our day on the river a lot of fun. After a thorough briefing on kayaking basics, we headed out onto the water. There were so many "hidden treasures" along the Grand that we had never heard of before. Fresh cool spring water anyone? Secret gypsum mine to explore? Tiny little islands to kayak around? Yes! Roxane also pointed out some of the flora and fauna along the river that we never took the time to learn about ourselves :-) Kayaking was a great choice for us because it allowed us to get very close to the water. Sitting lower, we felt much more connected to the water, and had a great deal of control over the watercraft. Paddling the kayak was not as difficult as it looked. This might also have been due to the faster river current (it had rained quite a bit in the days prior to our trip), so we were able to coast for a bit.Since we had put our cameras in our dry bag, Roxane was kind and took pictures of us with her own camera. She also provided some essentials for us that we had forgotten for our trip. So thoughtful!! She was careful to make sure that we ended the tour at the time requested (though secretly, I was sad that the trip was over; we were having such a good time!) She took care of us right up until we boarded a car to go back to the launch point. I would highly recommend a tour w/ Roxane. You won't be disappointed. We will definitely do this again - next time, with the kids!
