Tubing the Grand River — Fergus & Elora

The Fergus–Elora stretch of the Grand River is one of the best tubing runs in Ontario, and the reason is that it’s really two different days out. You can ride rapids through a limestone gorge, or you can drift for three hours and barely move a muscle.

Option 1 — The Elora Gorge, for the rapids

About 2 km through the gorge, under 22-metre limestone cliffs, over several Class I–II rapids and standing waves. You will get splashed, and coming out of your tube in the bigger sets is common rather than unusual. You should be a competent swimmer.

2026 season: 26 June to 7 September. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with last registration and equipment rental at 4 p.m. sharp.

	Cost
Registration only, bringing your own approved gear	$21.50
Full package — tube, PFD and helmet	$55.50
Equipment security deposit	$75 (refunded)
Conservation area admission	Extra, paid at the gate

Everyone must wear a helmet with a chin strap and a PFD. No exceptions, whether you rent or bring your own.

Three things that catch people out:

• Tickets are online only, bookable up to three days ahead. There are no walk-up sales — turning up hoping to buy at the gate doesn’t work.
• The shuttle bus no longer operates. That means roughly 1.3 km of walking each way along the roadway, before and after the run. Wear footwear you can walk in.
• The GRCA closes tubing after heavy rain, when flows exceed their safety threshold. Check the day you go.

Option 2 — The Fergus to Elora float, for the day

This is the one most locals actually prefer, and if we had a single free afternoon it’s the one we’d take.

Instead of the gorge, you float the calmer water between Fergus and Elora: slow current, overhanging trees, wildlife, swimming holes, gravel bars, and the occasional shallow patch where you’ll stand up and walk a few metres. Two to four hours depending on water levels and how often you stop.

You get the same scenery. You just get hours of it instead of a short, loud burst.

Where people put in

Commonly used community routes include Gow Park in Fergus down to the Aboyne/trestle bridge, the Fergus Legion area to the museum/Elora, and the Blair Street area downstream toward Elora.

Treat these as starting points for your own research rather than official access points. They’re what locals use, but conditions and river levels vary, parking isn’t guaranteed, and riverbanks aren’t all public. Check access before you commit to a plan.

What you actually need

• A heavy-duty river tube — not a cheap pool float, which will not survive a gravel bar
• A Type III PFD
• Water shoes — old runners or secure sandals, never flip-flops
• A dry bag and a waterproof phone pouch
• Rope for carrying tubes only. Never tie tubes together in moving water — that’s how a manageable situation becomes a dangerous one

If you’re going more than once, experienced tubers will tell you to buy a decent tube rather than rent.

Renting

Elora Rapids Inc. is the best-known independent outfitter — tubes, PFDs, helmets and a shuttle. Their Grand River Valley Lazy Float is the calm Fergus-to-Elora style trip rather than the gorge, at around $45 with equipment and shuttle. (226) 962-2301.

Which one?

Take the gorge if you want rapids, cliffs, adrenaline, and an organised experience with a crowd.

Take the Fergus float if you want to relax, bring kids, take photographs, watch wildlife, avoid crowds, and spend real time on the river.

When to go

Late June through August is the season. The best conditions come after a few dry days.

After heavy rain the current runs much faster, the water turns murky, and gorge tubing may be closed outright.

Worth knowing before you launch

• Start before 11 a.m. on weekends. It gets busy.
• Sunscreen before you launch, not after. You’ll be on reflective water for hours.
• Keys and phones go in waterproof pouches, not pockets.
• Small floating coolers are for calm sections only — never through rapids.
• Ontario’s open-container laws apply on the river the same as anywhere else in public, and alcohol and moving water are a genuinely bad combination. Bring water instead.