Todmorden Mills to Chester Hill Lookout

Explore Toronto history by taking a hike through the Tordmorden Mills Heritage Site. If you've travelled on the DVP, you've likely noticed the iconic tower.

Todmorden Mills

The route I recently discovered combines seeing the buildings of Todmorden Mills, hiking the trails on the site, as well as visiting the Chester Hill Lookout and a few places along the Lower Don Trail. This might seem ambitious, but we did all of this about 5 km.

Parking

At the bottom of Beechwood Drive off of O'Connor, there is a free parking area near the entrance of Toronto Police Dog Services.

Suggested Route

The route I suggest begins on Beechwood Drive. Walk south on the Lower Don Trail to Pottery Road. After crossing the street, turn left on Pottery Road to the entrance of Todmorden Mills Heritage Site. Visit the historic buildings and hike the trails up to Broadlands. Walk to Chester Hill to the Lookout. 

Map of suggested route for a hike in Todmorden Mills

Autumn Vibes

The trails are beautiful in September and October as the days get shorter and the foliage gets colourful. Here is a collection of photos I took walking from my car to Pottery Road.

Fall foliage in Todmorden Mills

Lower Don Trail

The Lower Don Trail is extensive, so visit often to explore it fully. A previous blog used this trail to connect Crothers Woods to Evergreen Brickworks. 

After parking, use the paths through wildflowers to get to the Lower Don Trail. You may encounter a Police K9 dog on a break as we did on one visit.

You can stay on the paved trail or use the side trail along the river. We prefer the river trail as it allows dogs to be off-leash.

Dog on the rocks in the Don River

If you're lucky, you will see salmon in the river. The salmon migration occurs annually in September and October. The Don River is one of the rivers in Toronto where you can see the salmon run. 

Salmon see in the Don River during the salmon migration

Be sure to stop at the Don River Fish Ladder. A seating and viewing area was recently installed so you can wait patiently to see a salmon jump over the weir.

The Don River Fish Ladder

Pottery Road

Cross Pottery Road and turn left. On your right, you'll see the historic Pottery Road Bridge that was built in 1928.

Historic bridge on Pottery Road at Bayview Avenue

There are several artistic signs at this junction, including the name sign, crossing signs, and murals on the underpass. 

Sign for Pottery Road

. Mural painting on underpass on Pottery Road

Todmorden Mills History

On the left-hand side of Pottery Road is the event venue, Fantasy Farms. In 1790, all this land was owned by the Isaiah Skinner family, who started a lumber mill. Fantasy Farms is the actual location of the Skinner home, which was torn down years ago. Fantasy Farms is private property, but you can see an ancient horse coach on display in front of the venue.

Ancient horse coach on display at Fantasy Farm

This area became a vibrant community with a brewery, lumber, paper, flour and sawmills, and a brick factory. Thomas Helliwell and John Eastwood opened the brewery in 1820, and the area was renamed Todmorden after the village in England, where John Eastwood was born.

The Brewery in Todmorden Mills

The Skinner family operated the mills on the site until 1855 when the property was sold to the Taylor family, who also owned Don Valley Brickworks across the road. The mill remained in operation until 1920 when the mill was converted to riding stables. In 1940, the property was used as a German Prisoner of War camp.

In 1967 the area became a historic site and community museum. 

The museum in Todmorden Mills

The 9-hectare natural area around the mill is the Todmorden Mills Wildflower Preserve. 

Sign for Todmorden Mills Wildflower Preserve

This preserve is maintained by a group of volunteers working to restore the land to the original vegetation before Europeans settled the area in 1790.

Trails in Todmorden Mills Dog walking the trails in Todmorden Mills

Pond in Todmorden Mills

Chester Hill Lookout

One of the trails in the Todmorden Mills Preserve leads you up a steep hill. 

Trail from Todmorden Mills to Broadview Ave

Follow this trail to get to Broadview Avenue.

Artwork on the building at the top of the trail

Turn right and walk along Broadview Ave until Chester Hill. At the end of Chester Hill is a lookout over the valley with great views.

Chester Hill Lookout

Dog looking at the valley from the lookout

View of Don Valley from Chester Hill Lookout

A fence blocks the seldom-used trail from the lookout to the Todmorden trails, so instead, walk back the way you came to return to your starting point. 

Birdwatching

We heard bluejays and other birds, but only captured a photo of a red-tailed hawk.

Red-tail hawk seen in Todmorden Mills

Route Suggestions

Todmorden Mills Heritage Site: You can actually park on-site in a small parking area beyond the Todmorden Mills entrance. If you choose this parking area, your hike will be dramatically shorter.

Crothers Woods: There is plenty of parking at the Thomas Hauser Trailhead on Redway Road. See this blog entry Crothers Woods, Lower Don, and Evergreen Brickworks for details. The distance will be about the same if you start from Crothers Woods instead of Beechwood Drive.

Instagram

Enjoy your hike! When you post photos to Instagram, tag us at @hikingtoronto or #hikingtorontowithlucy.





Location: 67 Pottery Rd, Toronto, ON M4K 2B9, 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