rockwood conservation area

I had the absolute pleasure of being able to grow up here. I used to walk through the conservation area on my way to school (we always had a GRCA season pass, so I didnt feel bad about it!). The hiking/trails are absolutely incredible, no matter the season. Pack your snowshoes and/or skates if you head here in the winter and your bathing suit in the summer. Spring and fall are completely gorgeous and a set of binoculars will take you a long way. The trails have been marked a little better since the days I grew up there, so there is less chance of getting lost. Despite knowing it so well, you still feel like you see something new every time you set foot in this enchanted forest. Make sure to also stop in at Whistle Stop, the convenience store just past the lights in town. To this day its the best coffee I've ever had, and I've done some extensive travelling. Happy trails!

Let's say your 100 feet inside the park from the east entrance, you'll have no idea that your in southern Ontario. It feels like the north, but the water is warmer. Some great natural bowls and cedar forests combined with well travelled trails but with locations that you can branch off to be on your own. Lot's of scout camp trails within ten minutes so you can mix up your walking destinations in this area. All of them are great to walk when it is windy as they are well protected with healthy forests.

I grew up just by here, this place was a common destination. Lots of cliffs to jump off, as well as swimming under the waterfall is just wonderful

I went for a 5-hour school trip in here, and loved it. During my trip, I explored a few caves and canoed with a colleague. The staff were friendly and encouraging, and the place was beautiful, but I do not recommend the caves.Basically, the caves are a bunch of small tunnels with very short ceilings, and the objective is to figure out how to get from one side to the other - in other words, you struggle your way through rocky surfaces, get the occasional pang of panic when you get stuck, get your clothes all dirty, and risk any precious thing you might be carrying with you (e.g. your phone).Having canoed only once prior to my school trip, I found it easy to canoe in the river here, though I still prefer kayaking.

We stayed for 3 nights recently. The beach, canoeing, trails and caves are all great and our kids had a lot of fun. Another reviewer noted that the beach area gets busy and full quickly, which was our experience as well.The campground is just okay. The area we were in (Cedar Valley) is close to very busy and noisy roads, and also train tracks, so a lot of noise when going to sleep at night. Seriously, it's loud, and we found used ear plugs on the ground at our site - we were wishing we had brought some too.Our site was very small (164) and the firepit was counter-sunk into the ground making challenging to get enough air to keep the fire going. The staff was not as attentive as we've found at other campgrounds. The washrooms were not serviced very often and one night 2 out of 4 washrooms in our camp area were out of commission, making for long wait-lines.We would come back for a day trip but not to camp.

We went with our Scouting Unit for a weekend camping trip. It was a great weekend with alot to do for a relaxing weekend with friends and family. RC has canoeing, paddle boats, bike/walking trails, caves to explore, playground & small beach on site too. Group sites are small, but was good for us. Only "complaint" would be that its so close to the road so get some noise pollution. .. but nothing they can do about that. It quiets at night when really needed:) Definitely will be returning with our Scouting Unit.

Pros: Great for weekend (2 night stay max). Small lake but great for beginner canoeist. Takes about 2 - 3 hours to explore, and caves are good too.Cons: do not stay for long weekends. Place gets busy really fast. Park fills up with a lot of day trippers with bbq's and noise. Gets busier to move around park. Parking fills up when you want to park and portage.

"We stayed here recently as part of a group outing that we do every year, and unfortunately are unlikely to go back. Not because it was bad, just not what we were looking for. Although the park is quite large there are only a select number of things to do. The water was a little grimy although it is classified as swimmable, the beach area itself was so bloody tiny it was unbelievable. You have to walk a long distance to get to the stairs and the bathrooms even if you are just going for the day. There were a number of kayaks and canoes on the water, and the beach was full but suspect that may be because of the limited number of places to go. Caves we never went into, and the mill ruins were kind of cool.Upon arrival, staff made me park after having already been told I was a part of a group. When I went back and told him again, he just said oh you didn't need to stop here. On top of that, the directions he gave were terrible and did not even provide a map.There are only two trails throughout the park, and both are relatively short requiring really no more than 1/2 an hour each to travel 1 way. There is some excellent sites, and the geographical formations including the caves and potholes are quite nice. I might go back with just my girlfriend, but for group camping there are better places to go. Unfortunately our site was WAY too small for the number of people, and they have no electricity which is something groups generally require at some point in time. I wouldn't recommend this for camping, unless are you are just looking to not do anything. Otherwise, you can probably see the majority of what the park has to offer through a day pass.Group camping all backs right on to the highway, so motorcycles, trucks and other noisy vehicles would constantly keep you awake. Located as well near a set of train tracks which will also disturb most individuals. Goose poop all over the place could use some cleaning, and better yet do something to get rid of them entirely. Other than this though, we saw absolutely NO wildlife of any kind. Although there must be some raccoon, because they certainly got into our garbage.We also ran into several occurrences of this apparent theft. Not of our stuff in particular, but at the trail head of the Pothole trail the on morning, there were several completely full bottles of water and pop that had been left behind. No signs of the cooler itself though.

We bring our canoe up here once or twice a year. Great place to go canoeing very scenic and lots of wildlife. Canoeing around the cliffs and rocks is a wonderful experience. Also went to see the caves that are in the park. Overall a good experience at Rockwood.

We went there for a picnic on a beautiful late June Saturday, arrived early so we beat the crowds and found a place under a tree. An hour later the whole place was packed, you literally had to watch your step not to step on anyone's toes or belongings. It was that crowded. The scenery is beautiful and the walking trails are really great, however the lake itself is small (we rented a canoe and after 30 minutes we've been around and saw everything twice.... The water was filled with sea weed so the boys did not want to go in. Also the water is very shallow so we had to be very careful not to get hit by, or stuck on, one of the many fallen trees and big rocks that are everywhere and literally only couple of inches from breaking the surface... Also (maybe due to the date, the beginning of the season?) there were gees poop all over the place so you had to use beach shoes and folding chairs. All and all a beautiful place, but crowded, not clean and disappointing.

Our camping experience at Rockwood Park is filled with mixed feelings. Although it is a beautiful park that offer a great beach, picnic area, trails, playground and ample camping sites, I am very disappointed with the overnight thefts that continues to be a HUGE issue at night once all campers are snuggled into their trailers for the night (not sure about the tent areas?). Each night we were at Rockwood this past weekend (June 20-22, 2014), several campers coolers were stolen. Our cooler wasn't; however, it was rummaged through. Our bacon was stolen, my bottle of wine & my tins of Perrier water (which the thiefs probably thought was beer). We stopped the park secuirty staff in the morning to see if they had any other complaints of theft throughout the night. All they said was this was an on-going issue, they said the "locals" come through the woods at night, steal the campers coolers, drag them to the bushes, go through all the coolers, take all the alcohol and leave all the food behind. They also leave the coolers in the bushes and security staff collect them all in the morning, take them to their main office where campers can claim their coolers during the day. I believed their story the first night; however, the more I spoke to other campers about this on-going problem, and with the theft happening a second night in a row (very brave I'd say), and again, security staff turning a blind eye to this, I'm now suspicious, leery and a little bit agitated that this park would not take proper responsibility for this on-going issue. I don't normally write reviews; however, my personal take on this, I honestly believe this could be "the locals" committing these thefts; however, I also firmly believe that it's also an internal theft too. I firmly believe some of Rockwoods staff are in on this theft by aiding the locals. If this wasn't the case, why hasn't their security been stepped up a notch? Maybe by installing security cameras or traps to help in catching these thiefs? Apparently these cooler thefts happened all last year too.I don't knock this park, it is absolutely breath-taking and I would definitely visit again; however, just ensure you LOCK UP YOUR COOLERS AT NIGHT.

We went to Rockwood conservation area for our family's first camping trip. We had a great time. This place is pretty close to Toronto and was easily accessible for a one night trip. While it is very close to civilization the camping area and conservation park feels woodsy. The spot we had was clean and well maintained. The camp site had a nice flat area for the tent, a picnic bench and a fire pit. There are bathrooms and running water that are pretty accessible and clean. We had a lot of fun cooking out, enjoying the camping and fire etc. We also enjoyed one of the nature trails. Bring bug spray ! Everyone had a great time. It was a great family and camping experience.

We travelled as a group of eleven so this was a great place for us to spend the whole Sunday. We had a picnic by the beach and spent the day swimming and rowing around the big lake on the dinghy that one of our group had brought with him. There are boats to hire so you do not have to bring your own. Just above the beach area is an area for picnics and a shop selling coffee and food. The scenery from the trails and also from the lake is spectacular and like something out of a Jurassic Park film. The biggest disappointment are the caves which are just holes in the wall and not what you would really call a cave. A good place to go for a day and worth the $6 entrance fee.

We had our inaugural tent trailer camping trip the second weekend in May. We chose Rockwood because it was about an hour from home and very close to things to do and shopping if we had bad weather or needed supplies. We had great weather and enjoyed the mill ruins, caves, playground and the very beautiful Pothole trail with our two- and five-year-old children. We were careful to pick a spot away from the drop because of our young children. We look forward to going back to swim and rent a canoe or paddle boat when the weather is warmer.

What a beautiful spot, right in our backyard. The views are spectacular. We have only visited in the winter, but I love the icicle laden caves and incredible scenery. Such a great way to spend an afternoon outdoors.