Just checked another item off our bucket list - tubing the Elora Gorge.
Jeff's brother Kenny, joined us on this adventure. Read on for details about our day and some ideas on what to do in the area. We reserved in advance and picked up our equipment (tube, life jacket, and helmets) from Elora Rapids, which operates from the parking lot of the Elements Casino. More details on pricing, etc. below ... (Jeff and I used our own life j We then drove to the Elora Gorge Conservation area. It'a a 4 min drive to the Registration Area. Lots of parking, picnic tables & washrooms. There's even a trailer with food (hot dogs, burgers, fries, etc.) and more importantly, ice cream :) NOTE: you can also rent tubing equipment here ... more details below
You have to walk to the launch, but some people drove and dropped off their group (no parking available @ the launch) - especially families with small children.
The walk to the launch is just over 1 km. It's well marked, just follow the signs and yellow feet. You go over a bridge where you can watch other tubers float by. Then, go up a pretty steep hill. At the end, there are stairs down to the river.
There are washrooms and water spouts (drinkable) along the way - for the campsites, but not all were being used. We didn't take any water with us on the 1st run as there's nowhere to put it in the tube. If you have a water bottle with a lanyard, this would help secure it to the tube. (TIP)
The Launch:
This is the roughest part of the rapids. There's a security guard there and he was nice enough to tell us that if we didn't want to flip, we should go in at the bottom of the rapids, which we did! (TIP) We didn't see anyone go in from the top.
Here's a video of our 1st launch:
Run #1 - there are fast and slow parts of the river. Sometimes, we got stuck on rocks. Suggest that you try to stay in the middle of the river, but mostly just go with the flow :)
There is a stunning waterfalls about 1/2 way down (on the right) and a rope to swing from the rocks on the left during one of the slower parts. There's a long chain with yellow buoys at the end of the run. Water is a bit fast and rocks slippery - we let ourselves hit the buoy and pulled across the chain to the shore. Or, you can just get up and walk out - whatever feels safer. Timing: 1 hr (on river)
Run #2: You can do the rapids as many times as you want. We were pretty tired after the 2nd run, but glad we did it. Apparently, the record is 5 runs in one day. Wow! Only Jeff flipped off his tube, during the 2nd run. Overall, it was safe & fun.
Timing: 1 hr 10 mins (on river)
If you going to do this multiple times, we suggest you deflate the tube to walk back to the Registration area and re-inflate it there. Makes it a little easier to carry.
When you get out of the river, you can go Right to the Launch or Left to the Registration/Parking Area. From the map, the Left route (via parking area) is shorter - according to our tracker it's 1.42 km.
pic #1 is the distance from the parking area to the launch 1.18 km
pic #2 is the distance from the end of the rapids back to the parking area
Good things to know:
We booked with Elora Rapids They have 2 options: The Rapids ($35*) or The Lazy Float ($45) We choose The Rapids because it has multiple rapids and we could go more than once - we did 2 runs.
PROs:
- tube (red) has a bottom (vs open) - we were VERY happy about this in the shallower parts of the river
- can book more than 3 days in advance
CONs: you have to deflate the tube (unless you have a truck) to go into the Park, but they give you a pump which inflates each tube in about 45 secs
Note: *The Rapids - Park admission is not included in your tubing ticket purchase, and must be paid upon entry to the park - $7.50 entry fee + $20 tubing registration fee = $62.50 total per person There are no additional fees for The Lazy Float You can also rent equipment from the Grand River Conversation Authority Complete equipment rental package (includes registration fee) $50 p/p incl tax + $7.50 park entrance fee = $57.50 total per person Tubing operates daily, when conditions allow, from June 22 to Sep 7, 2021 - from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the last equipment rental out at 4 p.m. No walk up sales of tubing tickets or equipment rentals are available. Tickets for tubing and equipment rentals must be purchased online and in advance and can be purchased up to 3 days in advance. There's a good comparison of the two options in this link
Other things to do:
- Swimming @ the Elora Quarry
- Visiting the village of Elora. There are so many amazing little shops, restaurants and bars here. We need to go back and spend more time exploring. Here's a couple pics to inspire you to visit...
There's so much to see and do, we'll probably stay overnight.
Check out this place -> Inner Joy Getaways "Our property is a one of a kind experience. Our self-catering suites are re-purposed shipping containers turned into beautiful suites. Enjoy a sunset over the Grand River in your private spa.
Each suite has its own private patio complete with a Sundance spa hot tub, BBQ, & bistro set. Enter each suite to a tastefully decorated living space. Enjoy a glass of wine while watching a sunset over the Grand River a home away from home."
Hope this inspires you to go out and explore.
Until next time, Diana & Jeffy #adventureswithDianaandJeff #innerjoygetaways #elora #elorarapids #eloragorge
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