The address for the launch site and parking area is 780 Fountain St. South in Cambridge, ON. It is 2.4km from the Highway 8 Cambridge exit off of the 401.
CAUTION – there is a 780 Fountain St NORTH. Don’t put that in your GPS
If you're coming on the 401 from Toronto, exit at Cambridge Hwy 8 / King St / Shantz Hill. Turn left and go 1km to the bottom of the hill – turn right on Fountain St then 1.4km to Moyer’s Landing. For part of the summer there is a Strawberry Stand blocking our sign.
Coming from London or Detroit
Exit at Fountain St Cambridge. Stay on Fountain St for about 3 km until you cross the river and in about 200 yards, our entrance lane is on the right.
Your adventure ends at Riverbluffs Park. Depending if you’re an avid paddler or spend your day drifting, it will take between 2½ hours to 4 hours. You’ll exit at a small gravel like beach on the right side of the river. You won’t see the exit point until you come around a bend in the river. We are well before the old iron train bridge that you’ll see.
Just look for our trailer parked about 50ft from the exit point. Because this is a “no touch” year our staff can’t help you out of the river.
Just carry your tube to the trailer where you’ll receive a Taxi Voucher to take you back to your car.
Golden Triangle Taxi is our transportation provider and you can download their app (GTT) or call 519 740-2222. Currently, to protect you it's limited to 3 people per taxi with all windows down. There is a plexiglass divider between the front and rear seats. We have pre-paid your taxi costs. The driver will not ask for payment.
You can cancel at any time up to the day before for a full refund. If you cancel on the day of the trip there is a 50% charge.
HOWEVER, trips canceled at last minute due to heavy rain, thunderstorms, high winds or high water can be rescheduled or refunded at no charge.
We reserve the right to cancel trips if we feel river flows, storm or wind conditions are unsafe. If we cancel a trip, you can reschedule or request a full refund.
All participants must sign a waiver. The waiver is electronic. You sign the waiver once you book . If there are several people in your group you must ask if you can sign for them or forward the waiver to them. We use this system so you don’t have get a paper waiver from us - it’s part of our Social Distancing protocol.
The waiver is required by our insurer as well as the municipal authority that owns our launch site. No waiver – no go.
Minors: Anyone under 18 is considered a minor and must have a parent or guardian sign the waiver.
Due to possible contamination, we can’t provide splash resistant bags this season. We suggest that if you bring keys and smartphone (everyone does), you also bring Ziploc bags for protection. We can’t accept any responsibility for items you lose in the river or water damage. Ziplocs will protect your valuable phones and keys.
This year, bring a plastic shopping bag to keep things in.
We know how important your phone is to you. Many people stream the trip BUT things also have a way of going into the river, never to be seen again. We take absolutely no responsibility for loss or damage. If you're going take these items, you must bring Ziploc bags for added protection. We can’t provide splash bags this year – a plastic shopping bag is a good option. Remember, things may get wet if they aren't in a ziploc bag.
We suggest that child be at least 4 years of age for tubing.
If a child is under 75 lbs a parent or guardian must supply a child sized life-vest
The weight limit is 250 pounds for Turbo Tubes. You also have to be able to get in and out while on the river in case you get into shallow water. We do have 5 tubes that will take 300 pound but again, you have to be able to get in and out by yourself.
Sorry – no (and we have and love dogs). Their nails can puncture the Tubes.
Canadian federal law does not allow open alcohol on any type of boat on the water.
It’s against the law to throw litter or glass of any kind into the river.
The Grand is a reasonably wide lazy river. The current will carry you along at 2 km per hour. There are no large rapids. If you want large rapids you should go to the Ottawa River.
Two of the pictures on our home page were taken during spring runoff when the river was in full force flood stage. We don’t take guests at that time because it’s dangerous.
If there’s a sudden thunderstorm before the tour begins, we hold the right to cancel or reschedule the trip. Thunderstorms usually pass in 25 minutes.
We reserve the right to cancel the tour depending on weather conditions.
If the tour has been paid and then cancelled because of weather conditions, your refund is 100%.
During summertime afternoons, thunderstorms can pop up. The odds of being struck by lightning are very low. No one has ever been struck by lightning while on the river with us, but you should be cautious. We recommend the following. First, get out of the water and onto the shore. Once on land don’t stand next to any large trees. Find some smaller trees or sit in a clearing. You can use your Tube or Kayak as a shelter to sit under. The storm will pass usually within 20-minutes. Then you can finish your tubing trip.
Since the Grand is relatively shallow, non-swimmers go tubing with us often. For about 80% of your trip, the river is less than two feet deep. We provide a life jacket that you must wear. There are a couple of areas where the water is over 6ft deep so wear your life jacket.
If you’re in the area and haven’t been able to book online, call 519 241-5853 to confirm we can accommodate you. We have no credit or debit machines at the river, so cash works best. We do have a smartphone and you can make an instant reservation and credit card payment using that.
We generally open May Long Weekend and close after Labour Day.
Cool days a fleece sweater, nylon windbreaker; Warm days – sneakers or sport sandals and shorts.
Any time – the Grand River has excellent flows May to September. Weekdays are less crowded, as are the early weekends.
During May & early June, the water is cool but not cold. Later in the summer, the river warms up, to roughly 20℃ (70℉).
We want your experience to be fun and a great value. The Grand often has shallow spots and large rafts and canoes get stuck. Turbo Tubes were designed for shallow water.
Our launch area has an Amazon Pop-Up toilet tent. Not fancy in any way but does the job. Along the river, there will not be any facilities but there are woods and meadows. In 2021 most toilets are closed due to Covid and we don't know when they'll reopen. Try to plan for that. If you're coming from Toronto, stop at the service centre near Cambridge. That will have washrooms that are open. We'll update this FAQ when there are any changes.
The CTC Gas Bar at the bottom of Shantz Hill has the washrooms open but seems to be day by day.