Rockwood Conservation Area

Absolutely gorgeous!! 😍 I had no idea this place existed! It looks like a place from Northern Ontario. It is spectacularly beautiful with interesting rock formations, a cave, falls, trees! They have paths for you to walk on, or you can swim at the beach. They have mini golf and a playground. Some people go canoeing or kayaking. We loved climbing into the cave! Food: Yes, there is a food truck that sells ice cream and drinks (water, etc). See my pics. Washrooms: Yes, at the beach and also portable toilets along the trail. Water bottle filling station: No, but they did have a food truck selling water bottles. Wheelchair accessibility: The beach is wheelchair accessible with a ramp, but the trails are not. See the steps in my pic.

We just spent 5 days camping with friends. Clean and quiet this time of year. We enjoyed hiking to the caves and around the old Mill and really enjoyed kayaking the calm beautiful water. Just a little over an hour to putter the nooks and crannies but so good for your soul!

Great spot for both hiking and kayaking. I've visited several times for kayaking, and it never gets old. The combination of rocks and water always gives it a fresh, uncharted feel. (August)

Rockwood Conservation Area, located just outside Toronto, is a hidden gem that offers an extraordinary blend of natural beauty and recreational activities. This stunning park is a haven for nature lovers, featuring majestic limestone cliffs, caves, and glacial potholes that captivate visitors with their ancient charm. The lush forests and serene river create an idyllic setting for hiking, canoeing, and photography. The well-maintained trails are suitable for all ages and provide breathtaking views at every turn. Camping at Rockwood is a treat, with spacious sites that offer privacy and a peaceful atmosphere. The staff is friendly and ensures that the park remains clean and safe for everyone. Families, in particular, will love the swimming area, complete with a sandy beach perfect for a relaxing day by the water. Whether you’re looking for a day trip or a weekend getaway, Rockwood Conservation Area delivers an unforgettable experience. It’s a perfect escape from the city’s hustle and a place where nature’s beauty truly shines.

I must say it was a bit of a let down. Elora is a beautiful town. The gorge and natural surroundings are impressive. So to drive 30 minutes from Elora to get to this beach, I had expectations. It's a small beach on a small artificial bay created by a dam. It has great facilities and parking. And because we camped at the Elora Gorge Conservation Area we didn't have to pay to access this beach. That was a good thing. It's a good day beach for small kids.

We had a great day experience. We have been there on a Long Weekend. I love the grounds. Very well kept. A great family environment. The park was not very crowded, there was grass everywhere even near the beach, the beach was well maintained with adequate amount of sand. For those who like to hike, there are plenty of options to walk around the lake. This park is much better maintained. We rented Canoe and it was an awesome experience. You have Plenty of space for Kayaking. From Hiking, Canoeing, Fishing & Picnic setups this park will not disappoint you.

Beautiful and quite easy trail. (We were with small kids so we went to the mill ruins, but then decided to go around and visit the lookout - worth it!!). There are a picturesque mill ruins, the dam with kind of waterfall, cave. A lot of parking places, small beach, picnik area with bbq, drinking water and toilets. Ps From the official site: The conservation area charges an admission fee. 2024 Fees Preschool (3 and under): Free Child (4-12): $3.75 Adult (13-64): $8.50 Seniors (65+)/ People with disabilities $6.75

A great fun weekend spot for spending the whole day with family and friends. The beach is small, but amazing place to take a dip or rent a canoe or kayak. The rental reasonably low priced and get that experience of canoeing right beside the ducks in the lake. Take the short hikes and the lookout point is worth it.

I visited the Rockwood Conservation with the Toyota funded GRCA annual pass made available and free at the library. This conservation is roughly $7 at admission, but free for a vehicle full if you have the annual pass. The hiking trail features trees and trekked paths near the water over the glacial deposits. You can even walk by the water. The access for boat is very easy to get to, there is a parking lot nearby. The boating looks fun as there are mini lagoon like areas and even caves to explore, reminds me of a lagoon theme park. By the way for the non hikers there is a putting green at the entrance, price is for adult and child but there are leaves and debris and it's full sun. Definitely worth checking out. The GRCA charges for admission because it is not funded by tax payers.

Just wanted to add that the town has a 40km/h speed trap, so drive slow when passing through!

Loved this place!! A perfect getaway from the city - Hiking, kayaking , caves, ruins and a beach. Parking is $6.64 per adult for 2 days and that's the minimum, even though we went for the day but the price is fair. The ruins now have a fence but the spot is good. They have trails for everyone and fairly easy to moderate. A little beach to chill is a added advantage and ample seating space nearby. From the entrance you can drive up to the ruins or another way directly to the beach. No matter where you start the trails can be taken from anywhere. Highly recommended!

I had so much fun at Rockwood Conservation Area. A great place for canoeing Check out this video to see more about my day at Rockwood Conservation Area: https://youtu.be/qDQvmk63Ga4

Beautiful park if not one of the best I have been to. Lots of spots to fish from but it's pretty hard to find them and I doubt theres anything huge in here. Lots of rockbass and creekchub flow through the river though with the odd smallmouth hiding in some sneaky areas. Well kept park, only problem it gets BUSY like super busy. If you want to experience it at it's best go early like 7am theres barely anyone there and it's great.

Entrance fee required. The beach is pretty small and a bit of a walk from the parking lot. Although the beach is not the prettiest and the water is not the clearest, they have tandem paddle boat and canoes for rent available for fairly cheap prices. With the boats you can go pretty far and can even go all the way to the ruins. I would say the beach is only worth going if you are going to rent the boats.

They charge $6 per person! for a day pass. And the water has high bacteria, and they say swim at your own risk. The trails are too short. Unthoughtful immigrants were caught littering along the trails. This place is lame. Never, coming , back... unless you make it free to enter.

Came here to canoe. The park is beautiful with large trees and rocky cliffs. There is a great fishing spot near the old mill but some visitors were fly fishing and not really paying attention to where they are throwing their lines. The small lake is perfect for beginner canoers. There are canoe rentals by the small beach area to the lake was packed with novice canoers. Since we just bought our canoe we wanted to test it in a small body of water which was perfect for us. Going to try larger canoe route. You can even go camping here.

I've been camping at Rockwood for years without issue, until this past Victoria Day weekend. My family (husband, 10 yr son and 15 yr old son's friend) were all kicked out of the park because of 2 unruly, unprofessional, hot headed security guards! The park actually outsourced extra security, meanwhile they have ' ranger rick' driving by your site around 5 times an hour. The park personel were kind and we had no issues with them. But apparently 2 young hot heads thought that my kids lit off fireworks in the field right behind our trailer. They had no physical proof, and they chased my kids back to the trailer in the night and scared the crap out of them. Then when my husband went up to the office to talk to them - because they said we had 1 hour to pack up and leave - at 10PM, they called the cops. Two OPP cruisers came to our site and were as nice as can be and apologized that they can't do anything to help us out except they told the park we can stay over night as we weren't drunk or doing anything to disturb anyone and because we had children with us. 8am the next morning, security was back and we were thrown out a day early from our nice long weekend!! Because of their actions, there were over 20 other campers there that weekend that said they would never go back!! I warn you NEVER to go to this campground overnight. It is a beautiful place to visit - but stay out of the water and avoid any eye contact with the ridiculous team they call SECURITY!! So disappointed!!!

Been camping here since I was 10 years old with my family! A lot has changed but the atmosphere is wonderful! The beach is smaller but always cleaned, the water is clear and refreshing! It's small quiet and everything I remember from when I was a child.

Good hiking trails. Beach was nice. Canoe/kayak rentals available. Beach was down a fairly steep hill, but has stairs and a ramp for access. Camping sites were not very private and not a lot a trees. There were a group of people that had 3-4 sites booked together and converged on one site. They were up late (12:30-1:00am) and up early by 6:30pm. I believe there is group camping available, which would have been better for large groups like this, so as to avoid keeping others up late, and waking other's up really early. *One huge draw back is if your site is close to the bathroom; You hear the thump of the men's door all day and night (sounds like thunder). It also has the waste station (port-a-potty dumping) right behind the bathroom! Every time someone dumped their waste, there would be an awful stench at the camp site. Elora Gorge is about 30min away if you are interested in going there. It is free admission if you're camping at Rockwood Conservation.

Were actually heading to a different conservation area but the kids were already pretty cranky by the time we coincidentally passed by this place and it seemed to look pretty decent judging from the road. Pulled in and friendly staff received us at the gate, we paid for 2 Adults and 2 Kids under 4 just below $12. Drove down to the beach parking area, passed on the way a couple of campgrounds. At the beach area they had a building with a snack bar and change rooms, and then a walkway down to the beach which is pretty steep but they also have wheelchair access ramps. You first access a huge grassy picnic area with lots of trees and park benches which was unfortunately covered and littered in cigarette buts and then you have a step down to the beach strip which I found to be rather on the small side. They also had canoe and paddleboat rental at the beach. They accept Visa, Mastercard and Debit. You have to put down a $50 deposit I believe if you want to rent out the equipment. Unfortunately we got rained out so we didn't get to stay long but apparently they also have some nice hiking trails and some caves to explore. We will definitely come back to have a look at those caves but we won't be coming back to swim here. Especially because they had high levels of E.Coli in the water and nobody warned us at the gate.

A wonderful place to go for a nice stroll or even a challenging hike. Beautiful scenery. There is an old crumbled stone mill building that you can walk through. Great for photos. Nice look-outs, and a lake to go swimming in afterwards, or you can go for a hike along the river in the woods too. If you are lucky you may even see a tv show or local movie being filmed there.