Toronto Islands

An absolute must for any visitor to Toronto, and a great way for those of us who live here to reconnect with our city, is to see the city from the water. While there are several options for accomplishing this, I highly recommend a visit to the Toronto Islands. While the islands offer many different things, here's my favourite way to experience it. Note that I don't usually have kids in tow when I head over there, so if you're taking your little ones, this may not be the best itinerary.

Start by getting yourself to the Toronto Islands Ferry Docks at the foot of Bay Street. The ferries switched to their summer schedule at the end of May so service is pretty frequent. A round-trip ticket costs $7 for adults, with reduced rates for students, seniors and children. On weekends in the summer the wait time for ferries, especially if there is an event on the island, can be over an hour, so if you can go during the week, you'll find the wait a lot shorter and the island far less busy. Plus evenings are a lovely time to go, so if it's a choice between 6 pm on Thursday and 1 pm on Saturday, go on Thursday. The ferries run quite late so getting back won't be an issue and you'll have the added bonus of seeing the city all lit up. If you really do want to go during the peak weekend time and the lines are crazy, consider taking a water taxi. Toronto Water Taxi operates from York Street Slip, which is just a short walk west from the ferry terminal. They charge $10 per adult each way, $5 per child, but have a $30 minimum per boat per trip (not usually a problem on busy weekends). As you are not required to show a ticket when boarding the ferries on the island, you can save yourself the return taxi fare by hopping on the ferry.

At the terminal, there are 3 different ferries, going to different parts of the island (although off-season they will sometimes combine service to Hanlan's Point and Ward's Island). I recommend taking the Hanlan's Point ferry, then walking the length of the island and taking the Ward's Island ferry home. This provides two main advantages: 1) as Hanlan's Point is the furthest west, it gives you a nice long ride along the harbour providing you with the best views of the city, plus as the dock at Hanlan's Point is very close to the island airport, you get an up-close view of the planes taking-off and landing, and 2) walking the length of the island is a great way to see it. The distance, depending on how much you meander and explore, is just over 5 km.

Each section of the islands has a different personality. I love the tranquility of Hanlan's Point. There are big green spaces for picnics, playing ball or just relaxing, and as most families flock to Centre Island, it's usually pretty quiet. The main path offers lovely views of water and wild, as well as some great glimpses of the city. Many of the trees, including the lilac bushes (my favourite!), are huge and if you're interested in trees, you can pick up a brochure for a self-guided tour to trees across the island, or print out a copy from The Canadian Tree Tours website.

The most lively part of Hanlan's Point are the beaches. There is both a clothing optional and clothing mandatory beach and they are big gorgeous stretches of sand, with the bonus of a view of the city. If you have concerns about the water quality, you should know that Toronto takes part in the international Blue Flag program, which is administered by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Denmark and which sets international standards for clean, safe beaches. The City had to be evaluated against 27 criteria and Hanlan's Point beach, as well as Gibraltar Point, Centre Island and Ward's beaches were all granted Blue Flag status (plus some other city beaches not on the islands). Water samples are taken daily at each beach to ensure continued safety, and results are posted online - so check the site, then go ahead and jump in!

As you get closer to the middle of the island, it starts to get more built up. You'll pass the Gibraltar Point lighthouse, the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Great Lakes, as well as the Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts, the water filtration plant, and the island school. On your right, sticking out on the lake side, is the Pier, which I just love. If you have the time and the energy, you can detour inland and cross over to Centre Island. Centreville, the amusement park, is the big draw here, especially if you have kids. Even if you don't, I highly recommend taking the Sky Ride. It gives you a bird's-eye view of a small sliver of the park and it's relaxing and fun. Right next door to Centreville is Far Enough Farm, one of my favourite places on the island. There is a limited number of animals here but it's a great space. Like Riverdale Farm and High Park Zoo, it was facing closure due to budget cuts, but acceptance of a recent donation by the operator of Centreville will keep it open awhile longer. There has also been an offer to match funds from private donations, so if you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation, visit the Parks and Recreation website. If you happened to bring a picnic along, Centre Island has some of the best spots for picnicking with a view of the city. 

If you want to continue your trek to Ward's Island, you'll have to retrace your steps back to the lake side of the island, as there is no connection between Centre Island and Ward's Island (or, if you're tired, you can always head for the Centre Island ferry dock and return to the city). If you continue your walk, you will soon have a choice to take the main paved path to Ward's Island, or veer off to the boardwalk. While both have their appeal, I generally prefer the boardwalk, especially on hot days - there's lots of shade and usually a wonderful breeze off the water. You'll know you're getting close to the end of your walk when you begin to see houses - Ward's Island has a small but vibrant residential community.

If you have some time to kill before the ferry, consider stopping in to the Island Cafe, just steps from the dock. They now have a liquor license so you can celebrate your visit to the island with a nice cold drink.

High Park - Cherry Blossoms

If you feel up for a walk this weekend, you might want to consider heading over to High Park to take part in the Japanese tradition of Sakura Hanami, or viewing the cherry trees in bloom.

High Park has an extensive collection of flowering cherry trees which usually bloom in late April or early May, but which, due to our remarkably warm weather so far this year, are flowering a bit early. The collection of trees, which are not native to the area, began with a donation of 2000 Sakura trees (Japanese flowering cherry), a gift from the citizens of Tokyo back in 1959. They were a gift to the city in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese -Canadians following World War II. This planting was followed by others of other varieties in 1984, 2001 and 2006.

Many of the trees were planted in the Hillside Garden and along the east side of Grenadier Pond. I suggest walking down to the Pond from the Grenadier Restaurant - it's spectacular. And very popular. We went on an early Thursday afternoon, and we had lots of company!

For more information about the history of the trees, and about the tradition of Sakura Hanami, visit the High Park website. The staff of the High Park Nature Centre also posts regular updates on the state of the blooms, so you can check how well along they are before you leave home. Keep in mind that the Grenadier Restaurant opens at 7 am, and offers a weekday early bird breakfast special. If you plan to go on the weekend, and like me, enjoy a later start, they also offer an all-day breakfast which is still really reasonable.

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!