Grand River
Information for planning canoe or kayak day paddles down the Grand River.
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While the Grand River might be the farthest thing from a whitewater expedition, it's still where we cut our paddling teeth and is full with sentimental value and memories.
The Grand is an ancient glacier melt path so much of it has its own valley carved into an otherwise flat part of southern Ontario. The incline on the banks kept the farms and uncivilization back from much of the river. The run from Glen Morris to Paris Ontario has surprisingly few buildings, bridges or farms that can be seen from the water. It creates the feeling of being away in the wilderness, while still a few minutes from impatient drivers at a Tim Hortons drive-through.
The Grand River is one of Canada's Heritage designated Rivers. In the past it had a bad reputation as a dirty river due to industry in Waterloo and Brantford. Since so many communities rely on the Grand for water, so much work has been done over the last several decades to clean up and properly manage this critical resource. This work has made the Grand once again worthy of its namesake.
Route options
These are what we consider the best parts of the Grand River to paddle.
Galt to Paris
If you're after a nice, long day paddle and like to keep moving, this is a good run. However, the first 6 kilometres have some highway noise. It's always runnable, but it can get scrapey in the summer. Be ready to get out and drag a bit and consider it part of the fun.
Distance: 20km
Difficulty: Beginner, but there are some swifts (fast-moving water) that will need to be navigated.
Put-in: Galt canoe launch. Free parking is available. It can get a little busy in the summer since this is also the parking lot for the rail trail. There is an overflow parking lot just south of the main one.
Take-out: Canoe take-out in Paris. Free parking is available.
Portages: No portages.
Glen Morris to Paris
This section is likely the best part that the Grand has to offer. This section feels more remote.
Distance: 12 km
Difficulty: Beginner, but there are some swifts (fast-moving water) that will need to be navigated.
Put-in: Glen Morris canoe launch. Free parking is available.
Take-out: Canoe take-out in Paris. Free parking is available.
Portages: No portages.
Paris to Brantford
This is the second-best section of the river. The landscape is excellent, but parts of the river are a bit more developed in this section, especially at the end when you go into Brantford.
Distance: 12 km
Difficulty: Beginner, but there are some swifts (fast-moving water) that will need to be navigated.
Put-in: Paris canoe launch just after the dam. Free parking is available.
Take-out: Brant Park public canoe launch, though this take-out is only available during the season of the park, May 1-Oct 15. The next take-out is the D'Aubigny Creek boat launch, which is open all year round. Free parking is available.
Portages: One portage around a dam in Brantford (250m, but there is a take-out closer to the dam if the water flow is super slow). The portage is marked on the map below.
A paddle through Brantford
A nice little urban paddle can be done through Brantford. It has a surprising variety of landscapes and a little bit of moving water. You can paddle through where Joseph Brant "forded" the river.
Distance:
Difficulty: Beginner, but there are some swifts (fast-moving water) that will need to be navigated.
Put-in: D'Aubigny Creek boat launch. Free parking is available.
Take-out: Cockshut Bridge Access point. Free parking is available. Or if you feel like a longer paddle, you can paddle around the oxbow and get out at the Newport Road take-out.
Portages: No portages.
Brantford to Lake Erie
We haven't paddled much of this section. The river gets pretty wide south of the oxbow in Brantford and has a different feel to it. I'm sure it's still nice, but you'll start to see motorcraft at that point. There's still a very long way to go to get to the lake and since any road crossing the river is a potential put-in and take-out, there are many options for paddling this section.
Planning information
Key features: A nice beginner to intermediate paddle. There are some swifts to navigate but nothing too intense (except in the spring flood). The section between Glen Morris and Paris feels remarkably remote with very few signs of human development.
Overnight: There aren't any official sites on the Grand, but you can often find a few stealth camping locations (at your own risk!)
Shuttle: You can call any of the outfitters below and they make be able to arrange a shuttle for you. Another idea is to use Uber/Lyft wherever you get out for a ride back to your car. Don't try to put the canoe on the Uber there—there's no option for that.
Outfitters: Canoeing the Grand, Grand River Rafting and Grand Experiences.
River data: GRCA flow data. You can paddle the Grand at any water level, but it can get pretty low and scrapey in some parts in August. Be ready to get out and drag the canoe occasionally—it's just part of the experience!
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Photos of the Grand
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