David J. Widmann

Occasionally Torontoist gets bitten by the camping bug. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the extra vacation days or access to a vehicle required for a Kawartha Lakes getaway. Then, of course, there’s the environmental irony of loading the minivan full of camping gear and burning dozens of litres of gas in order to enjoy nature.

Luckily, there’s a quick camping fix right here in town. The Glen Rouge Campground is accessible by bicycle (about two to three hours from downtown, depending on your route and speed), and is a quick jaunt from the TTC or GO Transit. Oh, and it’s an easy drive, if you’re into that sort of thing.

The campground is a good place for a change of pace, whether you’re looking to spend a few days exploring Rouge Park, or are just looking for a day away from the condo construction across the street. It’s also close to the zoo and the beach, so there’s plenty to keep the kids busy. If you’re cycling, Glen Rouge is a good first stop on a trip east along the Waterfront Trail.

It’s hardly an idyllic backwoods camping spot, but if you’re the type of camper that likes to have flush toilets and laundry facilities as part of your outdoor experience, Glen Rouge is for you. Shopping is nearby as well, so you can travel light and buy your food when you get there. So pack up your tent, bring some marshmallows for toasting, and enjoy Toronto’s campground this summer.

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Garrison Creek once ran through Toronto from its tributaries near what is now St. Clair West, to what was once the shore of Lake Ontario, past the northeast side of Fort York. Development polluted the creek as Toronto began to grow, and in the early 1900s, work began on the burial of Garrison Creek. Long since converted into a sewer, Garrison Creek has completely disappeared from view.

It has not, however, been forgotten. Evidence of the creek’s former path can still be seen, the deep ravine it once followed now lined with homes and park lands. The Garrison Creek Discovery Walk follows the path of the lost creek from Bloor Street to the waterfront, connecting neighbourhoods and green spaces with historic Fort York.

Getting to the beginning of this walk is easy, as it starts right across the street from the Christie subway station. Christie Pits Park is busy in the summer, with baseball diamonds, basketball courts, bocce, a public pool with a waterslide, and lots of room to walk those rambunctious pets. It is also home to the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club.

Across Bloor, the Garrison Creek ravine continues into Bickford Park. After that, the walk follows Crawford Street, which curves along the former path of the river. Crossing through a few smaller parks, the walk makes its way to Trinity Bellwoods Park. This is another popular spot for dog walkers, and also has a pool and recreation centre, making this a hotbed of summer activity in the West Queen West area.

If Trinity Bellwoods’ indoor pool isn’t what you’re looking for, keep going south along the Garrison Creek Discovery Walk to Stanley Park. The outdoor pool here may be small, but it’s a good place to cool off while catching a few summer rays.

The next stop along the walk is the main point of historical interest along this walk: Fort York. It’s a place where most kids who grew up in the GTA spent many a field trip exploring, but very few can actually give directions to. Take this walk, and the exact location of Fort York will be forever burned in your mind. Before Garrison Creek was buried and Toronto’s shoreline was extended, small boats used to moor where the Bathurst Street bridge now runs over the railway tracks.

It’s here where one can get a sense of what urban planners and public space advocates mean when they tell us that Toronto is a city cut off from its waterfront. Faced with six lanes of Lakeshore Boulevard and the concrete monolith that is the Gardiner Expressway, it’s easy to think of Fort York as being the end of the city and the end of this Discovery Walk. If you’re willing to brave the traffic and the agonizingly long wait for pedestrian crossing signals, the walk continues on to the waterfront and Little Norway Park. Nestled between the (in)famous Canada Malting Company silos and right across the channel from the Toronto Island Airport, it’s not the quietest park in the city, but it is a good place to enjoy some of the cool air coming off the lake.

Garrison Creek may be gone, but its memory lives on. The lost river shaped the landscape and laid the foundation for the Town of York to grow into the City of Toronto. Next time you’re playing baseball at Christie Pits or walking your dog through Trinity Bellwoods Park, imagine what life must have been like along this once-busy riverbed. Pick up the Garrison Creek Discovery Walk map at City Hall, your local library, or download it here.

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You’ve probably seen them dotting the city: those Discovery Walk signs that seem to pop up when you least expect them. Torontoist has always wanted to explore these intriguing city strolls, and this summer will be taking readers along some of these routes that connect the city’s parks, green spaces and historical sites to the neighbourhoods we live in.

A good place to begin is the Uptown Discovery Walk, partly because this route is so accessible. Museum, Yonge/Bloor, Wellesley, College and Dundas subway stations all lie along its path. Bounded by Cumberland Street to the north, Sherbourne to the east, the Ryerson campus to the south, and the University of Toronto to the west, the Uptown Discovery Walk meanders through some of the busiest parts of the city, but contains some surprising oases of tranquility.

One of the points of interest on this walk is Paul Kane House. Set back from the street behind a small manicured parkette, the house was once owned by Paul Kane, a prominent Toronto artist. It was designated a historical property in 1979, and the parkette is a popular spot for the brown-baggers from the local office buildings.

One of the city’s oldest parks, Allan Gardens is home to plenty of shade trees, making it a great place to take in some shade in the middle of a hot summer stroll. While there, don’t forget to take a tour of the famous Palm House. This Victorian-style greenhouse is home to many exotic plants, and changes with the seasons — a great place for photographers to add some colour to their portfolios.

Tucked away from the Winners store and the College TTC stop, it’s easy to forget that there’s actually a park at College Park. While condo construction around the edges of this patch of green space is evident, there’s still some peace to be found around the park’s fountain and reflecting pool. The proximity of Dominion and a well-stocked food court also make it a good spot for an impromptu picnic. If you happen to be taking the Uptown Discovery Walk on a weekday between 8:30 and 4:00, take a few minutes to walk through the Police Museum and Discovery Centre across College Street from College Park. It’s free and, if nothing else, good for a laugh at the old cop uniforms.

A highlight of this walk is the route passing through both the Ryerson and U of T campuses. It’s on the university grounds where the official Discovery Walk map gets a little confusing, especially for those of us who never attended these institutions. While this no doubt adds a little time to the walk, the intrepid explorers among us will welcome the opportunity to find a piece of public art or grove of trees that wasn’t on the sanctioned route. Both universities also conduct guided walking tours of their respective campuses for those who’d like to see more.

Connecting the neighbourhoods of Cabbagetown, Yorkville, and Church and Wellesley, passing through two university campuses, Queens Park, Allan Gardens, College Park and nearly a dozen neighbourhood green spaces, this is a great walking route whether you want to check out some parks, discovery new city hotspots, tour a little history or just do a little shopping.

Just one little note about the Discovery Walk map (which can be seen on signs along the route, or can be picked up at City Hall, libraries, community centres or here): Cawthra Square, a favourite place for dog walkers in the Church and Wellesley area, is marked as a thoroughfare on the route. Currently, however, there is some construction going on in the park, making it impossible to exit from the east side. You can get around this by skipping that part of the walk and taking Wellesley straight to Jarvis.

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