Discovery Walks

This past weekend was gorgeous and I took full advantage by doing one of my favourite things in the city: walking. Toronto is a great city for walking. With a little time and some comfortable shoes, you can take in the sights of the downtown core, explore some fantastic neighbourhoods, appreciate the diversity of the waterfront trails, or take in some nature in the many parks and valleys that criss-cross this city. For me, the hardest part is often deciding where to go.

To encourage pedestrian exploration and show off its parks, the City of Toronto has developed a series of self-guided walking routes called Discovery Walks. The walks are scattered throughout the city and are marked with special signage. The maps are available for download from their website. What these walks have in common is that they show off Toronto's natural elements - whether they be manicured parks or the wilder areas such as the Don or Humber River valleys - and how they integrate in to the city as a whole. So they're a great opportunity to take in some nature, without have to venture too far from the closest coffee shop or TTC link.

This weekend I decided to try out the Shared Path, the newest of the Discovery Walks. It links a series of parks along the banks of the Humber River and stretches from Dundas all the way down to the lake. I only did the portion from Bloor south, and it was pretty diverse. Some wild areas, but also some walking through residential areas, and not as many views of the river as I had expected. At specific locations, there were informative signs telling the history of the First Nations in the area and of past development and changes to the local ecology, which was a nice plus though. And the path ends at the waterfront, at the spectacular Humber River pedestrian bridge, where you can pick up the trail and walk either way along the waterfront, at what is probably the prettiest stretch.

Sunday we were back to Riverdale Farm, subject of my last post. It too is a stop on the Discovery Walks circuit, as part of the Don Valley Hills & Dales trail.While we weren't there to follow the trail, I couldn't help but take notice of the signage. Next time you're out and about, watch for the signs, or better yet, plan ahead, download a brochure, and get out there!