Hiking Toronto for Dog Lovers

Take a 2 km hike along the Highland Creek River from the Colonel Danforth Park to Lake Ontario. This river attracts many birds and wildlife. The reward at the end of the hike is a beach on the lake.  I wasn't able to make a loop of this hike, but I encourage you to visit some of the side trails that I point out in the blog. Suggested Route Starting at the southernmost parking lot in the Colonel Danforth Park, walk on the paved path for 2 km. You can either turn straight back to make the hike 4 km, but I suggest you walk for a kilometer on the beach to make the hike 5 km in total. Parking Park at the Colonel Danforth Park . The parking lot is large and has a public washroom and many picnic tables. Bike Share Toronto has a rack of bicycles available for a fee. The River It's called Highland Creek, but it's actually a river. It's very shallow and rocky. I suggest you take every opportunity to use a side trail to visit the river with your dog and/or a camera.  The Trail The...

I've met several people looking for trails from the Bluffer's Beach to the top of the bluffs. There are very few trails available that take you from the bottom to the top and vice versa. The Doris McCarthy Trail is one such trail. The trail is very steep, especially during a summer heatwave. This blog describes a path that can be considered "Doris McCarthy Lite": Scarborough Heights Park. Suggested Route Scarborough Heights Park is located next to Rosetta McLean Gardens near the bottom of Birchmount. The park is behind the Scarborough Pumping station and has an off-leash dog park, a parking lot, and a meadow along the cliff. The trail, as shown, is 4 km in length. Dog Park Start your walk at the Scarborough Heights Dog Park  on Fishleigh Drive. It's a relatively sizeable off-leash park with woodchips covering the ground and a few trees for shade. The Views After leaving the dog park, walk along the treeline for glimpses of the lake. It's dangerous to stand on...

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 pa...