First the good. Lots of parking, the beach is well kept. The swimming is nice and the quarry is nice and cool. I wish the customer service were better because the location is stunning. Now the not so good. You have to purchase your tickets online ahead of time. We have an Ontario parks pass and you can not use this for tickets online as they ask you for a parks pass number (the Ontario parks passes do not have these) Because of this we were unaware there was time slots. We arrived at 1:30pm and were not told at the gate that we would have to leave at 2pm. We paid for parking ($16) and set up our site. We had about maybe 10-15 minutes before we were told we had to leave the beach. I asked one security person if we were able to hike the trail while we were waiting for the beach. She told us that we could and asked us to get our afternoon passes for 3pm. We cleared our site and were ready to hike the trail. When we did we were yelled at by another security guard that we had to leave the park and would not be allowed back in until 3pm. This person was very rude. We tried to explain our situation and were very rudely and abruptly brushed off. Staff do not communicate with each other or you. Security is very rude and do a poor job of explaining the situation. It's a shame, the quarry is very pretty but is not worth the hassle. I would have taken a photo to add to this review but I was rushed so quickly out of the area that I didn't have time to. read more

Pro: nice scenery Con: small beach area that is crowded Con: water is gross -- weird foam & slime on the surface in some areas -- and signs warm swimmers that bacteria in water can make people sick Con: bathroom is just a fancy outhouse that smells disgusting Con: the wind carries the disgusting smell from the outhouse and you're sunbathing to the aroma of human excrement Not at all worth the $10 entrance fee (children 6-14 years pay $5) My cousins (12 & 14 years of age) enjoyed swimming in the quarry. They'd give it 2.5 or 3 stars. read more

Elora Quarry - Parks Near Me - Elora, Ontario

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Hidden gem of Guelph. We drove all the way from North York to see what's the buzz all about and we did not fail. Nice water and beach area. Beautiful view of trees and cliffs from the beach. No lifeguards on duty so parents and guardians must keep an eye on their children. No alcohol allowed inside. And if you're brave enough you can try the cliff jumping. What's holding me back to give the last star is because there's limited washroom areas and not maintained. No signs too to get to the beach. So we just followed where the people are going. But, overall a great place to spend one of you summer afternoon read more

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I've heard so much about the Elora Quarry and definitely put it on my to visit bucket list. This place is just.... Beautiful! There is a HUGE swimming area where you can swim till your hearts content. The water is accessible from two areas, one the beach, and two, from a ramp of rock. This ramp is also the 3 LEGAL jump off points where you can cliff dive without getting in trouble. The beach is a bit small but if you get there early enough (which we did) there is lot's of room to spread out. It costs $6 a head to come into the park, and there are 3 parking lots available to park your vehicle. There are numerous vault toilets around the park but they are definitely gross.. and one of them does not lock! (heads up on that one) As well as change rooms. To clear up any confusion, yes you can jump from the cliffs. But NO, not from the high 40-60ft cliffs. The max height of the legal jump spots are 15ft. They are located on the rock slope ramp on the side where the trees meet. We were given the A-ok by a ranger working there so this is 100% true. If you attempt to jump from the 40-60ft cliff you will get kicked out of the park and/or fined. Also don't bring alcohol or you'll get a ticket! Overall this is a great place to relax in the sunshine and swim as much as you want. 5/5 read more

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Elora Quarry is down the road from Elora Gorge, and is a stunning swimming hole and beach - even has a shallow end for kids! We weren't able to hike much about the Quarry as most areas were closed, but the view of the water was enough to justify the admission price. There are change rooms just a few steps from the water. We didn't have any trouble finding parking despite how busy it was. Pro tip: the $6.50 admissions fee will cover you for both Elora Quarry and Elora Gorge. You get a wristband at the Quarry, keep your receipt from the Gorge if you head there first. read more

Not worth the money. Won't even allow dogs in the park at all and the bathrooms are gross. Especially for a park you have to pay for

A little slice of Paradise. Elora quarry is an abandoned limestone quarry and is now part of the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA). There is an entrance fee but its cheap ($5. per person and you get a wristband) The quarry is open from mid June until labour day. Good for families, platform divers, scuba divers, snorkelers, mountain climbers, swimmers, sun tanning, or just laying out to enjoy nature at it's finest. The only reason I'm holding back a star was because we got kicked out by the lame security. Diving from the very top of the cliff (The big jump 48') is prohibited . AND to make it worst , alcohol is not allowed anywhere on the premises. They check too, so don't bother trying to be sneaky. They found our disguised bottles of beer and raided our tiny cooler that we had snuck into some trees. We weren't close enough to it but one of our buddies made the mistake of grabbing a juice bottle from the cooler. DRATS! So we spun this tale of how the cooler belonged to a guy named "Johnny". We didn't know where Johnny was. He must be swimming. We continued on this story about how last we heard of Johnny was that he had gone to the top and dove , so the security went to check our story out. Because we knew very well there would be people who couldn't resist to dive from the top (much like us) there's bound to be a Johnny between them. "You see sir, we just met him and he had suggested we come here. We aren't even from around here" - it's only half a lie. Anyway, he didn't believe us and asked us to "produce Johnny" or leave. So we jumped 3 more times and then left. so, next time you're in a pickle don't bother blaming it on Johnny. He's such a let down. Sometimes you need liquid courage to jump 48'. For those that love cliff diving, feast your eyes on this orgasmic view (see picture). There is not other way to get down but to dive. So you really have to be prepared to jump. For those that want to work their way up, there's a smaller legal diving point (15') where you could do some decent cannonballs but it's always crowded. Getting back up is even funner. You have to climb up towards any opening. Luckily there's plenty of cuts in the rocks for feet/knee support. This is heaven if you're into mountain climbing. For beginners, there's tons of little man made paths and branches you could use to pull yourself up. The path has tons of tiny rocks so at first it's extremely painful to walk around but after a while you get used to it. I would suggest flip flops but it seems pointless to worry about a few rocks under your feet when you're diving 15' - 48'. The water has tons of seaweed but nothing that's gross, I highly suggest a hair tie. It's really fun to snorkel with all the plants growing below. You need proper gear because the plants have grown really high so maybe you might think the bottom is close. It's not. I tested out a few spots with my crew and warning everyone that wants to sink and touch the bottom - DO NOT . Do not be deceived. It's extremely deep in the centre. It has to be to support the divers from the top of the cliff. Beginners, you're best bet is to stay on the opposite side of the Quarry where people are laying on the sand , much like a beach atmosphere. The front of the quarry closer to the parking lot is the cliff diving section. To my fellow adventure loving, unphased by height, thrill seeking, adrenaline junkies - make sure you are discreet about jumping from the top of the cliff. You will get kicked out. I don't want to pressure anyone into it but I would be lying if I said it wasn't worth it. (three times and counting) Check out the link to get an idea of this place. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F99it988_20 Happy diving. xoxo M. read more

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Okay place to swim, it's much better if you watch the actually review in youtube - so here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TiXo5UMDr4 read more

On Mother's Day, I decided to check out Elora Quarry. I must say it's a beautiful site. Definitely worth the drive. read more

Elora Quarry - Parks Near Me - Elora, Ontario

this trip was seven years in the making, was very very VERY happy to finally go to this amazing place, sadly though, regardless of all the photos on here, and all the photos i took when i went with my friends, the pictures DO not justify the size of this swimming hole, nor does it justify the sheer beauty of this wonderful conservation park. there is three parking lots, upon entering, drive all the way to the third lot, follow the path and you will arrive at the beach portion of the quarry. at six bucks a person, the entrance fee is almost a joke, especially in comparison to the price that you have to pay to get into some beaches in wasaga, which are also further away. their is two specific points you can jump off from, one is about ten feet, the other is about 18 feet. Full disclosure: Jumping, from Any other higher place will get you a ticket, or kicked out, or both! my friends and i witnessed people getting kicked out, one of which was wearing a shirt that is a give away from my work. this place is a slice of heaven for people who swim, but also photographers, i literally spent an hour running around taking pictures of the whole quarry in its entirety, for a bit of the walking around, a guard was following me to "do the rounds" to make sure people were not jumping from the 40 foot high cliffs, i made sure to clarify with the park ranger that photos were allowed, and i was told "yes, you're ok" as a previous member said this is truly a slice of heaven. in closing my offering pieces of advise to anyone and everyone looking to come to this wonderful place buy water-socks or bring an old pair of shoes, stepping and climbing on bare feet sucks. don't jump from where your not allowed. get there within the first hour of the park opening, cause once the backlog of cars start, it runs all day. there are no in's and out's, so brings snacks, foods, or a light lunch. this was on my bucket-list, and im very happy to have accomplished this. defiantly will come back read more

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Beautiful place for a hike or swim in the gorge. Bring hiking boots and a swimming suit! Bathrooms are dirty as per usual, and $6 entry fee per person. read more

Elora Quarry - Bring a swimming suit! - Parks Near Me - Elora, Ontario

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here is my unbiased opinion: pros: pretty, (relatively) short drive from the city, nice for families. cons: huge time commitment (see elaboration below), kind of not "worth it". so the internet and Trip Advisor buzz on and on about the pros, so in an attempt to be pragmatic about my experience, these are my thoughts: - the drive itself was fine- it's exactly what Google Maps tells you it will be - we arrived around 10:30 and getting into the quarry was a bit of a mess. first, in order to pay, there is a single-file queue to the right of the road (if you're facing the entrance)- so all of the cars line up and make a right into the entrance. some assholes who come from the left will try to make a left into the entrance and in turn cut the line. i stood my ground for myself and for the other drivers behind me (who patiently waited for about 30-45 mins) and didn't let cars make the left in. but there is OPP on site and they will reinforce the same rules. so please, just don't be THAT person. be nice and be courteous and respectful. - in my opinion, the park lacks signage. it's not obvious where the quarry/gorge are and if they are all the same or two different areas. turns out the gorge was a 8 min drive away but paying to go into the quarry also gives you free access to the gorge. - bathrooms are terrible. i opted to squat and just pee behind a tree. - we didn't swim and we're glad we didn't because the water looks gross. there is signage in the entrance that says you could get sick from the water. i'm sure there are better options close to the city that offer clean water. - the quarry was NICE but we expected more. it seemed really hyped up from online reviews and peer reviews but i wouldn't go back. i'm not a negative nancy by any means (my yelp reviews are very evenly distributed and i will give 5 stars where it's appropriate) but i don't think elora quarry is as much of a gem as others claim. i hope my review will be helpful because i wished i had read something similar before going. read more

The beach was too busy, water was brown, bathrooms are disgusting, and we had to pay $10 per person to enter. I should also mention that we got there at 9am, only to be in a lineup of cars, to wait for opening at 10am. Not worth it, go somewhere else. read more

Don't waste your time unless you here before 10, after a certain point they close it. The locals arnt really friendly either, complete waste of a Saturday. read more

Heard about this place on fb and wanted to go hiking with friends and their conservation park and ended up here afterwards. If you pay to get into the park you can automatically get into the quarry with the same pass which was nice. The quarry is beautiful! There were people in the water and people jumping off the cliffs. I did not have my bathing suit that day so I didnt get a chance to go in for a dip. We came back on Saturday and we parked about a 6 min walk away. We got stopped at the entrance by the parking attendant and was turned away by saying that they were at max capacity and they were no longer accepting walk ins! Thats ridiculous! What park doesnt allow walk ins? They were allowing cars to go in so why couldnt we? We drove 2 hrs to get there and were so disappointed and upset afterwards. We ended up driving 2 extra hours to get to Grand Bend instead. I wouldve given a higher rating if there was a fair way for them to let us in instead of turning us down completely. read more

This is where the IT kids went swimming! I wanna go here now . Also Bev was such a sav to jump first i would to tbh

Nice spot to go swimming and hang out for the day. The cliffs are really cool. too bad your not allowed to jump off them anymore.

We drove two hours to meet friends here, a family who were visiting from Australia. Checked the website first and it said it was open but closed the next two days for a private event. Our friends got in but we arrived 20 minutes later and were turned away at the gate. We had already paid admission. Whoever was running the event the next day had suddenly decided not to let anyone else in today either, without giving warning on the website. Needless to say it was an extremely frustrating experience. read more

Terrible place. The vibe is very negative from the start. The staff is dismissive and there are so many security gaurds it really makes for an unwelcoming atmosphere. Not to mention there are many free access points to the Gorge and to several quarries around in the area, it seems almost criminal to charge people for entrance only to make them feel like they are being constantly watched and harassed. read more