Two beaches, a gorge and a river trail, an hour from your door

Guelph is built on two rivers, and the best free thing in the city is the path along them. When four people and one bathroom start to feel like a lot, this is the list.

The river trail, from your front door. The Speed River trail runs through the middle of the city, past Royal City Park and Riverside Park, and links up with the Royal Recreation Trail and the Silvercreek trail. It is flat, it is paved for long stretches, and it is the fastest way to reset your head between classes. Riverside Park has the wide river view; Royal City Park is the one with the covered bridge. Crane Park, a little further out, has small waterfalls and a stretch that used to be a bird sanctuary.

Guelph Lake, ten minutes north. Guelph Lake Conservation Area, 7743 Conservation Road, has two sandy beaches (the Main Beach and the Island Beach), ten kilometres of hiking trails, and rentals for canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. The area is open year round; camping runs May 1 to October 15. There is a day-use fee, so check the Grand River Conservation Authority site before you go.

Elora Gorge, the day trip. About half an hour up the road, Elora Gorge Conservation Area (7400 Wellington County Road 21, Elora) is where you ride an inner tube down a river between 22 metre cliffs. It is as good as it sounds. Two things people get wrong: there is no swimming area at the gorge, and tubing closes when the water is too high, so look at the conditions page before you drive up. Open May 1 to October 15.

Winter does not cancel any of this. The trails get packed down and are walkable all year, and in the cold months Market Square downtown becomes an outdoor rink.

Rules of the river. Take your garbage with you, do not swim in the Speed in town, and if you are going to the lake in a group, one person books the day-use spot and everyone else pays them back.

The Cribb Team

Cover photo: Terry.grignon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. commons.wikimedia.org