Elora, a small town in Ontario where you can spend one or more days. We spent a weekend there and it was glorious ! I spent quite sometime planning for this trip as it was especially planned for Mohamed's birthday (my husband) and I wanted to make it as perfect as possible.
Elora Gorge Conservation Area
We drove from Toronto directly to the Elora Gorge Conservation area. There is only one main, easy to hike 2-km trail. We enjoyed the views of the Elora gorge from several points along that trail and the whole trail took 1 hour.
The hole in the rock. An interesting stop to explore along the trail.
The Unique tree at the bottom of the stairs in the hole in the rock. It is a huge tree coming out of a rock with all its roots exposed.
The bridge at the end of the trail.
Now it was time to go back to the parking lot and embark on our next adventure. P.S. there was a paved trail after the bridge, but it did not seem interesting, it is basically a paved road passing by several camping site.
Tubing in the Grand River
You might find mixed reviews about tubing here like we did, but I highly recommend that you at least try IT once. We did it, and we certainly ENJOYED it ! It took us about one hour to reach the exist, and do not worry you cannot miss the exist. There are few steep rapids at the beginning but the rest of it is mostly like a lazy river and we really enjoyed the scenery while relaxing in the water.
Some tips: You can rent the tubes from the conservation area itself or from Elora rapids. We did the latter but when I went to the park I did not really find a huge difference. The only difference is that the tubes in Elora rapids have bottoms, while the ones from the park are bottom less so you will be more exposed to the water, which is a good thing in my opinion.
When you arrive to the exist, you have to walk back to either the parking lot or the tubing launch if you want to go again, which is about a 2 km walk. Some people do complain about the fact that you have to walk back but I honestly did not find it that bad, We did the tubing twice and we deflated the tubes on our way back the second time to make it lighter. My main advice here, make sure you read the instructions by the park before you reserve your tickets to make sure this is the right activity for you.
Checking in at the BEST place in Elora
We then went to check in the Cheshire cat B&B. A perfect place with spacious, clean, and comfortable rooms. If you are going to Elora, definitely book your stay there.
Elora Quarry Conservation Area
Swimming in the quarry was nice with a fabulous view. We stayed there for about one hour. There is really nothing much to do there other than swimming in a fairly small beach.
Bissel Park
This is a small park on the way from downtown to the quarry. We walked through it when we were walking from the B&B to the quarry and it was an extremely nice walk. It has a boardwalk on the river and nice scenery around.
Dinner
Book in advance ! Almost every nice restaurant, especially the patios, in town was already booked for Saturday night when we arrived there.
Victoria Park
On the next day, we checked out Victoria park which was a pretty interesting place. It has the best views of the gorge and there are even stairs that takes you down to the river itself. You can also park your car for free in the street beside the park entrance. Here you can also see the Elora Falls and the Tooth of time.
Downtown Elora
Downtown Elora is just astonishing. From the small shops, to the colorful doors and the nice patios all around you will just enjoy taking a walk there. For grasping the full beauty of Elora's downtown, walk along the Metcalfe st south from Henderson St to Mill st then walk west on Mill st. to the Elora Mill Hotel. On the Mill St. check our the green space and Elora Mews. Also make sure you stop at the d0wntown bridge on the other side of Elora Mews for great views.
Advice: Get some fresh and mouthwatering bakeries from E&G bakery, you won't regret it.
Bellwood Conservation Area
Bellwood conservation area is not exactly in Elora, but it is a 15 mins drive from it and we decided to spend the rest of Sunday in it. It is a huge park with a beach, a dam, hiking trails, volley ball nets and amazing sceneries. If you are planning to go to Belwood's conservation area, check out its complete guide here.
I hope you enjoy Elora as much as we did. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me in the comments below.
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