Experiences, Highlights, Summer

Grand adventures in Elora & Fergus

Experience this!

Thrill Rides

Forget amusement parks, our thrill rides are the real deal and Mother Nature is in control. You’ll never get a better view of the Elora Gorge than from the waters of the Grand River, and you’ll never have more fun than doing so than on a big, bouncy inflatable inter-tube.

Choose your own adventure to suit your thrill tolerance. From the rush of water rapids in the echo of the Elora Gorge, to a more relaxed go-with-the-flow of a journey on the Grand River between Fergus and Elora, you’ve got options. And if you’ve got time, why not do both?


Tubing in the Elora Gorge Conservation Area

Tubing is fast, fun and unforgettable. Prepare to make a big splash and scream a little, (or a lot) on a self-guided journey that moves fast over rapids and slows down in the smooth warm pools between the limestone cliffs inside the Elora Gorge Conservation Park. There is no view like it.

Start your journey by renting your equipment at the launch point inside the Elora Gorge Conservation Area and launch yourself into the river rapids for a twisting, turning journey. You wanted adventure? You’ve found it. Book online at www.grandriver.ca 

Make a splash in the Elora Gorge Conservation Area! Photo by Bill Longshaw

Elora Rapids

Elora Rapids gives you two options to experience the Grand River. Book your inflatable tubes and gear online and then select the route best suited for you. If you’re up for the rush of river inside the Elora Gorge Conservation Area, you can rent your equipment from them and venture into the park’s tube launch site.

But if you want to a more relaxed river experience, with less bounce and more go-with-flow, tubing is equally as fun. Elora Rapids will send you down river, but first they’ll drop you off upstream. Their shuttle bus drop-off service will take you to launch point in downtown Fergus, where you and your friends will board your tubes and meander along the expanse of the Grand River in casual comfort, enjoying the views of the homes, greenspaces and surely some wildlife along the shorelines all the way to the Elora. You’ll get a rivers edge view of Fergus and Elora; a unique perspective for two distinctive towns.

Tubes and safety gear from Elora Rapid Rides
Submitted photo

Elora Raft Rides

Maybe you’d prefer to ride the rapids on a River Bug. Not an actual bug, of course. That would be silly. We mean a River Bug, from the Elora Raft Rides. River Bugs are a one-person catamaran raft that puts you in the driver’s seat right on top of the water for a journey of fun you won’t forget. Take the trip down the Grand River from Confederation Park in Fergus to Bissell Park in Elora to enjoy an experience that is better than smooth sailing and is sure to be a blast.

Admit it, you really want to tell your friends you’ve been on a River Bug. Yeah, you do. www.eloraraftrides.com


Elora Paddle Company

Paddlers know the pleasure that comes from exploring the beauty of the Grand River from the smooth glide of a canoe so close to the water that your sensory becomes one with nature. The rest of the world seems to fall away with the motion of the paddle stroke dipping into the shining water and the shared experience of maneuvering a canoe with your fellow adventurer. It’s a very Canadian thing to do.

Get close to nature with the Elora Paddle Company.
Photo by Devlin Macpherson

Don’t know how? No worries. There’s no experience necessary. The experienced team at Elora Paddle Company will suit you up and give you easy instructions to set your course on this gentle stretch of river. The 45-minute rental gives you a self-guided tour from the dock ideally located in the heart of Elora. From here you can set a course eastward to beautiful Bissell Park, where you can paddle up to be waterfall and tour past the natural beauty of rocks and find treasure in the fossils on the shoreline, or paddle west out to the centre of town get a view of the historic town from the water.

The Elora Paddle Company has created an authentic family-friendly Elora experience for those who know there is nothing like getting out on the water. Book your canoe online and get ready for fun. www.elorapaddlecompany.ca.


Elora Raft Rides

Sit back and let someone else navigate the waters, learn about local history, see the natural beauty of the area and tour the town from the waters of the Grand River with Elora Raft Rides. Their unique, locally-fabricated watercraft will take you and yours on a pleasure cruise in the comfort of their Classic Punts. They have so many cruising options we don’t have room to explain all the cool things you can do with Elora Raft Rides, so visit them at www.eloraraftrides.com and create a memorable experience all your own.

Riverbugs are river-friendly.
Photo by Bill Longshaw

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