Elora Gorge
- Food
- Elora, before or after
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday
Best season The authority's 2026 gorge season ended September 7. In October there is no tube to rent on that notice. High water closes it even in season. Read both the authority and Elora Rapids before you treat a date as current.
A small-town float on the Grand River, under limestone walls about 22 meters high. The conservation authority runs the gorge tubing. A second, local company posts a lazier valley float. Both published a 2026 season. Neither is a walk-up on the day.
Worth knowing
Water
The authority says tubing may close without notice, including when the river is over eight cubic meters per second, and that the level can rise fast after rain. Their graph is the Elora (West Montrose) trace on the Grand River Conservation Authority river-flows page. Eight cubic meters per second is their posted line, not a guess.
What to bring
An approved tube, a helmet with a chin strap, and a personal flotation device. You may bring them or rent the package. Footwear for the walk. A waiver online before you arrive. Hours on the 2026 notice were 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., last rental at 4 p.m., authority gear back by 7 p.m. The walk along the road is about 1.3 km each way.
The 2026 bill
The authority's 2026 fees page listed registration at $21.50 and a full rental package at $55.50, plus a separate gate fee and a $75 deposit. Elora Rapids listed its own equipment prices, including a lazy-float rental. Use the page for the company you booked. Next summer can change the numbers.
With kids. The gorge notice requires a helmet and a life jacket and a walk of about 1.3 km each way. It does not print a minimum age. This is rapids in a cliff, not a lazy pool. The valley lazy float is a different product from Elora Rapids. Read that page before you take a child.
With a group. Tickets are per person, online, and only up to three days ahead. Walk-up sales are not sold. A large party needs those tickets before it drives out.
The short version
The Grand River Conservation Authority says tubing at Elora Gorge Conservation Area opened June 26 and ran through September 7, 2026. Tickets are online only, up to three days ahead. Elora Rapids, a family company in town, posted gorge tubing from June 26, 2026, and a Grand River Valley lazy float from July 1, 2026. The lazy float is the closer match to a Phoenicia drift. The gorge itself is rapids between cliffs.
Food nearby
Elora, before or after
The rental is not a lunch counter. Eat in town.