The Grand River has cut a gorge through limestone here, with a rim trail along the top and clear water at the bottom. The village of Elora is a ten minute walk from the gates. It is under two hours from Toronto and your park admission is in the ticket.
Pick your date below. The bus leaves from 34 Asquith Avenue, just north of Yonge and Bloor. Your admission to the conservation area is part of the ticket.
Cancel 14 or more days before you go and you get 90% back.
Choose your own adventure: we drop you off, and the bus picks you up in the same spot.
A short, flat walk on even ground, at your own pace.
A yellow school bus, which is the most cost-effective way to run a short trip. It is what keeps the fare down and lets us run these days as often as we do.
The cliffs here rise 22 metres above the Grand River, and if you look closely at them you are looking at a fossil reef. The rock is full of the remains of animals that lived in a shallow tropical sea long before any of this was Ontario. It is the sort of thing people assume you have made up.
The rim trail runs about two kilometres along the top, with barriers and overlooks. It is flat enough to do in flip flops and dramatic enough to feel like you earned it, and in summer you can stand at the edge and watch people bobbing through the rapids far below.
Down at water level there is swimming, and from late June to the start of September you can rent a tube and float a stretch of real whitewater past the cliffs. Tubes have to be booked ahead with the conservation authority, because everybody else has worked this out too.
Ten minutes from the gates is the village of Elora: nineteenth century limestone storefronts, the old mill sitting over a waterfall, cafés, bakeries and ice cream. It is a good place to end a day and wait for a bus.
Twenty two metres of cliff, and the swimming is at the bottom of it.
Pick the one that matches your day. If you want both, start at the gorge so your admission is guaranteed, then walk into town.
We pick you up
Just north of Yonge and Bloor subway station. Come up the Asquith exit and look for the bus. There may be more than one, so check the sign in the window before you get on.
This route runs a yellow school bus, which keeps the fare down on a short ride.
The conservation area itself, and one of our most popular day trips. The gorge has a rim trail with overlooks, a swimming area, riverside walking and, in season, tubing. Your admission is included, so you walk straight in.
Good to know:
Facilities: Washrooms, No food or drink for sale inside the conservation area
Note: Tubes run from late June to the start of September, water level permitting, and must be reserved ahead through the Grand River Conservation Authority. We do not book them for you.
Elora sits on the edge of the gorge and along the banks of the Grand River. The main street is lined with restaurants, cafés, galleries and shops, and the old mill sits right over the waterfall. The conservation area is about half an hour away on foot.
Good to know:
Facilities: Plenty of places to eat and drink, Washrooms in the village
Note: If you are doing both, get off at the gorge first. Admission is only guaranteed if you enter the park with the group.
We drop you back
The bus returns to the same place it left from, so you go home the way you came.
This is our estimated return time, not a guarantee. Traffic can change it and some trips do run late, so please leave yourself some room afterwards rather than booking something tight against it.
Short drive, long day, and a river you will probably end up in.
Tubing runs from late June to the start of September and depends on the water level in the Grand River. Tubes are rented and reserved through the Grand River Conservation Authority, not through us.
If tubing is the reason you are coming, book the tube before you book the bus.
There is nowhere inside the conservation area to buy food or drink. The village has plenty, but it is a half hour walk away.
If you are spending the day at the gorge, pack lunch and water and save the village for a coffee before the bus home.
The remaining dates this year are in autumn, when the gorge is at its best for walking and the tubing season is over. Book early: this is one of our most popular trips.
Only one trip scheduled
October 11
This is the only date this season, so there is no second chance at it.
We're Canada's outdoor bus service. Since 2010 we've taken more than 300,000 people to parks and trails without a car. You bring a towel. We handle everything else.
Nothing to pay at the gate and nothing to book ahead. Get off the bus and walk in.
One of the shortest drives we run, which means most of your day is spent there rather than getting there.
The gorge and the village. Spend the day at one or split it between the two. They are about half an hour apart on foot.
A flat rim trail with overlooks, swimming, a river to float down in summer, fossils in the rock, and a village full of cafés. Or a blanket and a book.
★★★★★ 4.6/5.0 on Google
This is a great service if you don't have a vehicle or just don't want to drive. I'm so happy to have discovered this. There will definitely be more Parkbus trips in my future!James Taylor Wilson · Happy Parkbus customer
This is the 1st time I used Parkbus but it won't be the last.Brenda H. · Google
Highly recommend them. The bus service is so useful for people who doesn't want to drive and gives return facility. They were on time and bus facility was good too. Total worth the cost if you want to avoid hassle driving/parking.Sidhant Duggal · Facebook · Aug 2022
Speaking from someone who doesn't drive. This is a must!! I highly recommend this!Linda Ann · Facebook · Jun 2024
Factor in the cost of gas, parking and renting a car, it's a lot cheaper than taking a personal vehicle.Toronto Star
Parkbus is a great option for nature lovers, whether it's a day trip or overnight camping getaway.The Globe and Mail
Cancel more than 14 days before departure and you get a 90% refund, with 10% withheld for payment processing. Inside 14 days refunds are not available, except for a medical emergency in the 48 hours before departure, which needs a signed doctor’s note within 14 days of the missed trip and returns 50%. Tickets are transferable: you can change the passenger name up to 48 hours before departure.
If Parkbus cancels a trip, you get a full refund. We decide no later than 48 hours before departure and only on confirmed conditions: the park closed or the park authority asking us to stand down, an evacuation order or alert, an area restriction order, the highway closed, or the trip judged unsafe to run. A forecast is not one of those things, and trips run rain or shine.
Pack a lunch and a swimming costume. We handle the driving and the gate.
Not quite the right fit? These all leave from the same spot downtown.
