Elora Quarry

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

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

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.

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.
Happy diving.
xoxo
M.