Start your adventure by launching at the put-in beside the GTO gas station just south of Cambridge on Hwy 24.Here you’ll find free parking and a ramp to the river. Ten minutes adrift down the river and you’ll leave behind any signs of urban sprawl. This is the fastest section of the river, other than a small stretch of some serious whitewater up north in the Elora Gorge. Occasional sets of minor rapids offer an exciting twist to the serene drift of the river current. Paddlers cruising in kevlar or museum-quality kit boats might opt for a plastic rental boat to


River Level


High water levels on the Grand during the spring thaw and after heavy rains can be extremely dangerous. The summer average of 15 cubic metres per second makes for fine paddling; any- thing from half that up to as much as 60 is pad- dleable. Contact the GRCA for current levels: (519) 621-2763 ext. 519 (recorded message) www.grandriver.ca


Trip Variations For those wishing a longer trip including an overnighter, a further two hours of paddling will


avoid the unavoidable scratches and dents. A leisurely 2–3 hour paddle will take you to the lift-out and portage at river-left just under the railway bridge, a hundred yards above Penman’s Dam in Paris. While there are scattered homes and


farms visible near the city boundaries at each end of this trip, you’ll see very little evidence of human influence in-between with the exception of two car bridges and the massive abutments of an abandoned CNR railway bridge.Watch for the ruins of an old mill hiding in the trees on the left


take you to Brant Conservation Area where you can pitch your tent. There are also many B&Bs near the river.


For a three-hour trip with no shuttle hassles and few rapids you can paddle the “oxbow” which is just south of Brantford. In an 11-kilometre stretch of river the Grand winds back to within a kilome- tre of your starting point.


Outfitters


Most of the area outfitters can arrange trips including B&B accommodations, rental gear and even river guides.


Adventure Guide Waterloo, ON (519) 886-3121 www.advguide.com


Canadian Outback Hamilton, ON 1-888-809-1888 www.canadianoutback.on.ca


Canoeing The Grand Inc. Kitchener, ON (519) 896-0290 1-877-996-0290 www.canoeingthegrand.com


bank just before the second bridge near Glen Morris.


The occasional muffle of human voices


echoing from river-left might be mistaken for the ghosts of paddlers past but are mere- ly the sounds of hikers and bikers enjoying the Cambridge–Paris Trail which follows an old rail line along the river for this entire section.There are several lookouts from the trail with excellent views of the river, and the pathway allows paddlers to opt for a bike shuttle instead of the two-car shuffle. You can leave your bike chained to a tree


Grand Experiences Paris, ON


(519) 442-3654 1-888-258-0441 www.grand-experiences.com


Heritage River Canoe & Kayak Co. Brantford, ON


(519) 758-0761or 1-866-GO CANOE www.heritageriver.com


Kayak Direct Cambridge, ON (519) 622-5144 www.kayakdirect.net


24 Spring 2003


illustration Lorenzo Del Bianco


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