An intense search for an Owen Sound boy that started on Wednesday afternoon ended with his safe return this morning.

Police searched for the 13-year-old boy on the ground and in the air with the OPP helicopter.

The boy was at Harrison Park in Owen Sound with his grandfather yesterday afternoon when the two got separated. When he failed to return to a pre-arranged meeting place that he and his grandfather had picked, police were notified that he was lost.

The park is a large forested area with steep slopes, crevices and a river.

The OPP's K-9 unit and members of the Emergency Response Team looked for the boy through the night. He was found on a trail shortly after 10 this morning.

"We got a tip that came in through our dispatch centre that somebody thought they saw the young lad matching the description, so our officers caught up with him on the trail, and here he is," Insp. Dave Bishop said.

The boy was in good shape after having spent the chilly night outdoors, with temperatures dropping to single digits.

He was reunited with his parents at the police command post inside the park.

His relieved father said he spent the night in a cave and ate berries, "so all that wilderness training paid off."