Outdoor Experiences

Elora Cataract Trailway
Elora Gorge Conservation Area
Friends of the Grand
Highland Pines Campground
Historic Walking Tours
One Axe Pursuits
The Butter Tart Trail
Wilson's

Visitor Information

Elora Fergus Tourism

A river runs through it

The scenery is beyond compare. The eons-old limestone cliffs rising from the riverbed at times take your breath away. Here flows Ontario’s great Heritage River: The Grand.

Imagine drifting on a tube on a hot summer’s day, looking at those cliffs from the bottom up—a wholly different view. Consider the ballet of fly fishing in its quiet stretches, matching wits with some of the wiliest and finest brown trout in one of Canada’s premier fly fishing destinations. Or the immense power of the river in the spring and fall, when levels rise and the crescendo at Templin Gardens, the Tooth of Time or Lake Belwood dam is almost deafening.

The wonder of nature as exemplified by the upper Grand River runs through the centres of both towns, and offers a diverse range of adventures, explorations and activities. The famed Elora Gorge is accessible from within scenic Victoria Park in Elora, and via the expansive Elora Conservation Area just downstream.

Here you can test your kayaking skills, or make arrangements to learn. For a more relaxed water adventure, enjoy a leisurely float through the Gorge in an inner tube and see centuries of nature’s work undisturbed and up-close. Or experience the thrill of ziplining 200 feet from cliff to cliff, 80 feet above the riverbank. You can walk or bike on the scenic Elora Cataract Trailway—a 47-kilometre trail that connects Elora to Belwood Lake, the Forks of the Credit, and points beyond. Don’t forget your camera.

Fly Fishing

The Grand River has become one of Canada’s premier fly fishing destinations. Fly fishers from Europe to California and all points in between come to Fergus and Elora for the experience. Part of the allure is that the River has many faces—from the flat, easy-wading limestone section between Belwood and Fergus, to the escarpment between Fergus and Elora where cliffs tower 60 feet above you with barely a sign of civilization, to the downstream sections, where the river weaves through meadows and cedar bush. There’s no need to hurry though; the fish aren’t going anywhere. Fishing on this stretch is strictly catch-and-release. Bring a camera.