Summer Walks in Taylor Creek Park

Flat trail with a river, marsh, and forest

The park connects many neighbourhoods and parks. During the Covid-19 Lockdown, the Taylor-Creek Trail parking lots were closed, essentially making it a park for locals only. I heard from frequent walkers that the trails got quite busy at times, but the park is so large that social distancing is still achievable. 

Parking Lots Closed

Our last visit was May 27, 2020, and we were surprised to see that the parking lots were still closed. Many in the city are already open, but not here. The entry from Don Mills is also closed, but due to construction, not the pandemic.

Taylor-Creek Park Dawes Road Parking Lot

Donora Ravine

We parked on a nearby street and walked into the Taylor Creek Park through the Donora Park. 

map of Donara Ravine to Taylor Creek Park

Sign for Taylor Creek Park

Toronto Children's Theatre

This alternate route allowed us to discover the Children's Peace Theatre. According to their website, they are: 
a place where people come in, connect and interact and learn, cross pollinate their knowledge to scatter in many places, while more young people join in and spark new conversations — in a continuous cycle of new possibilities.
They are closed during Covid-19, but I hope they can open soon and once again provide their services to the community.
 
Goulding Estate near Taylor Creek Park

The house was initially known as the Goulding Estate. It was built in 1921 on the Dentonia Farm as a wedding gift to the granddaughter of Hart Massey. The Massey family is known for farm equipment (Massey-Fergurson) and as patrons of the arts (Massey Hall). See Hiking the GTA's Massey-Goulding Estate post for historical details.

Follow the path to the West Dawes Road parking lot. Read the signs to see what wildlife you might expect to see.

Taylor Creek Park sign

Use the underpass to get to the other side of Dawes Road and enjoy the street art as you do.

Taylor-Massey Creek

Street art on underpass

You'll now be in the large parking lot on the east side of Dawes Road, where we would typically begin this hike. There are public washrooms in this area, but they are likely closed until the pandemic is over.

Natural Beauty at its Finest

Regardless of the season, the scenic river and surrounding trees make this park quite beautiful.

Beautiful creek in a forest

Blooming tree in Taylor Creek Park

This wasn't always the case, though. Less than 20 years ago, this area was one of the most polluted in the city. In 2003, the environmental group known as Friends of the Don East (FODE) began the Taylor-Massey Project to clean up and restore the interconnected water systems of Toronto. The restoration continues. It's worth a visit to see how your tax dollars are being used to make Toronto as connected to nature as possible.

Cycling

Along the path, you'll see signs for cyclists, so you'll quickly realize that this is a "bike highway," and you're likely to encounter cyclists traveling at high speeds. In parks like this, I highly recommend that you keep your dog on a leash.

Signs for cycling paths along Taylor Creek.

Unpaved trail

If you walk on the side of the river where the paths are unpaved, you'll think you're on the "dog highway." This is an unofficial off-leash area, and you're likely to meet many dogs on even the shortest walk.


Dogs running in Taylor Creek Park

Mountain bikers and joggers like the unpaved routes as well, so be cautious regardless of where you are.

Trail details

Walk west along the paved path until the first bridge. Cross the bridge and continue going west along an unpaved trail. Keep the river to your left. On this side of the trail, you may find opportunities to let your dog run off-leash. The creek seems clean and is easily accessible, so if your dog likes getting wet, that's likely going to happen.

Dogs swimming in Taylor Creek

For a 5 km loop, continue along the river until the path turns into a bridge. Cross the bridge and turn left on the paved trail in the direction you came.

Bridge in Taylor Creek Park

Marsh Life

This area is a wetland filled with life that you may wish to explore. 

Marshy pond filled with wetland life

We could hear the bullfrog's singing. This is a very loud croaking sound that I've seen described as a "bull-like bellow." The frogs are actually defending their territory during mating season. If you've never heard their sound before, it may scare you. It certainly made our dogs wonder what was going on!

American bullfrog during mating season

Don't forget to look up. I nearly missed this huge black-crowned night heron setting in a tree overlooking the wetlands.

Giant bird named black crowned heron hunting in a marsh

On your way back to Dawes Road, you'll go under the vast O'Connor Drive bridge. 

O'Connor Bridge from the Taylor Creek Trail in Toronto.

Social Distancing

It's not hard to keep a distance from other people while walking this wide trail. Some dogs carry around big sticks to be sure they stay safe.

Dog carrying a big stick

Coronavirus Treasures

Keep an eye out for painted rocks that are being left in the forest these days. 

Painted rock for coronavirus

Location: Taylor Creek Park, 260 Dawes Rd, East York, ON M4C 5C4, Canada

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bestview Park Nature Trails

Image
The parkland south of Steeles Ave between Bayview Ave and Leslie Street is a huge area with many trails. One trail follows the Don River, and another follows the tributary, German Mills Creek. The trails immediately behind the tennis courts are known as Bestview Park Nature Trails.  Parking Park near the  Steelesview Public School  at 105 Bestview Drive. Park on the street or use the spots at the school when it is closed.  Suggested Routes These trails are difficult to describe since none of them are marked. To make it clearer, I've separated the trail descriptions into three parts, as indicated by the numbers on the map. From Bestview Ave, follow the paved path between the tennis courts and the children's playground to the first bridge. This is the spot where the German Mills Creek flows into the Don River and is where our routes split into 1) right to St. Joes, 2) straight to Cummer, and 3) left to Leslie Street and a loop back to Bestview Park. Saint Joe's Turn right jus
Read more

Sunnybrook Off-Leash Park

Image
Socialize your dog, visit a creek, and hike through a ravine Enjoy nature in another historic area of Toronto Sunnybrook Park is a place you can visit often and never repeat an experience. There are trails in the woods, paved paths, and a vast off-leash dog area. It is a nice mix of experiences with an occasional encounter with a creek or river. History We can thank the Kilgour family for this fabulous park. In 1909, Joseph Kilgour and his wife Alice established Sunnybrook Farms on a 200-acre lot. Joseph and his brother made their fortune in the paper industry, specializing in cardboard and paper bags. After the death of her husband, Alice donated the property to the City of Toronto on condition that it never be developed. Many of the original buildings and stables still exist. You can learn the full history of the property in the Sunnybrook Park post of the Hiking in the GTA blog. Parking There are two parking lots near the Sunnybrook Dog park. If you arrive at the
Read more

Bluffer Park and Marina

Image
There's no place better to be on a super hot day than near the water. Toronto has many bodies of water that can help you and your dog beat the heat this summer. One of the most popular places is Bluffers Beach in Scarborough on Lake Ontario. Next to the beach is a marina and park. It is possible to hike the entire area in one day, but why not visit multiple times? A previous blog entry,  Bluffers Beach in Summer , gave details on visiting the large beach on the east side. This blog post is about the park instead of the beach.  There is a small beach on this hike, but on a holiday or weekend, this might fill up fast. People like to arrive early with food and shelter to stay the day.  Directions My suggested route is 4 km at the most and starts in the parking lot at the southern end of Brimley Road,  furthest to the right (west).  Parking Parking is free during weekdays until 5 pm, but you must pay on weekends, holidays and evenings. Suggested Loop Once you've parked, you'll
Read more

New Trails in Charles Sauriol Conservation Area

Image
A favourite trail has become even better! For the past few years, construction equipment has been on the south end of the Charles Sauriol Conservation Area. The construction is now complete, and the new trails connect even more neighbourhoods to this popular area of Toronto. The paved trail was originally from Lawrence Ave in the north to Wynford Drive in the south. Now you can follow paved trails to Wigmore Park or Anewen Greenbelt. Hiking from the Lawrence Ave parking lot to Wigmore Park is 3 km, so an in and out hike is a very pleasant 6 km.  Normally the parking lot and the trails are not maintained over the winter months. However, with Covid-19 still causing havoc, the city has decided to maintain trails this winter to allow people to get outdoors to get exercise and stress relief.  If you are new to this hiking area, maybe you have seen the rainbow tunnel driving on the DVP. This tunnel connects Moccasin Park to Charles Sauriol Conservation Area. There is a parking area in Moccos
Read more

Huntington Park, Markham

Image
Huntington Park is located south of the 407 highway between Bayview Ave and Leslie Street.  The German Mills Creek flows through the park and eventually into the East Don River.  The trail takes you through two valleys: Valley View Park and Maple Valley Park. Parking There is limited parking at the dog park, so drive a bit further to the larger parking lot between the baseball diamond and the soccer field. The address is Huntington Park Drive, east of Lambert Road . Off-Leash Dog Park The dog park is quite large, and Lucy has made many friends on every visit. We often start our hikes in a dog park to learn more about the area. On our first visit, we met a couple at the dog park who were planning to hike the trail with their dogs, so they became our tour guides on the hike. We've only been here in the winter, so I'm not sure what the surface is like underneath the snow. Hydro Corridor For a full 5 km loop, I recommend that you first walk the hydro corridor trail parallel to the
Read more

Earl Bales Park to Don Valley Golf Course

Image
Earl Bales is a large park with Sheppard Ave West to the north and Bathurst Street to the west.  There are many hiking trails in this park that we enjoy exploring, but only in the winter can the general public walk the golf course. The Don Valley Golf Course is south of Earl Bales and allows hikers and dogs to visit the property during the winter months. We've blogged about this trail before. See  Earl Bales Park . For this hike, we start at the community centre off of Bathurst Street, visit the dog park, walk past the ski hill, along the Don River to the golf course. We've previously turned back at the 401, but this time we continued to Wilson Ave for a 9 km hike. Parking There is no shortage of parking spots in the winter. The parking near the Community Centre is located at 4169 Bathurst Street . Dog Park We followed the signs down to the dog park. The trail is between the community centre and the Barry Zukerman Amphitheatre. As usual, we met new friends at the off-leash dog
Read more

Sherwood Park Off-Leash Paradise

Image
Sherwood Park is located in mid-town Toronto between Bayview Ave and Mount Pleasant Road, north of Eglinton Ave. The city built Toronto's best off-leashed dog playground in the ravine. Dogs can run free through the forest and access Burke Brook. Despite the large number of dogs who visit the park, it is very clean and frequented by non-dog owners jogging or walking through the fenced-in area.    Parking There is a free parking lot at  160 Sherwood Ave  as well as street-parking on Blythwood Road.   Suggested Route It's a pretty straightforward trail. To explore every path, turn left whenever there is a choice to be made. The trail through the dog park is 2 km in length. The path is paved or decked, so it is clean and usually wide-enough to keep your distance from other people.  The off-leash area is fenced, so your dog is unable to go on roads or private property. It's hilly, so there is plenty of variety for you and your dog. Parts of the forest are fenced to protect envir
Read more

Humber River Trail - Etienne Brulé Park

Image
The Humber River is 100 km long, so there are many hiking trails to explore.  The river connects to Lake Ontario in the south. See earlier blog entry, Sunnyside Beach , about a park to explore at the southern point of the Humber River. Parking or Transit This hike begins at the  Etienne Brule Park , where there is free parking. For those who use transit, the nearest subway station is the Old Mill Station . You'll be following part of the Humber River Recreational Trail.  Suggested Route Starting at Etienne Brule Park, walk north on the paved path until you reach the footbridge over the Humber River. Turn back at this point for an 8.5 km hike.  The Trail You can walk the paved trail for the entire hike if you like. There is also a gravel path as well as a footpath next to the river. Cyclists tend to use the paved path and joggers the gravel path.  I like to use the river path to get the best view of the birds, and for Lucy to play in the river. Weir or Low Head Dams The barrier that
Read more

Rouge Park Woodland Trail

Image
The Rouge Park Woodland Trail is one of the lesser-known trails in the Rouge Urban National Park.  Several trails take you through a beautiful forest and along the Little Rouge River. The 2 km trail is marked with green signs. The longer trails are not marked but are easy to find. Parking The parking area is located at 19 Reesor Road . The lot is small, so if it's full, see if you can find a spot on the shoulder of Reesor Road. The Trail Our actual 3 km route is shown in the map from the UnderArmor MapMyWalk App. If you use this app, find our route:  https://www.mapmywalk.com/workout/5069365768 The longer 5 km route takes you up a steep hill to a flat area closer to Reesor Road. If you use this app, find our route:  https://www.mapmywalk.com/workout/4991115811 The beginning part of the trail is lined with rocks. Well-worn footpaths follow the river. Be careful as the trail is very close to the riverbank that is eroding. You'll get great views of the river with a few spots that
Read more

Colonel Danforth Park to Old Kingston Road

Image
Discovering this trail was one of the highlights of my summer. Lucy loved playing in the river and I had many opportunities to photograph wildlife. I met friendly people on every visit. I plan to visit more often and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to explore nature within the city. Suggested Route This hike is really straight forward. You can park at either end of the trail: The Colonel Danforth Dog Park  (on the west end) or the Colonel Danforth Park  (on the east end). My map shows the route starting at the dog park. The distance is 2.5 km each way. Parking After parking at the Colonel Danforth Dog Park, cross Old Kingston Road and turn left to cross the bridge. The trail head begins immediately after crossing the bridge. The Trail A paved path follows the river and attracts cyclists and joggers.  I walk on the unpaved trail beside the river, which allows me to see more wildlife and hidden treasure. It also allows me to leave Lucy off-leash for most of the walk.  Birdwatching
Read more