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River

Grand River

Class

Ramp

Size

Medium

Visitability

Outstanding

Accessibility

Free

Activity

Busy

Walk Time

5min

Trail

Wheelchair Accessible

Gorge Access

Difficult

Other Trails

Lots

County

Wellington

From Hwy 401, exit on to Hwy 6 north which is also known as the Hanlon Expressway. This semi-freeway speeds you past most of the town of Guelph. At the end of "the Hanlon, turn right onto Hwy 7, and watch for the signs pointing to the continuation of Hwy 6 north. Turn left on to Hwy 6, and watch for a sign leading to Elora on the left side of the highway. Turn left onto Wellingon # 7, and drive for about 10-15 minutes through the countryside. Upon reaching the village, you will need to make a right turn on a "diagonal" road that leads to "downtown" - watch for signs to the shopping section (turn right on to McNab street, and then left on Metcalfe St.). You have two options to park. If it is a busy summer weekend, park in the public lot located on the left side of Metcalfe St. before you cross the bridge over the Grand River. Follow the footbridge across to the main shopping street in Elora (Mill St.). If it isn't a very busy day, you should be able to find parking on Mill St (first left after crossing the bridge) or the adjacent side roads.

Once you have found Mill St., follow it past the old Mill Inn to the end. There is a lookout platform (closed in winter) that overlooks the cataract.

Settlement

Elora

NTS Map

40 P/9

Easting

545837

Northing

4836544

UTM Zone

The town of Elora and its gorge has long been a busy spot for summer day-tourists, and for good reason: This isn't the sort of landscape one expects to encounter in the middle of agricultural Ontario. While the falls and a fair portion of the gorge is on public land, much of the lower gorge is administered by the Grand River Conservation authority as part of the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. A self-pay kiosk is situated at the eastern edge of the park, immediately under the bridge. You can also access the park by its primary entrance south of the village on Wellington regional road 21.

While the falls and gorge are no doubt the main attraction for someone like you, the "quaintness" of the town makes this a great trip for non-waterfall-freaks too. Numerous trails lead along the upper lip of most of the gorge. You can access water level in certain locations, and can explore much of the gorge bottom, providing the water flow is low enough. A second gorge created by the much smaller Irvine creek meets the main gorge cut by the Grand River, and is easily explored by even the casual hiker.

For all its popularity, you'd think that this park/village would be better signed. In fact, it is difficult to find even one sign exclaiming "to the falls" or "access to gorge, etc. I suppose that discovering the secrets of the gorge area for yourself is part of the allure, but it is quite possible to miss a lot of the attractions of this park unless you know where they are. Here are two walks that you shouldn't miss:

1. The "Factory Route": For a different view of the falls, cross the foot bridge over the Grand river from Mill St. You will have to walk through the parking lot, turn right, and walk along the short street through Elora's old industrial section (pass about 2 or 3 buildings). There is an access point past one of the buildings on the right. You will see the river and possibly a few parked cars. Walk towards the river and watch for the trail leading behind the factory. This is a dirt trail that is well maintained, although there may be a few slippery, rocky sections during wet periods. This trail eventually morphs into the main trail that follows the upper rim of the gorge (about a 2 hr return trip). You can walk for about 200m before entering Conservation area property. The self-pay kiosk is located immediately after passing under the road bridge.

2. Lover's leap overlook and the Irvine Gorge. To access these locations, walk up the steep residential street (Price Street) that runs perpendicular to Mill St (downtown). Upon passing the stone fence (about 100-200m), look for the short dead end street leading off to the left. The trail to the these two sites starts at the end of this street. Stay to the left and you will eventually arrive at the Lover's Leap overlook, which provides a view of both the Grand (to your left) and Irvine (to your right) gorges. The main gorge is noticeably wider at this location, and is locally referred to as "The Cove". To find the Irvine Gorge access, return to the main trail, and walk along the gorge until you come to a staircase. Closed during the winter, this staircase leads to the bottom of the Irvine Creek gorge. Flows are typically very low here during the summer, and it is quite easy to walk along the gorge bottom (maximum water depth about 5-15cm). There are some very small caves that can be explored on the far side of this gorge. You can access the main gorge by walking downstream from this location. Your progress into the main gorge at this location is limited however, by higher water and the lack of a continuous dry rock ledge.

Finally, an excellent review of the physical landscape of the Elora gorge is presented by Ken Hewitt who was a professor of mine during my days at Wilfrid Laurier University. His book "Elora Gorge. A Visitors Guide" is available at many local and larger chain bookstores in southern Ontario. Dr. Hewitt presents much about the palaeozoic geology, quaternary geology, hydrology and human heritage of the Elora gorge area. There are even detailed field trip notes for 29 sites within the site.