Every autumn the salmon come back up the rivers at Owen Sound, leaping the rapids to spawn. It is one of the few places in Ontario you can stand and watch it happen. A guided walk takes you from the harbour through town to the best spots, and then you choose your ending: the hike up to Inglis Falls, or the Grey Roots Museum.
Pick your date below. The bus leaves from 34 Asquith Avenue, just north of Yonge and Bloor.
Dates not open yet
We put seats on sale one season at a time, and this one is not up yet. Nothing is hidden and there is no list to pay to join. Leave your email and you hear the day the dates open.
Cancel 14 or more days before you go and you get 90% back.
A Parkbus guide is with the group for the whole day. You are not expected to know the trail, the route or the plan, and nobody gets left behind.
A few hours of walking on real trail, with uneven ground and some climbing. Roots, rocks and hills, so proper shoes matter. Not a stroll.
Hundreds of salmon push upstream against the current, leaping rocks and rapids to get where they are going. It is not a display and nobody is running it. It happens for a few weeks and then it stops.
The guided walk takes in the Mill Dam, Harrison Park and the Grey Sauble Arboretum, which are the places to stand.
Around it is the rest of the day: the Owen Sound Farmers Market, the shops in the River District, lunch at the Harrison Park Inn, and trails lined with red and gold leading up towards Inglis Falls.
Raw nature, and a town to eat lunch in.
A guided walk, free time, and then a choice.
We pick you up
About 100 metres north of the Yonge and Bloor subway entrance, on the Yonge Street side. There may be more than one coach, so check you are in the right queue.
The guided walk from the harbour into town, stopping at the places the salmon gather. Well marked trails, some uneven ground, and about three to four hours of walking with stops.
Good to know:
The Farmers Market, the shops of the River District, and the Harrison Park Inn if you want a sit-down lunch. No meals are included, so bring something or buy something.
Good to know:
Either walk up to Inglis Falls from the Arboretum, which is an intermediate three to four hour hike, or spend the last of the day at the Grey Roots Museum. The bus picks up from the museum, which is about fifteen minutes on foot from the falls.
Good to know:
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.
Walking kit and something warm. It is autumn by the water.
The full guided walk is intermediate: three to four hours, well marked but with uneven ground. If that is not your day, end at the Grey Roots Museum instead. You can also skip the guided walk and explore Owen Sound on your own, as long as you are at the museum for the bus.
The run is a few weeks in autumn and that is the whole season. Dates appear here when they open in the booking system.
Placeholder dates · the real ones come from our booking system
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 lunch. We handle everything with wheels.
Owen Sound is one of the few places in the province where the salmon run is visible from the bank, at the dam and in the park.
The Urban Salmon Tour covers the good spots. After that you can shop the River District, eat, or keep walking.
The intermediate hike up to Inglis Falls, or the Grey Roots Museum if you would rather a shorter day. The bus collects from the museum either way.
Owen Sound and back in a day, and none of it behind a wheel.
★★★★★ 4.6/5.0 on Google
“I just recently went on my first guided tour with a friend of mine from work. And man, was it amazing! Speaking from someone who doesn’t drive. This is a must!!”Linda Ann · Facebook · Jun 2024
I have always had excellent experiences with Parkbus. I have been to many of their destinations, and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. The ambassadors have been knowledgeable and friendly. The drivers drive safely, and with the passengers’ comfort in mind.Sharlene Haye · Google
Came with my friend in April, our guide Mike did a great job! Nice tour, small group, everything was great! Will go again!Natalia N. · Tripadvisor · Jul 2025
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.
Book it for autumn. The salmon do not wait for anybody.
Not quite the right fit? These all leave from the same spot downtown.
