Walks and Views

A short, flat 0.5 km loop through mature deciduous forest in the Mer Bleue sector of the Greenbelt, one of the NCC's inclusive trails designed for people with reduced mobility, strollers and young families. The path is gravel and soil, about 3 m wide, with gentle slopes, accessible parking and accessible washrooms at lot P23 (note a boulder at the entrance leaves 1 m and 1.7 m openings). Best from spring to fall. Free to visit; dogs are not allowed.

Two short nature loops in the Stony Swamp sector of the Greenbelt that the NCC says children love: the 1.2 km Beaver Trail and the 0.7 km Chipmunk Trail, both starting from parking lot P8. They wind through the woodlands and wetlands of the largest wooded area in the Greenbelt, where beaver ponds and abundant wildlife are part of the scenery. Free to walk year round, with free parking and an outhouse at P8; dogs are never allowed on these trails.

An easy loop through the Stony Swamp sector of the Greenbelt (1.9 or 2.7 km) with interpretation panels on the region's geological history, Nepean sandstone outcrops and an old quarry. Watch for white tailed deer, painted and snapping turtles in the wetland and tree frogs singing in spring. Hiking is free year round, and from December to March it is open for free cross country skiing and snowshoeing, conditions permitting. Dogs are not allowed; free NCC parking at lot P5.

One of the Greenbelt's most family friendly hikes, with short, medium and long loops (0.7, 1.7 and 2.3 km) past beaver ponds, wetlands where great egrets nest and interpretation panels about the more than 560 native plant species of Stony Swamp. It is a hub for other trails, and there is a picnic area and accessible outhouses at the trailhead. Open year round; note that the section between waypoints 26C and 26G is closed until further notice, and dogs are not allowed. Free to visit, with free parking at NCC lot P9.

An easy 3.5 km loop in the north end of Rouge National Urban Park, with shorter and longer walking options through forest, meadows and along the water. It starts at the Woodland Day Use Area, 19 Reesor Road, where limited free parking is available all year. The park is free to visit and this is a good gentle walk for families.

A 2 km (one way) Parks Canada trail through young forest and wetlands, passing remnants of old orchards, homes and a mill from early settlement in the Rouge Valley. Start from the south trailhead at 55 Twyn Rivers Drive; access from the north trailhead at Zoo Road is currently closed. The park is free to visit; parking at Twyn Rivers Day Use Area is very limited and has portable toilets.

A classic 2.3 km (one way) Rouge Valley hike along an old logging route over a ridge, with rare Carolinian forest and some steep hills. The south trailhead is at 7450 Kingston Road and the trail meets the Orchard and Vista trails at Twyn Rivers Drive. The park is free, and parking is free but very limited; the lot is locked at 9 p.m. and reopens around 7 a.m.

A 1.5 km (one way) Parks Canada trail in the Rouge Valley whose two level viewing platform is one of the best places in Toronto to see autumn colours and wide valley views. Start from the south trailhead at 55 Twyn Rivers Drive; access from the north trailhead at Zoo Road is currently closed. The park is free to visit, but parking at Twyn Rivers Day Use Area is very limited, so transit is recommended on weekends.

Terraced formal gardens tucked into a ravine on Yonge Street just south of Lawrence Avenue, named for Alexander Muir, the author of the song The Maple Leaf Forever. Stone gates, flower beds and lawns lead down into the ravine trails toward Blythwood Ravine and Sherwood Park. Free and open year round.

A winding, tree lined path on the University of Toronto's St. George campus that follows the buried course of Taddle Creek, from the Queen Alexandra Gateway on Bloor Street down past the Royal Ontario Museum, Trinity College and the Faculty of Music. Benches, old lampposts, a small stone amphitheatre and fourteen red oaks planted in memory of the women killed in the 1989 Montreal massacre line the way. Free and open to everyone.

A waterfront park on the east island of Ontario Place, with grassy hills, a rocky shoreline and one of the best views of the Toronto skyline across the water. The William G. Davis Trail winds through the park for walking, running and cycling. Free to visit; Ontario Place says the park stays open during the site's redevelopment as long as it is safe, so check before you go.

A waterfront park along the Etobicoke shoreline, with a lakeside path that is part of the Martin Goodman Trail and wide views of the downtown skyline across Humber Bay. Sheldon Lookout, a stone platform reaching into the lake with big boulders to sit on, is a popular spot at sunset. Free and open year round.