Reviews of Shade's Mills Conservation Area (Tourist Attraction)

Hussam Al-Haffar

nice and causy

Jane Yang

It’s a perfect place for paddling but not in the weekend. I’ll said I’ve never seen so many people since pandemic.

Matthew Ford

Clean. Good beach. Good lake for a swim, kayak, canoe, trail walk and especially paddleboarding. If you want to use the park before 9am and do not have a membership it will be Credit Card or Cash only, $14 for the un manned gate. 9am and after $7 at the manned gate. Staff are pretty good.

Galya Tchakarova

A great place for walking and relaxation! Visited both in summer and winter and enjoyed it equally! Highly recommend it!

Melissa E

Perfect to spend half a day or full day there

Christopherkwatson W

Spent a great deal of tie here as a kid swimming and hiking ext, great place.

Matthew Schmidt

I have been going to shades mill for years. Best place for a walk, bike or swim. Never camped but many fond memories.

Oliver Popovic

Too bad it closes at 6pm on sunday

Amber N

A nice little escape from the city

T

Lots of activities.

Joan Dundas

Wonderful trails

Jim Jimerson

Nice beach and trails

Christie Brown

Nice shallow, sandy beach for little ones and shady trails for walking. Bring your bug spray!

Bryan Wright

Nice and relaxing conservation area. There are fees but they are worthwhile.

John Mir

Nice, kids loved it and I am exhausted after long day of running behind them :) but I loved it too

Deepak Vishnu D

Nice place for kids. But there is no life guards or beach patrol.

marvina zaya

Nice park

Reza Evol

Beautiful area.

asif sidd

Beautiful place for fishing, bar b q. And enjoy nature

mirza aurangzaib

Awesome place...

Arif-Jale Abo

İt was beautiful sunny day Feb23,2020

Ina Kulczynska

This is a lovely park with a small lake and great forest trails. The beach is great, especially for small children. The lake is wonderful for a quick afternoon paddling trip.

Sinisa Grandic

Vey nice place

preet malhi

It is a little walk from our home. Nice place to go for a walk

Elena Lim

One of my favorite Grand River parks! Lots of trees!

Prasadgouda Mundinamani

Wonderful Place. 7$ entry fee for adult visitors and they also have some membership program for regular visitors. Nature lovers would definitely like this place.

Alïšhå

this place is a scam! don't go here. Just for a park you have to pay so much and the environment is disgusting because of the ducks. One time I went for a field trip with my school and the tourist who works there is really mean, annoying, and boring. that tourist doesnt care about safety and does whatever the hell he wants. I GOT LOST in the forest, and the teachers were looking for me for so many hours. Luckily I got found WORST PLACE EVER....

Aurangxeb Ali

Great experience

Christine Andrews

Unfortunately every year the water is swim at own risk due to poor bacteria levels. Costs 6 bucks just to be able to walk my dog threw the park didn't even use the beach I thought that was kinda lousy. I was only about a half hr still had to pay

Geoff Pearson

Hidden gem within Cambridge. Loved our time there.

Adam Fraser

Good hang out spot to cool down , really wide beach so lots of room with lots of tables.

Pankit Gandhi

Awesome place.

Eric

Very icy in the winter.

Marium Ak

Cute spot with lots of benches and a small beach. Though it can get full quite quickly. Recently because of COVID spots are also limited.

Anwar Darsot

This is an awesome place. Come canoeing and hiking here in the summer. Thus is my backyard literally.

Koung Samounty

So nice

Catharine Robinson

Great beach and shaded areas, washroom facilities are very poor, had to search for one only to realize it was an outhouse. Not impressed.

Mary K

There are no bathrooms near the beach and no change room that we could find. The water was nice and the beach was clean.

Joshua Samson

Good

Shadi Khatib

Nice place

Carolina Miranda

A beautiful park with lots of amazing trails that run in old forest, along a creek, and amidst some old rocks. There is a small beach area that is perfect for families with small children (though it is unsupervised).

Tq_ Scrub

We spent the whole day there It’s really fun and amazing place for summer Everything is perfect

Sarah Murphy

Lovely trails great view of water usually quite

David Schulz

Awesome little park with great picnic areas, kid's programs, well maintained beech with clear water. It is a hidden Gem.

Jawad Ghabra

Beautiful park

Maria Hinton

Absolutely stunning place to spend the day

Zed Dean

The beach is nice relatively to other grand river location, the lake smell , which I guess it is not the issue of this riverside alone.

Jody Yaa

Loved this spot, great for family BBQ & a day is swimming. Long sandy beach with a roped off area for swimming. Lots of shady areas to sit while looking out into the water. Water was warm and clean. Definately would return. Would have gave it 5 stars if there was life guards on the beach.

David Chappell

Great ice fishing for perch and pike.

Michelle Murphy

Very beautiful and not too busy during the week.

Naheed Ahmed

Lovely picnic facilities. The small lake is nice for wading.

Shawn Ryan

I went canoeing in the water at this conservation area. It had a nice spot to drop your canoes/kayaks and motorized boats into. I spent around 3 hours canoeing around while my friends fished. We were there long enough to see a beautiful sunset over the water. This place does cost money to get in, which I cannot remember what I paid. It also has a beach area and a few trials.

Matt Gerhard

Great park for cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Also awesome in summer for hiking and light water activities in the resovioir.

Tamas Fabian

Great place for a day with the family. Not so good for fishing, at least we didn't get anything on the day we have been there. The lake is pretty interesting and deep, we found spots where it was 4-5 meters after the the lake was drained for winter.

Jon Krys

A nice place for trail running. I really appreciate having the Conquer the Canuck trail race here.

sezai yeter

Beautiful place for family. It has great beach and picnic shelters.

Orblocator L

Well groomed. Gently rolling trails to give you good exercise.

Rehan Shah

Its good place

Chris Mallette

I love this park. The beach is ok and the water is fine. Good park for camping. The Best part, is that you wouldn’t know it’s within Cambridge city limits. I took a city bus there once and it was only a short walk from the bus stop.

Cameron Waite

Great place to spend a day

Alex Haack

We have a GRCA pass and for our day off decided to go to shades mills and that place is big and awesome. Lots to do, swimming , baseball, volleyball, fishing, boating, walking and much more. We took the dogs and walked for over two hours and still didn't even come close to walking the park or trails. We walked the Toyota trail for a bit until the bugs got bad and then walked around the beach and other areas. This place has a membership entrance and you just need to scan your card, feel like vip. Haven't seen that before. Lol.

Jahesh Davodra

Good beach and hiking area

Victor Allishaw

Very nice place to spend a great day

Michel Brown

Beach with shaded areas as well as sunny areas to spend the day. Big parking lots accessible to beach.

Clifforrd Vanclief

The best gem inside a City for nature lovers

Geyath Abbar

Amazing park to spend your time with your family and friends you can make BBQ and swims

Gheorghe Curelet-Balan

Nice & easily accessible Conservation Area with many outdoor shelters, beach, summer water renting equipment, parking lots, hiking trails, picnic tables, wildlife, etc.

R Broome

Beautiful spot to walk, have a picnic, you name it. Such a nice place.

Terry n Tracey Schinkel

XC ski trails just groomed and are in great shape.

Christine Ferrari

Great spot for a picnic and play at the beach. Very clean grounds and staff seem friendly.

Tony Bercowski

Always enjoy being at this park. Couple blocks drive from the city and you're in the country. Participated in the Shoppers run for womans health. Well groomed trails made the journey pleasant. It's always nice walking/running along with the beautiful scenes of nature on all sides of us. #celebrity_bucks

Aloka A

Closed on civic holiday.

Rajiv Chattopadhyay

Enjoy going to the beach here, go swimming most days and it's completely safe. Only had to deal with sharks once or twice. I leave my Herschel backpack unattended while swimming and no one has ever stolen it or the lays chips I have inside... amazing community.

Keifer

Nice bike trails!

Lito Ulat

There's plenty of parking, spots to set picnic tables and great fishing adventure.

Rinu Terry

It is a good place to walk around, take your kids to the beach..enjoy the day!

Mark D Turner

Great time at Best Bites.

Michael Thompson

I thought it was exceptional for a place named shades lol

Ricardo León López Cantor

Beautiful place for spending time with family and friends.

Simon VanDerVoort

Dairy Queen.. great ice cream

Solange

A nice well maintained park. Memberships are available or you can pay as you go. A clean beach area with plenty of picnic tables and a few public BBQs. A great little lake for fishing, kayaking, canoeing or paddle boarding. The trails are great for hiking all year long. There is now a little playground and beach volleyball nets

Toya Mullings

Nice place to relax an enjoy the sun

M. Fatih Yegul

Perfect BBQ place. Long beach, nice to swim, perfect for family. Beach volley fields. Highly recommended.

Jason Paul

Awesome place. People are amazing with most social distancing and such. We throw our Waboba ball around and people dont mind as long as your respectful. I dont blaze or smoke on or around the beach area or children. We bring lots of snacks and drinks. And always sunscreen!! If you want a 5 star time come early morning 8-9ish or in the evening after 5-6pm. 8

Rebecca Flanagan

Really cute little beach I had a great time with my toddler here this past summer.

Andrea lynn Sloan

nice park with a beach for post hiking cool off

Murtaza Zaidi

Awesome place to play VB on the sand...great beaches...variety of water boats but disgusting washrooms :))

Steve Simpson

This is a hidden gem. A nice reservoir, swimming, fishing, and hiking trails. Many programs are run on this site. Check the grca website for details.

Katina Szilvagyi

Busy but lots of shade for a hot day

Craig MiLLeR

I was surprisingly shocked to know Cambridge has cleaned up this conservation area. Clean beach , sand was raked everyday I am told. My childhood hangout is clean and maintained.

Chris veevers

Great day with the brother Inlaw. Much more quiet the other places. Love it.

Ryan McCoubrey

Nice beach. Lots of parking. Good for BBQ lunch. Lots of open space.

Glen Woodbridge

Fantastic place, beach is great to have and lake water is acceptable for a place in the middle of a city, well maintained and seem to be trying to improve the place on a yearly bases

Joe McPhail

Great local park in Cambridge area Hiking trails well maintained Park has lots to offer Membership the way to go

The Glass Effect

10/10 place it's really good for photos.

Amanda Y

Shades mill is fantastic. Events, hiking, water activities etc. The woods are so peaceful. I've been going here my whole life.

Jarret Austin

A nice place to spend the day with kids, lots of walking trails, open grass space to play games, swimming and fishing also.

Scott Henderson

Shhhhh! By far the best beach within the GRCA. 3 great volleyball courts plenty of picnic areas and lots of trails for hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing.

Dave Monte

Nice place and camping is very organized and clean.

Josh L-J

Nice area to go for a short hike!

Nicholas Vrentzos

Beautiful place to fish for basic SMB and pikes Jc

Dan Tapley

Nice hiking on a fall day

Hasim Patel

Beautiful place for kids and perfect place for bbq

Andrea D'Ambrosio

We went for a gorgeous 2 hour hike today. Well marked trails and you can choose how long you want to hike. Easy hiking conditions with some uphill paths. Highly recommend.

Bren Irwin

Has some great trails to hike which are pretty well maintained. Nice lake for swimming and picnic tables for picnics. Restrooms are available. Costs money to enter, or you can get a Grand River Park Pass

Mevlüt Özkişi

amazing place

Canadian Carper

Great conservation area

Vymer Gerziznal

Umm do the toilets ever get any maintenance or toilet paper refills

Jasmine Rose

Wonderful beach great place to go with kids. only problem is that the sand has sharp glass sometimes.

MaFer S

Amazing place to go for walks

Abdullah AlBiladi

Love this place. There are plenty of picnic tables, small beaches and two sandy volleyball areas. Furthermore, the washrooms are always clean. The entry fees are C$ 7 for adults, C$ 5.5 for seniors and C$ 3 for kids.

Rebecca Mitchell

Beautiful piece of nature within Cambridge. Swimming, hiking, fishing. And in the summer the show family movies outdoors.

Sonia Soulliere

Amazing family beach.

Ja Sch

A great place to spend the day. All day. All season.

Paul Hoang

Beautiful Park!

Rustam Shirinov

Nica park, nice lake.

Stuart Germain

Great place to take time out and go for a walk. Great trails and a great getaway on the outside of the city. The bugs can be bad and the cost of entry is a little high. Definitely worth it if you have the Grand River Conservation Authority membership.

Alena Barreca

I absolutely love this place, it's an amazing hidden gem in Cambridge. My fiance and I recently bought a Grand River Parks membership and it's been amazing to go here for a hike, a swim, to play volleyball, yoga, and everything in between. My family came down and spent all day Saturday for my dad's birthday and we had a blast. The water and park itself is clean, it's not too busy, and it's just such a secluded spot. Great job Shade's Mill!

jeremy tozzi

$12 for one person to hike is obscene. How is there no one working here in the middle of the day? I will not be returning here.

Christian Saadalla

Multiple beach volleyball sets were setup on sand. The beach was quite large, the trail is drenched in foliage. Going back for sure.

sunita anand

Natural scenic peaceful

Benjamin Dietz

Great place for a quick getaway.

Don Lawrence

Lovely park, exceptionally clean beach, great trails!

Pamela Fraser

It seems fairly small but not even that we couldn't figure out where an event was and missed out. Perhaps better signage during events? We did take advantage of tackle share so my daughter could try fishing and that was a lot of fun!

Dar Woodley

Kids live the little beach. Great family picnic spot

Chris Pettitt

What a great place!!!!

Blue Motion Fitness Inc

Hidden gem in Cambridge! Clean, well kept park. Beautiful trails.

Darian Louks

Great trails and waterfront

Cynthia Russell

Would love to camp here as part of year pass.

Jim Deal

Nice surprise in the city

I TA

Great park with a lot of amenities, perfect for families. Our friends enjoys it a lot.

Richard Burke

Beautiful trails

E. C.

Love it

Annabel Curbelo

Wow, nice place, clean, good to enjoy weather and nature, I should visit more often, excellent to relax and meet friends and family

Bear L0st

Great place for running or dog walk. Kids will enjoy the beach there. Lots of options for fun and volleyball courts.

kris collett

Great walking trails

Hassen El-Falou

Amazing place for swimming and canoeing and hiking

shailesh parmar

Small and easy place for quick outing with the family

S. L.

Wonderful, beautifully kept getaway where you can spend the entire day soaking up the sun, swimming (and the water was not that cold trust me) volleyball or just building sand castles. They have ample parking space, picnic tables, and a huge field to do just about any sport that requires running. Oh by the way for the "beach" if you don't like to feel slush under your feet from the grass-seaweed-mud combo further out in the water just wear a wet-dry shoes because you can walk far out in the water as the slope is not steep at all. So keep the kids safe if they can't swim.

Fawaz K

Such a nice relaxing place to walk, fish, kayak!

Yousif Traveller المسافر

It is really fantastic, if you like dight seeing or taking photos , it is the right place to go .

Kristine Jayatillake

We always rented out the shelter. It’s great if you have a party going on. Shelter has its own washroom.

Ambi C

I arrived in the early morning at the time the website said the park would be open, but was unable to get in as the entrance gate wouldn't accept any of my credit cards. Had driven all the way there so had to find a banking machine to use cash. If you're going, wait until the gate is manned by actual people. Trails are ok, but people have changed some of the direction arrows as a "joke"... So not pleasant to find your way around. I won't go again.

Devin Jones

Nice and simple trails. The outer loop takes a decent amount of time to walk and it can get quite dark in there when the sun is setting. Love it for the convenient location. There is a $15.00 entrance fee when there is no attendant (Visa …

Christine Hunter

Water seems to be getting cleaner over the years. Beach has good amount of shade/sun. Friendly staff. Nice little escape within the city.

Purrrplehaze

Went for a walk on the trail with a friend and checked out the lake. It was May 24 so the beach was crowded but the trail was busy but not in an annoying way... Will definately revisit!

INSPIRING GREATNESS

Beach could be better but decently clean place

Gina Ramsay

Great Conservation Area! Day use only. no camping but open until 9pm. Lots of Trails...Well kept beach. and one amazing Sunset!

Alex Cheng

Great park for family for hiking

Jaipal Bimrah

Eh meh

Safia Athar

Lovely place to spend a day

Line Levesque

Perfect in every way!

Lenny Leopere

Decent place not to far out of town, costs about 5$ for entry to the park but its pretty quick to warm up under a good sun.

Meredith Sexton

Such a beautiful place with great trails for biking, hiking, running and walking with your family! Lovely places to swim and picnic too. Beautifully maintained.

Shoaib Alam

Very good place to visit. Nice picnic place in city

Marbles_BeautyCat

Nice conservation area with a beach

Thomas Robbs

Great place for a family hike. We went in the winter when the lake was frozen. A few ice fishers out there. There are lots of trails to take, but we were there for a short hike after a heavy snow so we just did a short loop around the main grounds. The only thing I'd suggest is better trail marking. It was hard to follow with the snow coverage and we missed part of the short loop because we didn't see one critical continuation of the loop. On the plus side, we found our car! :)

Andrew Booth

Great place to walk the pup! Better in the early evening as not to busy. Awesome scenery

Sahr e Nature

Loaded with beauty of calm nature

Jessica Chong

What a lovely place! Spent the day here kayaking and it was so peaceful. It wasn't overly crowded but there is plenty of space to park. They have beach volleyball areas, shelters for rent, a designated beach and swimming area, a large boat launch area, and clean outhouse/toilets. The hiking trials are beautiful and low difficulty. Highly recommend!

Jeff Ohlhausen

Great place for a run or walk.

Rebecca Felice

Great conservation area. The beach was nice and there were a lot of trails. Some of the trails are stroller friendly too which was a nice surprise as I couldn't find any info on that before we went. Would definitely recommend and go back!

Shannon Nguyen

Best beach in the area and great fishing hole for young kids.

Jeannette Smith

Great place for the family

admir mujanovic

Went in for 30 min while we waited for family to come...then the park got to max capacity... were not given a refund as other family members were not allowed...so we left.

Alexandra Patterson

Very happy to have access to a local, wonderful conservation area in the region. A great location year-round, but an especially great delight in the winter time. It is wonderful to watch people ice fish, cross-country ski, snowshoe, and enjoy nature. In these pandemic times it is heartwarming to see people reach out to nature as a provider of good memories.

Snooky Martin

Really good beach for little kids and family. Very clean lots of trials.

phillip koutsaris

Awesome beach not far to travel too, cheap admission with camping available beautiful scenic view of green trees & nature.

Sarah Jane

I love this beach, except the outhouses are APPAULING. Like we don't stay long because no one wants to use them.

Jerome Gonsalves

We rented the chalet and it was the perfect place to have a get together!

Jennifer Tigerlily

Almost perfect! This year the sand seemed a little thin in the water. Not sure if they can add more sand over the off season. I love the amount of trees near the beaches, the pergolas, the nature's events, the volleyball courts, most of the playground. The slide is always really hot in the sun. My toddlers have both shrieked in pain not realizing it would be hot and putting a leg on it. They don't even attempt it now, they just call it "hot slide".

P B

Beautiful beach for a romantic day..

Kat Fletcher

One of my very favorite places.

Master iOqY

Not a huge park by any means but has a nice beach area where the water is clean and shallow enough for kids in the swimming area. The beachfront has trees that create lots of shaded areas with picnic tables great for hanging out. Canoes and kayaks can be launched for a small boat launch to go around the reservoir. Washrooms are kept clean. Not a free park though and you pay just under $7 per adult instead of by car. There are in and out privileges if you keep your receipt. Dogs allowed on the park but not on the water.

D Tassie

Awesome place to chill for a day

Adam Gibson

This is a great place to try out xc skiing (provided the area has snow). The rentals are super inexpensive and the trails are wonderful! If skiing isn't an option, the trails will also work well for running!

Eric Zhao [Student]

oop

Guhan Iyer

There is a massive useless hill in the trails that just goes up 0/10 wouldn't run here again

Brandon Roy

Great beach, clean facilities

Mona A.

Really enjoyed this place on a hot and humid day. It is a day use area. There is fishing, bring your own kayak, canoe rental available, SUP, professional beach volleyball court, boat ramp, picnic tables and lots of grass to lie down and enjoy this small paradise. Will definotely check this place in the winter for the cross country trails. Hidden gem for sure.

Michael Kennedy

Great place to walk.

Peak 9179

One of our fave spots to go as a family. Great way to spend the day in the summer, picnicking on the beach, canoeing on the lake, swimming. Also love the various kids day camps offered that really get kids out into nature! The new playground is a great addition as well. Cost is very reasonable for a family.

Christina Nemeth

It's within walking distance, it's generally litter free as they have tons of garbage cans that are emptied regularly! Lots of picnic tables and shade. Enough sand to have fun with the kids.

Haroon Ahmed Chaudhry

Love it to go there again and again

Nathan Colwyn

You’re going to definitely want water shoes for the lake! The rocks have slime on them, which is natural, but no one like the feeling of funk between the toes. The parking here is a little confusing to get to, but go slow and the signs help a little. And lastly, be weary that the restroom closest to the lake is UP HILL and there’s a very rocky, dusty path that leads up. Shoes are a definite must!

Kandarp Desai

Nice place for a bbq.

Luke Coughey

It was a nice quiet day at the beach. The water was warm and hardly anyone there...much better than a crowded Guelph Lake.

Jennifer Dobinson

Even though its near by i ended up paying 13.50 for me n my hubby. They don't test the waters at all so at the end of the day we got rashes. And there is poisen oak all over the walking trails.

Troy Rawlins

Love this place great for little kids

Trevor C

Bring my kayak here a lot and i love it!

Osama Wahib

We only went to the beach area which was amazing, nicely organized, clean, & was not crowd, next time we will try the hiking trails

Moataz Salamoun

(Translated) Quiet and relaxing place, highly recommended for families (Original) مكان هادئ ورئع انصح به للعائلات

sab kulafofski

Nice in the summer but closed now for the season

Vitra Mohammed

Shade's Mills is our "go to" spot. Ample parking, lots of space to find a nice spot to picnic. Two Volly Ball sand courts, washrooms available and trails to explore. Dog friendly beach, but keep them on their leash when not in the water.

A N

Lovely place

Kevin Orr

Awesome conservation area! Spend the day at the beach, canoeing and swimming

Mike L

Great little spot in town to go fishing or relaxing on the beach. Also some great trails to explore.

vidya nair

Great place to hang with friends and family. There is a trekking trail for those who love trekking. Loved the beach (its not a beach per say however kids can still make sandcastles on the lake side). Great place to play volleyball. There is an entrance fee of course however it was all worth it. Staff on duty were friendly and helpful, will definitely be doing another trip here soon!

fcsquire

Lots of things to see and do. Swimming, hiking, biking, and oneness with nature. However, the cost is steep: $15 for a visit. This is the biggest downfall and probably the reason why we won't be back...

Ghada Hammouda

Nature play grounds are precious for children and adults as well

Akhil Nanda

Had great time with family. Clean water & parking is near the beach. Play area next to beach made my daughter fun day.

loli pop

Fun

Rita D

Great little spot to spend time with family and friends. Beach area is super clean and maintained.

Erik

Great little conservation area, always enjoy kayaking / floating around the little Lake.

Mohit. Sharma

A nice place to enjoy in the summer. This place is quite clean and has a lot of area to do fun activities.

Kaan Kalay

Restroom or washroom is very bad. Also water quality is not enough for swimming. But it is enough for BBQ outdoor act.

Abdallah Bey Timuroglu

Clean waters. Great place to spend hot summer afternoons.

Osama Madkhali

The best place ever in Cambridge. I went twice this year

Eric Morin

One of the area's best kept secrets as an outdoor playground.

Azhaan Shah

Just visit the part today and I am in love with this place. The park has some great trails to hike which are pretty well maintained. Nice lake for swimming and picnic tables for picnics. Comfortable restrooms are available. Costs money to enter, or you can get a Grand River Park Pass.

TTV_Nomad W01F

Love it and it's really affordable

M Amanullah

nice place

Adnan Siddiqui

Great for day picnics... Shelters, picnic areas, volleyball and beach... Also you can do BBQ

alina bell

Great little beach in the summer

Mifrah Abid

Beautiful views of the lake. Great beach and beautiful trails and picnic area. The road outside leading to the park is also very green and gorgeous.

Corissa George

Love taking the kayak out here. So close by, doesn’t feel like your inside a city! So clean & quiet!

Kaitlin Carruthers

Beautifully maintained, friendly park staff.

Yang Eric

A lovely water place for kids.

pooja mankani

What a beautiful spot to spend the day. It's a hidden gem and gives you the feel of being far away from the city though it's pretty close to civilization. I mean if you wanna get out there and feel close to nature but don't wanna have a long drive then this spot is for you. You can go fishing, kayaking and play volleyball too. Lots of fun activities for kids and adults alike and the beach is great too. My dog thoroughly loved the seven different trails to choose from and enjoyed his dip in the water.

Dan Gavro

Was turned away by three park employees on Canada Day at the entrance to shades mill. I have a season pass. I guess my pass pays for park employees to sit at the entrance and turn people away instead of working and counting people entering the park and letting in visitors in as people leave the park. The policy of closing the park when it gets full is terrible and unfair. There were streams of cars coming out of the park as I was being turned away. Way to ruin my anniversary plans grca.

Ben White

Googled disc golf courses in Cambridge and it pointed me to this place.The rude staff at the gate said there was no course here and almost didnt give me a refund even though i wasnt going to go through the park at all

Michayla Brubacher

Not my usual camping, hiking, canoeing stomping grounds but my residents had a wonderful time there. I found for them it was still mostly accessible, would go again!

Jolayne Goguen

Love the beach

James Neville

Great outdoor experience any season of the year.

Hatim Masamra

Great place for families. Lots of picnic tables. Two beach volleyball courts. Clean washrooms. You need to arrive early as gate closes when park reaches capacity, which usually happens on warm and sunny weekends.

Jacob C

Only stopped in to see what they have to offer. Would definitely like to spend time there.

David Camara

Went to go swimming with the kids at the beach. Expect a lot of dead floating fish.

Jason Phipps

Ok beach. Kids loved the park areas

Bobbi Clifton

Great place for young children to swim, play in the sand and have a picnic. Lots of shade and space which is appreciated during the pandemic.

Lingchen Kong

In all grand river area, this is the best place to go for kids! Clean water and big beach area. Also many tables for BBQ. But you have to go early if you plan to at weekends. Most likely after 11:30 am will be full!

Jodie Coughlin

The beach is clean. The camp is fantastic for my 7 yr old. Taking all the precautions needed right now but still making it a great time for the kids.

stephen sharpe

Beautiful

Brian Howe

Nice little beach and warm water

Mariecris Baricuatro

Good place for picnic.

Alexander Dombrovsky

I went skiing there with my family, they have lots trails, it was fun.

Christopher Van Mourik

Decent beach.

Jeantelle Frizado

Upon arriving the team was already very focused on us. Most of us in the group were dark, tanned, or black. But we're actually from Dominican Republic. Our group of friends who came from MONTREAL to enjoy this day turned out to be very uncomfortable & unfortunate. We each paid our entry fee which was over $150 and we actually left upon arrival; we felt very upset. I've spoken so highly about this place but I guess because I don't look like my friends I've always been treated differently...

James Singleton

Very nice

Jordan Guay

Beautiful scenery

Zainab Jawad

Great place just they need to clean the washroom

Kim Hanko

Haven't been there in years. Went today for a birthday party, and was very impressed. Clean and well maintained.

Ami Patel

Very good place.

Derek Upcott

Fantastic time great help amazing guide

Amy Pharoah

Positives: It has a sandy beach, and the water isn't rocky or weedy for swimming. The water only goes to a maximum of 4 feet deep, which is nice for young kids. They have picnic tables everywhere to eat infront of the beach. They have a little playground nearby. Their trails are lovely. It is quite affordable to go swimming. It costs only around $13 for me to swim with 2 kids. Negatives: The washrooms are deplorable. They are literally the worst ones I have ever been in. I can smell the washrooms 2 meters away. They have many flies inside and no sinks or running water to wash your hands. The toilets don't flush; they just have chemicals in them like an outhouse. Hand sanitizer is mounted outside. See my pics to judge for yourself. Tips: Change into your swimming gear before you arrive at Shade's Mill to avoid the washrooms, and drive wet home. If you want nice washrooms and a lovely swimming area, go to Valens, but it is more expensive. See my reviews if you are interested.

Peta-Gay Berry

Nice for families, couplesor a loner looking to relax. You can bird watch, ride or hike the trails, swim, play games or picnic. Bring sunscreen and insect repellent!

Wendy Peart

Ice fishing and nicely groomed trails for walking, snowshoeing or x-country skiing. Day use only.

Steven Callaghan

Great place to take the family!

L P

Love going for walks here ! It's nice and clean with beautiful views

Woody Burns

Great place for kids and family

Arun Kumar

There are few exciting trails. 5 stars for the nature lol. Great location.

Nathali Paola Bobadilla Baez

I like it because is not super busy

Krista Cr

Lovely in-city conservation area to feel like you are out of the city.

Sam Dalal

Called in before coming to make sure my hour trip will not go in vain. Nice person on phone told me that park is reaching capacity soon but by the time I get there I should be good to come in since people are starting to leave. Got there and was greeted by a superintendent who was doing his job in keeping capacity but was rude about it although people were leaving the park. There was no good reason nor good communication about how long I can wait until I can get in

Nathalie desroches

Ok

Trish S

Went today Friday Sept 15th. Nice warm day. Costs $12.50 to get in. Someone said it was supposed to be $6.50 but the booth was closed. A lot of goose poop on the grass part of the beach, and on the sand too, lots of twigs and debris. Have to watch where you step. Lovely cell phone and hydro towers in the background. This beach could be improved a lot if alcohol was allowed.

Mohsin Mukaddam

Really nice park with nice beach

Jeremy Mazmanian

Great place for a hike ... wouldn't go swimming

Lisa Hall

Loved it

Nick Booth

Great Sandy Beach lots of space to spread out lots of grass area and places for anyone to setup! Shallow swimming area, a true jem within the city!

Trevor Marsh

Great conservation area. Clean and well kept.

Joan Ricketts

Nice for a nature walk.

Laura Bevan-Stewart

I got a membership last winter for the cross country skiing trails. When we have enough snow, the trails are amazing! Unfortunately we haven't had enough to get out this year but I still love to walk all the trails at Shades Mill. I bring my dog and we get lost in the trees! Would highly recommend the trails here. I have not had the pleasure of using the beach yet, but it always seems to be busy!

Nuno Rainho

The park is amazing. The beach, trails and volley camps are nice. You can have o good time here.

justin Holko

Great mountain biking and running trails... At least 10 km. Nice beach for swimming, canoe rentals, good fishing.

Phil Koutsaris

Beautiful beach lots of fun for family & friends great place to Bqq, Swim, Camping, Hiking, Fishing, Paddle Boats.

Nora Fr

The beach and trail is very peaceful. great spot to hangout

Santokh Virdee

Beautiful park.

Erika Fruhner

Beautiful scenery, not the nicest swimming water.

Jessica Taylor

Clean lots for littles to do.

Nina Uppal

Always a go to place for nature lovers

Treanne C

Fresh air, Trails, clean lake to swim in, playgrounds and picnic areas. affordable for the family and not too busy during the week. :)

NESHAT HAZIRI

Lots of fun for the whole family.

Meg Pill

Great if you want to go ice fishing, but otherwise the $7 in the winter is ridiculously overpriced. Nothing to write home about.

David Medeiros

Small beach. Great two small islands which has litter from careless people. Boat dock. No motor boats. Lacks fish. No lifeguards. Great landscape maintenance. Awesome cross country skiing.

Junkai Xu

We went there in January 2021 and found a big icy lake with people ice fishing and skating on it. Really fun place!

debbie ralph

Great fun for the kids

Christina Joyce

Clean quiet park

Dean T

Great day camps for school aged children. Well maintained conservation area very close to the south east area of The City of Cambridge. Public transportation to the entrance to the park is available. Water activities including swimming, fishing etc.

Joan Kimmett

Grandchildren and i had a great time.

Suresh Kappagantula

Please instill better management of entry of visitors during business hours! Please do not play spoilsport with visitors' time, effort and feelings by denying entry! Google shows that this place is open from 8 AM to 9 PM - this is extremely spurious!! I have travelled 38 kilometers to reach the entrance at 3:30 PM (about 5.5 hours prior to closure). Live occupancy status appears as red, indicating that no additional visitors may be allowed inside in order to accommodate social distancing. To my horror, I learn that any visitor reaching there is NOT allowed inside as soon as the maximum capacity is attained!!! Why can't new visitors be allowed inside during open hours, while multiple prior visitors keep vacating the place simultaneously and continuously? Why don't Google business hours show "Open only until maximum capacity (like 100) is reached. Check current capacity status online." Why can't the the closure notice read, "closed for today" or 'closed'. It currently states, "closed- come back at a later time". If I come back at a later time on the same day, I will be there only to be denied entry again!

Millpreet k

Nice XC course to run on wouldn't recommend running races with spikes on

Ken Edgar

Beautul place with really thoughtful and respectful staff working at this location.

Jess Keen

Great place, nice beach, but the Bathrooms are discussing Flies everywhere and it is so dirty and smelly. I would suggest you just wait to go.

Connie Roy

Dress warm but a very nice area

thornedrose1616

Fun in the sun

Joe D

Peace and tranquillity in the middle of a city !! Yearly membership is well worth it, approx. $110, allows you a car full of people for entry. Also allows access to approx. 12 other Grand River Conservation sites. Or you can pay as you go. Clean beach and parks and onsite Conservation Officers. Fishing. Canoe rentals and more.

Azra Khan

Nice place to walk, BBq, enjoy swimming, canoeing, its kind of all in one package

Sarah El-Sayed

Its ok

Sean Samson

Great staff. Free fishing gear rentals (tackle and spinning rod) multiple locations for bank fishing as well as lots of space for off shore fishing as well. My kids loved the beach and lots of shaded areas to set up for the day

Jen Withers

Great place to take the kids and dog

Tim Ad

This is worst park ever. Don’t buy their membership - at 12pm Saturday it’s closed cuz of capacity reached, even if people are leaving you can’t enter. Nonsense. Very rude staff at the enter. I want refund!!!

Nandini Palit

one of the best beaches around Mississauga. A very relaxing place. Clean beach. Really enjoyed our outing.

Jim D

Was our first time there. Looked it up online. What it doesn't say online that we had to find out the hard way is that you have to pay to get in, the office closes at 6pm so after 6 you pay at the machine which is only cash or credit. Kinda dumb how they can do credit but no debit without the office being open.

John Starkey

Very good, lots of space for bubbles, kids and dog friendly. !

Weird Videos

Hold on this

Mary Selvarajah

Beautiful conservation area. The trails and beach are great, so peaceful.

John Gingras

V nice.. is it open to the public tomorrow? ??

Dr Qurrat

Beautiful beach

Mohmmad Darsot

Awsome conservation area, close to home, beauty hidden in the city

Kirk Dennis

Nice beach

Kate Newton

Beautiful

Rheal Dupuis

Ample parking and well maintained washrooms, lawns and beach areas makes this location pleasant to go to. Relax and enjoy yourself if you get a chance to go there.

Michele Dunsford

Diversified trails for walking, hiking or biking. Nice beach area. Some issues with littering along the trails and dog feces not being picked up by owners. Possibly due to increased usage but not acceptable.

ziom ziom

Very Dog friendly

Joshua Greenthorn

Great area for swimming! Can be a little busy especially with lockdowns which leads to a lot of trash being left around but still a really nice spot to bring your friends!

Mike Juvatopolos

It is nice, clean, and coveniently located in town. Although there isn't very many areas to fish from on shore, therefore lots of fish in the water.

Brian Roberts

Great trails. Close location. Expensive fees. Love that's it opened all year round.

Lucas Specyal

Ample parking, lots of space for beach goers and picnickers. However the bathroom facilities are lacking quantity and cleanliness

Roman

Beautiful, clean beach. Lots of shady spaces, picnic tables. Playground ???? great for kids. + trails!

SHAUNA COURTNEY

Great

Can Gursoz

Beautiful place...

Lindsay

Too much seaweed and snails and people that go to the washroom non stop in the water