Rockwood Conservation Area: Paddling to Caves Close to Toronto
Rockwood Conservation Area 161 Fall St S, Guelph/Eramosa, ON N0B 2K0, Canada
Paddling close to the dam, by the Harris Woollen Mill Ruins
Only 1 hour away from Toronto, Rockwood Conservation Area offers hiking trails and paddling adventures to see limestone cliffs, captivating caves, and one of the world's largest glacial potholes. This park can be done as a day trip or an overnighter at one of their many campsites.
Trip Report:
I first heard about this trip through the Paddle Adventurer and being so close to Toronto, was on my list for pick-me-up quick trips close to town. We booked a 2-night trip, packed our cooler and hit the road.
| Type | Frontcountry | |
| Toronto Drive | ||
| Duration | ||
| Campground | Cedar Valley | |
| Site | 194 | |
| Season | Summer (August 2022) |
Day 1: Pot Hole Trail
Site #194: these are walk-in sites, though the parking lot is just a stone’s throw away. There are large tent pads that offer flat ground for easy pitching with a picnic table and decent space all-around. Our site was a bit more secluded than the others which we liked.
Camping Reservations: (here)
Campsite #194 at Cedar Valley campgrounds with tent pad
Park Map: (official map)
Pot Holes and Caves
Rockwood’s Pot Hole Trail (1.3km) is an easy trek and one that’s is unexpectedly diverse for such a short walk. This is an out-and-back where you start off in a forested area that follows the perimeter of the Eramosa River.
Birds to spot include your usual array of Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers and American Goldfinch.
Entrance to the Pothole Trail where the trail starts off well groomed
Rockwood Conservation Area has over 200 potholes formed by debris from the Wisconsin glacier era that were caught in the circular rapidly-flowing melt water. You can view many of these on your hike, including the one below.
One of the potholes amongst Eastern White Cedar trees. Read more fascinating information here
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), pretty as they are, they’re considered an invasive wetland plant to Ontario
A view of the Harris Woolen Mill Ruins, a historic site that operated from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s
Veer off the trail past the dam, and you’ll head towards the caves full of stalactites, columns and flowstone. This is worth the detour! The formations here are large enough to crawl into and the temperature difference is eerily noticeable. Caves have cool environment thanks to thermal inertia, geothermal heat, and higher humidity.
Fun fact: Rockwood’s caves are closed October 16 and March 31 to protect bats while they hibernate over the winter months.
Caves at Rockwood Conservation Area
Painting and an Outdoorsy Sandwich
We returned to camp after a short spit of rain (we ended up sheltering in the caves - right place, right time), and I settled some painting. As darkness set, W made us sandwiches with a minimalist camp kitchen set-up (we were testing out a new backpacking stove and although bulkier, saved a lot of gas thanks to the built-in wind barrier).
En plein air painting of trees using watercolours
Camping meal: sandwiches toasted on a backpacking stove with chard, cheese, sauerkraut and cold cuts
Turning in for the night in our tent, we get another drizzling of rainfall to doze off to
Day 2: Eramosa River
Today we decided to paddle the Eramosa River. We launched at the beaches and headed towards the glacial bluffs; they are as mesmerizing as you think they are! These formations were forged during the recent ice age (11,000 -16,000 years ago) and can get upwards to 200 meters wide, immersing you in a panorama of hardened wonder.
The Eramosa River itself is fed by groundwater springs and is carved by a moraine made of bedrock from past glacial activity. The banks of the river are marshy and is topped with the Guelph Dam that regulates its waters.
Canoe and kayak rentals are available.
Paddling calm waters through the Eramosa River on our inflatable paddle boards
The paddling area isn’t too big, so you could easily complete a trip within the afternoon, though I recommend taking your time to pause and look up. You may spot an Osprey like we did! Our first sighting (“lifer”) for us. The water itself tends to be murky and because of the large population of waterfowl during the time we went, had a musk to it.
Glacier bluffs at Eramosa River
A cave you can enter, surrounded by trees and geese
Caves dot along the edges and you’ll eventually encounter one that is large enough to dock and explore. This is the place to be! A quick picnic (pack out all your garbage) or a rest makes for the welcomed intermission.
Continuing on, once you arrive near the parking lots by Harris Woollen Mill Ruins, the waters become extremely shallow approaching the dam. You can walk through if you wish, but be aware of the slippery floor.
Glacier bluffs at Rockwood Conservation Area
Canadian Geese can be spotted, along with Great Blue Herons
Returning, we rinsed off at the beach, loaded our paddle boards and headed back to camp to have dinner before tucking into the night.
Day 3: Cedar Ridge Trail
One last trail run: trail running is our way to connect to a park where we use our feet to transcribe the sprawl of lumpy tree roots and pebbles into a story our bodies can remember. So, we started our run back at the Pothole Trail (1.3km) and merged into a full loop by connecting to the Cedar Ridge Trail (1.7km) which brings us nicely past the Guelph Dam to end at the beach (AllTrails map). We were able to gaze one last time at the glacier bluffs before driving home.
Final Thoughts
A great place for a quick adventure! Very inflatable paddle board-friendly with calm waters. Because the Rockwood Conservation Area is only an hour drive away from Toronto, you can easily allot a simple day trip and it’s well worth it to just see the geological marvels. For a small park, there is a lot to do here though we felt a 2-night trip was perfect where one full day is all you need. This is one of my top recommendations for extremely nearby parks to Toronto and because it’s not part of the Ontario Parks system, it’s often overlooked and you can snag some last minute camping spots.
For our camping gear list, click here.
Read another car camping trip at Awenda, Silent Lake, or more.
Support my Work by Purchasing an Art Print!
Related Posts:
Trek blushing granite rocks before winding down along marshes to the view the engineering wonder of the beavers.