Rockwood Park is a park in Rockwood, Ontario, near Guelph, operated by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA). It has a varied karst landscape, of rocky cliffs, natural potholes, caves and a lake. The Rockwood Mill is a stone mill in the park that was built in 1885. The park receives over 65,000 visitors a year, and is popular for hiking, weddings, and watersports.

Understand

The park is open year-round for day use. Camping is available from May 1 to Oct 15.

The park offers group facilities, washrooms, playgrounds, and sports fields.

Rockwood's geological history that has left it with glacial bluffs, potholes and caves. The glacial bluffs were formed during the most recent ice age, which ended 11,000 to 16,000 years ago and range from 5 to 30 metres deep and 7 to 200 metres wide.

Get in

By bus

• Park Bus, toll-free: +1-800-928-7101 (M-F 9AM-5PM), info@parkbus.ca. From May to mid-Oct on Saturdays and holiday Mondays, Park Bus runs a school bus leaving 30 Carlton Street, Toronto (near College subway station) at 8:15AM and 1126 Bloor St West (near Dufferin subway station) at 8:30AM, arriving at Rockwood Park at 9:30AM. The bus leaves the park at 4PM. Reservations are required as the bus sells out. One-way/return: adults $32/45, students/seniors $29/41, children $16/23; conservation area entry fees are included.. (updated Jul 2018)

By car

From Toronto, it's 84 km west Highway 401, north on Guelph Line (County Road 1), and easy on Highway 7.

Fees and permits

Day Use (2018):

• Preschool (5 and under) free
• Child (6-14) $3
• Adult (15-64) $7
• Seniors (65+)/People with disabilities $5.50

See

• Potholes. Not the kind that flatten your tires in the spring, these potholes are of glacial origin. In the vicinity of the Eramosa River, there are over 200 potholes that vary in size and diameter. They were created by hard debris like pebbles and boulders that were left by the Wisconsin glacier and caught in eddies in rapidly flowing melt water, making holes in the bedrock (some several metres deep) over the course of thousands of years. 
• Harris Woollen Mill Ruins. 
• Caves. The caves include stalactites, columns and flowstone. Long pants and long sleeves, flashlight and helmet are suggested. (updated Jul 2018)

Do

• Camping
• Canoeing
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Picnicking
• Visit the natural features

Eat

There is a food concession at the top of the hill near the beach. It is open weekends in June and daily in July and August.

A trailer on the beach offers scooped ice cream.

Drink

You can bring your own alcohol to your registered campsite, except during the Victoria Day (late May) and Labour Day (first week in Sep) long weekends, when alcohol is banned.

Sleep

Camping

• Grand River Parks, ☏ +1-877-558-GRCA (4722). Rockwood has 46 serviced campsites (electricity and water), 16 full-service (water, electricity and septic) and 43 unserviced sites (Mar 2018). Up to six people are permitted per campsite. Check-in is after 2PM and checkout is before noon. 

Group camping: Four group campsites are available for supervised youth groups or large gatherings that require a minimum of five camping units. Contact park staff to make a reservation.

Camp site per night, peak/shoulder season

• Premium Site, Unserviced $43/$40
• Premium Site, Serviced $53/$50
• Standard Site, Unserviced $42/$39
• Standard Site, Serviced $52/$49
• Standard Site, Serviced (sewer) $57/$54

“Premium” sites may be larger, be closer to natural features such as water, have more trees, and/or be more private.

Peak Season: June 15 - Sep 3. Shoulder Season: May 1 - June 14 and Sep 4 - Oct 15.