While urban centres are often challenged to have sufficient green space, Toronto does well by maintaining – and even increasing – its commitment to nurturing our natural environment. Being located on a Lake Ontario escarpment, the city still retains abundant ravines and trails (though many were destroyed as the city developed).

In fact, many people are surprised by how extensive our green space is, as it’s not easily apparent in our automobile-centric lives. We currently have 1,600 existing parks and 600 kilometres of trails, which translates to about 8,000 hectares — about 13 percent of Toronto’s overall land area.

The City, particularly in recent years, has done an admirable job of conserving and even expanding green space.

The Need for Great Green Space

Access to green space has long been a coveted feature for urbanites. However, when our lifestyles changed dramatically during the pandemic, it quickly became clear just how important the natural world is to our mental health and well-being.

And our collective awareness of that need has lingered; it persists even now, years after we put the pandemic behind us.

Lucky for us residents, the City is not only committed to preserving the green space we already have but to creating more leisure space for residents. For example, for each downtown development project, a developer must either donate parkland — if the site is large enough — or pay into the Parkland Dedication Fund, which uses the money to create new parks and refurbish existing ones.

Pretty spectacular, eh?

In October 2017, the Government handed over additional land for protection under Parks Canada. The agreement transfers 6.5 square km of land from the province to Parks Canada for Rouge National Urban Park. Read the Toronto Star article here.

With all this green space scattered throughout the GTA, ‘getting away from it all’ is easier than you might think. Given the City’s extensive park system of ravines, parks, and dedicated conservation areas, you can get lost among the trees with ease! Three that we particularly enjoy are Dufferin Grove Park, Sorauren Park, and Lytton Park.

For those who fancy a walk in the woods, these trail systems are worth exploring.

The Long-Awaited East Don Trail

Hiking the Toronto trails – in Summer or Winter – is great exercise and a fun activity for the whole family. Sometimes you even get to see some incredible wildlife!

The City of Toronto and the Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) have been working on the design and construction of a multi-use trail system within the East Don Corridor between the north end of Charles Sauriol Conservation Area, the Lower Don Trail System, and the Gatineau Corridor Trail.

The East Don Trail was to be done in two phases; Phase 1 construction was completed last year.  The phases incorporate a number of bridges and bank stabilization to protect against erosion.

The end result is going to be a smooth and long asphalt trail, meandering through nature- right in the middle of the city. If you aren’t already a runner, biker, rollerblader, or walker, the construction of the East Don Trail might convince you to start! When it is all done, it will serve as a major north-south artery, running all the way to Lake Ontario.

It offers a close-up, immersive experience of nature, with incredible views of the area’s ecosystem, including woodland animals, foliage, and birds. The views of the East Don River can’t be beaten either.

There are three stretches to this trail. The Phase 2 portion that has just opened spans nearly 2 km, running east-west from Wigmore Park to the existing East Don Trail, just north of the Wynford Heights Crescent entry point. The trail intertwines with the Metrolinx Rail corridor.

Check out this video about the opening of Phase 2 of the trail. There is also a cool video walkthrough.

A series of stylish boardwalks and bridges over the ravine adds aesthetic flair to this lovely outdoor experience.

Check Out The Charles Sauriol Conservation Area

Just east of the Don Valley Parkway, north of Eglinton, is the Charles Sauriol Conservation Area. It was named after Charles Sauriol (obviously), who was born in Toronto in 1904 and was a passionate conservationist. It, as well as the abutting Anewen Greenbelt, are part of the extensive East Don River Trail system on the east side of the Don Valley Parkway and the Don River. After all, one of Sauriol’s personal missions was to preserve the natural state of the Don River, which led him to co-found the Don River Conservation Association in 1946. There’s even an elementary school that bears his name near Dundas Street West and Dupont!

When Charles was a boy, the Don Valley would have looked largely untouched, like this:

In fact, the Don Valley was once considered cottage country! Here is Charles camping with his friends, followed by two cottages he owned in the area!

The conservation area itself is an unbeatable natural amenity for the surrounding community, boasting an urban forest, extensive biking and walking trails, small ponds, and the famous Rainbow Bridge. Given its somewhat Northerly location, its wealth of green space is largely underused, and therefore often offers uninterrupted peace and quiet.

It’s perfect for reading, picnicking, hiking, or simply providing respite from a sweltering summer day. It’s also home to a vast array of wildlife and plant species – a little something for horticulturalists and ornithologists alike!

Whether you have an hour or an afternoon, spending time in your neighbourhood green space – or exploring new ones – is a great way to get some fresh air, soak up some much-needed Vitamin D, and even engage with your community.

Can you imagine if the East Don Trail and the Charles Sauriol Conservation Area were in your backyard, quite literally? We JUST SOLD a listing with a Ravine view overlooking the East Don Trail! It’s a 2-bed, 1-bath listing, A Sunny & Sensible Two-Bed Suite In Flemingdon Park. 

If you crave the restorative qualities of natural green space and outdoor recreation, seek easy access to the Don Valley Parkway, and desire an intelligently designed residence, we can find you something like this!

Another we sold in the area:

The resident at 75 Wynford Heights Crescent can pop out and enjoy whenever the mood strikes! Wouldn’t that be amazing? refreshing? Revitalizing? Here’s our new listing, titled, ‘Easy, Breezy Living On Wynford Heights Crescent In Reputable Wynford Place‘, NOW SOLD!!

Want to have someone on your side?

Since 1991, I’ve steered my career through a real estate market crash and burn; survived a slow painful cross-country recession; completed an M.E.S. graduate degree from York University called ‘Planning Housing Environments’; executed the concept, sales & marketing of multiple new condo and vintage loft conversions; and guided hundreds of clients through the purchase and sale of hundreds of freehold and condominium dwellings across the original City of Toronto. From a gritty port industrial city into a glittering post-industrial global centre, I’ve navigated the ebbs and flows of a property market as a consistent Top Producer. And I remain as passionate about it today as when I started.

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Thanks for reading!

-The Urbaneer Team

Steven Fudge, Sales Representative
& The Innovative Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage – (416) 322-800

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