WAYPOINT
INTERVAL

DISTANCE
km

WAYPOINT-TO-WAYPOINT TRAIL DESCRIPTION

001 - 002

0.6

To begin the Elora Gorge hike, especially if it isn't a busy day at the Elora Gorge, you should be able to park in the main shopping street in Elora (Mill St) . On busy days you can park in the lot on Ross St which leads off to the left just before you cross the bridge over the river. In the middle of the quaint shops is a rest/observation area where the hike begins. At the foot of Mill Street stands the Elora Mill , one of the few early Ontario five-storey grist mills still in existence. It now serves as an upscale inn and two restaurants. You can follow Mill Street past the Old Mill Inn to the end where there is a lookout platform (closed in winter) that provides a good view of the cataract below. Return and head uphill on Price Street. Near the top, turn left and enter a park like area where you will see the black chain link fence. You will be following this fence for most of the hike. Soon you will arrive at a stone platform with steps leading down to a small lookout area (002). This is known as Lover's Leap , a legendary spot where an aboriginal princess is said to have jumped to her death when she found out her beloved had been killed in battle. This lookout provides an excellent view of both the Grand (on the left) and the Irvine (on the right) gorges and the Irvine River below. The main gorge is wider at this point and is locally known as 'The Cove'.

002 - 003

0.8

Leaving Lover's Leap, continue along the fence line where the "trail" arrives at a set of stone steps with railing allowing you to descend to the river below. Note that is staircase is closed in the winter months. Once down the steps you can easily get to the river edge and walk along the edge with some rock scrambling. Water flows are typically very low in the summer so it is easy to walk along the gorge bottom. You can go almost up to the David St bridge (and perhaps further) and return on a higher route underneath the rock overhang where you will see a small cave. Across the gorge you will see a number of caves from large to small in size. You can also walk downstream towards the main gorge but you can only go so far due to the absence of a continuous dry rock ledge. When you've had enough exploring this area, climb back up the staircase (003).

003 - X-info

2.0

Continue along the fence to David St. and cross the bridge over the gorge. Immediately past the bridge turn left and walk along the gorge barrier that leads behind the Elora Arena. At a Y-intersection, take the upper path which arrives at an underpass under Wellington 7 Road. Continue along this trail beside the black chain link fence until you meet a high chain link fence with a whole section cut out. Pass through this fence and continue trough the cedar woods along the black fence along the gorge for about 200 m. Now comes the tricky part. On the trail map, you can see a spot marked X-Info but you will see no evidence of this on the trail. On the trail map you will notice a stream shown in blue a bit past the Info X mark. This progressively cuts a deeper and deeper gorge as it flows into The Grand River. If you keep along the black fence line you cannot easily pass over this gorge. So around the X-Info spot you need to move to the right and cross over this gully while it is very small. The X-spot is about 350 m from the Wellington 7 Road and perhaps 200 m past the chain link fence with the hole cut in it. (X-Info). Once over the gully continue along its far edge.

X-info - 004

2.7

There is a gorge caution sign on the fence near here but don't worry if you can't find this exact spot. You just need to get across anywhere and follow along the far side of the gully. This will lead you into an open area with a road that goes uphill and onto a conservation park road. Keep to the left on this road. The road will curve down so that you can view the High Bridge over the gorge (004). You will later come back to this same bridge on the return on the other side of the gorge.

004 - 005

4.8

Walk back up to the road and turn left along the park road. You could continue on this road but it's more interesting again to follow the black chain link fence. There is no well defined path but the whole area is filled with cedar trees and park picnic tables. Eventually you will come to a small creek that flows over the edge of the cliffs to form a waterfall. While you can't see the waterfall from this side of the gorge, you will have a good view hiking along the far side. At one point the woods changes dramatically into brush and deciduous trees so you will have to get back to the road. Along the road you will see numerous numbered campsites. When the cedar woods reappears, you can leave the road for the black fence once again if you wish. The park road curves left. If ever in doubt on this hike, keep to the black fence. Soon an intersection appears where the road swings down to a concrete Low-Level Bridge crossing over the Grand River. In early Spring with the snow melt, the bridge may be underwater requiring you to remove your boots to cross (005).

005 - 006

6.1

Once across the bridge, climb the slope and continue along the black fence. You will come to an opening in the fence where you may descend and walk closer to the Grand River. I have not investigated this but I assume you can get back up at (006) . The fence ends and an inner fence can be seen closer to the gorge in some areas. Soon you will hear the waterfalls across the gorge. Here it is relatively easy to descend to view the falls close up from the river edge. You can also explore the area a bit to your right along the river edge but you need to return to the falls area to climb back up as the cliff walls soon become very high and steep. (006)

006 - 007

7.5

Continuing along the fence, there are a number of picnic tables as the fence line comes close to a park road. There is a stream to cross. if the stream is full of water you can use the road to get around it. Soon the trail crosses a plank bridge (007).

007 - 004

7.9

The trail continues to follow the black fence until it arrives back at High Bridge (004).

004 - 008

8.4

There are some good lookouts along this area as the trail follows the gorge edge with some of the black fence replaced by stone edging. There are great views of the turbulent water below and firemen from across Canada and the USA often practice live saving skills in these rapids. Soon a metal staircase leads down to the turbulent waters of the gorge below. This is a good spot for photographs. (008)

008 - 009

8.8

The trail swings away from the gorge edge a bit and returns near a staircase on your right which looks like a large hole. In fact his is known as the Hole in the Wall. A set of steps leads down through the hole and out the other side to a platform. You can walk down further around this fenced-in area.

009 - 001

Leaving the Hole in the Wall , the trail leads back to once again pass under the Wellington 7 Road although this time on the other side of the gorge. There are some great views of the falls and the rapids (marked as red lines on the trail map). Picturesque views of the historic buildings on Mill Street come into view. The trail passes an old ruin with one tall stone wall still standing and comes out to a parking lot behind the now closed Little Folks Furniture building with the tall stone tower. Passing this part of Elora's old industrial area on Ross Street, the trail turns left and crosses over the Metcalfe St. bridge. Across the bridge, a right turn takes you back to the shops on Mill Street and the observation area where the hike began (001). There is an ice cream store across the street.

Enjoy the hike and the day!