Hiking Toronto for Dog Lovers

This ravine park a hidden gem in Toronto. It is a beautiful park in a forest surrounding a section of Taylor-Massey Creek. You may know of the Taylor Creek Trail. Warden Woods Park is east of the Dawes Road and Victoria Park entrances to Taylor Creek Park, on the other side of the Dentonia Park Golf Course.  Off-Leash Dog Park The Warden Woods Off-Leash Dog Park is located on Pharmacy Ave between St. Clair Ave East and Danforth Ave. The ground is packed gravel with shade trees along the fence. The same parking lot is used for the dog park and the hiking trail.  Suggested Route The hiking trail, also known as the Gus Harris Trail, was named after Scarborough's mayor from 1978 - 1988. The paved trail turns into a crushed gravel trail and runs from the parking lot to St. Clair Ave E, near Warden Ave. At St. Clair, a path along the road takes you into the forested side of the creek. The forest trails are well-established and easy to follow. The entire hike is 5 km in length....

Start at a beautiful dog park and then take a pleasant 5 km hike for chances to see salmon migrating, deer, blue heron, blue jays, and some of the best autumn vista views. Suggested Route After visiting Botany Hill Park, hike along the Highland Creek River using the newest trails in Morningside Park. Once you get to the western parking lot, hike over the steep hill for views and then hike back along the river to your starting point. New Trails The city is building new trails with bridges and paved paths in the section of Morningside Park below the Botany Hill Park. The trails are closed when active construction occurs, but the trails are safe to explore on weekends and evenings.  Parking There are several parking lots in Morningside Park, but for this blog entry, I start the trail from Botany Hill Dog Park on  Orton Park Road , where there is street parking. Botany Hill Dog Park The Botany Hill Dog in Scarborough has all the best features for an off-leash dog playgro...