The salmon will be running!
Owen Sound is one of the few places in Ontario where you can watch the salmon spawning in their natural habitat, in streams and rushing rivers, migrating upstream to lay their eggs in the shallows before winter settles in. The salmon run is weather dependent, usually beginning mid-September and lasting until about mid-October.
Set against a backdrop of stunning fall colours, rivers and waterfalls just two hours north of Toronto, the Owen Sound Salmon Tour is a free, fun and educational adventure for all ages.
You can hike the tour, including parts of the Bruce Trail, cycle the tour through Owen Sound and the surrounding countryside, or drive the route, which is car and motorcycle friendly.
You can also take along a canoe or kayak to paddle the route, which follows the Sydenham River from the Owen Sound harbour on Georgian Bay through the city centre and up to spectacular Inglis Falls.
Whatever your mode of travel, the self-guided fall tour brings you up close and personal with the legendary Chinook salmon, prized by fishermen and honoured by many cultures.
The salmon's journey -- and yours -- starts at the city's historic harbour then continues through the River DIstrict , to the Tom Thomson Art Gallery and Owen Sound Farmer's Market and on to the first fish ladder to be built in Ontario. Here you'll see the salmon leaping and thrashing their way to the top of a steep drop in the river at the mill dam.
Follow the salmon to Harrison Park, Owen Sound's "jewel in the crown" bursting with fall colours and offering trails, accessible playgrounds, a restaurant, family campground, black history cairn and Weaver's Creek Falls, part of the Owen Sound Waterfall Tour.
Continue on to the Grey-Sauble Conservation headquarters, where you'll learn more about the salmon migration and observe the fish in shallow, specially created spawning channels.
The tour's climax is Inglis Falls, right on the Bruce Trail. It's one of the most popular waterfalls in the region and a fantastic look-out point over Owen Sound and Georgian Bay, particularly in fall with when the sugar maples explode with colour.
Don a pair of runners or hiking shoes to complete the Salmon Tour on foot. The route follows paved trails and sidewalks along the harbourfront and downtown Owen Sound, hard-packed dirt walkways and paved trails in Harrison Park, and somewhat more challenging paths en route to the Grey-Sauble Conservation spawning channels and Inglis Falls.
From Harrison Park to Inglis Falls, you will find yourself on the renowned Bruce Trail, the longest foot-path in Canada; just follow the white arrows.
The walking tour is 5.08 kilometres one-way, and you may choose to hike only portions of it. Free parking is available at the Visitor Information Centre, the Mill Dam & Fish Ladder, Harrison Park and the Grey-Sauble Conservation office.
Highlights of the salmon walking tour include the harbourfront walkway, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery, the Owen Sound Farmer's Market, and a stroll along "Millionaire's Drive" and historic homes backing onto the Sydenham River. On the trails to Inglis Falls, you'll find distinctive rare ferns, splendid autumn colours, rocky outcrops and unique flora and fauna.
Quiet paved roads and scenic, hard-packed trails mark the 6-kilometre Salmon Tour loop from the Owen Sound harbour to Harrison Park and back. This is a family-friendly route appropriate for all ages with several stops and resting points along the way, including the mill dam and fish ladder, where you can watch the salmon spawning. Bring your own bike or rent one from the Owen Sound Visitor Centre for FREE. Pack a lunch and make a day of it!
More experienced or adventurous cyclists can continue on the route to the Grey-Sauble Conservation spawning grounds and Inglis Falls, roughly 3 kilometres south of Harrison Park. There are two steep hills that might challenge a novice cyclist - one just outside Harrison Park heading up to Greenwood Cemetery and the other on Inglis Falls Road as you approach the falls.
Bike lock-ups are available at the Visitor Information Centre, the Owen Sound Farmer's Market, and the Grey-Sauble Conservation Administration Office.
The Salmon Tour is an easy drive from the harbour to Inglis Falls, with ample parking at all salmon observation sites. Parking is free at the Visitor Information Centre and the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority. There is a fee at the Inglis Falls Conservation Area.
You may wonder how the fish you see on the Owen Sound Salmon Tour came to thrive in Georgian Bay, Ontario. Native to the Pacific Ocean, the Chinook salmon were introduced to the Great Lakes in the 1960s to control the invasive Alewife fish population. The salmon adapted to their new environment remarkably well, thriving in the cool waters of Georgian Bay. This created a brand new industry -- world-class salmon fishing in Ontario - and fishing clubs have been stocking the lakes with Chinook salmon ever since.
The Sydenham Sportsmen, a non-profit conservation group, maintains the salmon fishery in Owen Sound, hatching, growing and releasing up to 500,000 salmon and trout each year into the Sydenham River. The group operates a hatchery at Weaver's Creek, a spring-fed waterway that stays cool enough year-round for the fish to hatch and grow. (You can visit Weaver's Creek Falls, downstream from the hatchery, on the salmon tour). According to the Sportsmen, salmon raised in hatcheries have a much better chance of survival than those reproducing on their own.
Timing is everything for the salmon. When they reach the "smolt" stage, ready to bolt in spring, they are released into the Sydenham River and head towards the open water of Georgian Bay, where they will live for the next three to four years, until fully mature.
Then nature lures them back to the river they came from, to spawn and end their quixotic journey, dying in the process of creating new life. Salmon in the wild behave the same.
Heading upstream on the Sydenham, the salmon encounter a former mill dam that would be impossible to scale were it not for a special fishway, or fish ladder alongside it. Built by the Sydenham Sportsmen in 1967, it was the first fish ladder in Ontario! The mill dam and fish ladder are cooperatively run by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Sydenham Sportsmen and the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority.
The Sportsmen and Conservation Authority have also created spawning channels for the fish at various points along the river - gravelly, protected areas where they can lay their eggs in the shallows. The salmon breeding and stocking program is closely monitored each year by the Ministry of Natural Resources. University researchers also often study the salmon in Owen Sound.
If you happen to arrive at the Mill Dam when there is a lot of activity going on, it may be the sportsmen collecting eggs and milt (semen) from the fish for their hatchery program. Feel free to stop by and watch or ask questions.
Get hooked on salmon fishing!
The Owen Sound bay and harbour are great spots to catch Chinook salmon. You can fish off the harbour wall and river banks in the fall when the salmon are migrating inland. No fishing is allowed near the mill dam or further upstream, where the fish are spawning.
The best time try your luck is late evening, when you will find many other anglers and local residents gravitating to the harbour and river. And in Owen Sound, you can eat what you catch!
Great salmon fishing can also be found in the bay throughout the year, but slow trolling and downriggers are the only ways to catch them. The city has two boat launches, one on either side of the bay, and a marina to serve boaters.
The city celebrates its bountiful supply of salmon at the annual Salmon Spectacular Fishing Derby, held the last week of August. The popular 10-day festival features two Saturday fish fries and daily entertainment.
Fishing Supplies are available at:
Watson's Tackle House
125B 14th St. W., Owen Sound N4K 3X6
519-371-0090
Canadian Tire Sporting Goods Dept.
1605 16th St. E., Owen Sound N4K 5N3
519-376-5220
Fletcher Sports
R.R.#5, Owen Sound N4K 5N7
519-371-8587
Wal-Mart
1555 18th Ave. E., Owen Sound N4K 6Y3
519-371-6900
Heading upstream on the Sydenham, the salmon encounter a former mill dam that would be impossible to scale were it not for a special fishway, or fish ladder alongside it. Built by the Sydenham Sportsmen in 1967, it was the first fish ladder in Ontario! The mill dam and fish ladder are cooperatively run by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Sydenham Sportsmen and the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority.
The Sportsmen and Conservation Authority have also created spawning channels for the fish at various points along the river - gravelly, protected areas where they can lay their eggs in the shallows. The salmon breeding and stocking program is closely monitored each year by the Ministry of Natural Resources. University researchers also often study the salmon in Owen Sound.
If you happen to arrive at the Mill Dam when there is a lot of activity going on, it may be the sportsmen collecting eggs and milt (semen) from the fish for their hatchery program. Feel free to stop by and watch or ask questions.
Please feel free to Walk, Cycle or Drive the self-guided Tour using the links on our site.
Other fall activities
Comfortable temperatures and the fantastic trails of the Niagara Escarpment and the Bruce Trail make hiking, biking and paddling popular fall activities along the Sydenham River.
In the mood for exploring? Within the Owen Sound region you'll find studio tours and apple picking, caves, cliffs and lighthouses, waterfalls and some of the most beautiful vistas in Ontario, on serene country roads and also overlooking Georgian Bay.
Many festivals and events take place at this time of year, including the Salmon Spectacular Fishing Derby, Meaford Scarecrow Invasion, Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Ribfest, and more!
Owen Sound Tourism, in collaboration with the Sydenham Sportsmen Association and Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, is thrilled to bring you an exciting lineup of activities during the salmon season! Be sure to check out the Tourism Events calendar for all the details. Plus, don’t miss out on Owen Sound Tourism’s fun colouring contest! Pick up copies at Visitor Services, or PRINT off the colouring sheets, and let your creativity shine—decorate your salmon using paint, crayons, markers, or anything you like!
Submit your masterpiece by October 12, 2024, to #TourismAtTheTOM - via email, in-person at Visitor Services, or by sharing your creation online using #SalmonTour2024 to WIN a special Tourism giveaway!
