Autumn afternoon at High Park, Toronto

This weekend, we decided to take advantage of Toronto’s final weekend of road closures for the ActiveTO initiative and go on a bike ride through High Park.

Located west of downtown and north of Humber Bay, High Park is the second largest municipal park in Toronto, spanning 400 acres. It was originally opened in 1876 based on a bequest of land from John George Howard to the city, which stretches south from Bloor Street West to The Queensway just north of Lake Ontario. It is bounded by Grenadier Pond to the west and Parkside Drive to the east.

High Park features a hilly landscape, with two deep ravines that span its entire north-south distance. One-third of the park remains in natural state and has a rare oak savannah ecology.

There are several points of interest, including Colborne Lodge historical museum, the hillside gardens, the zoo, the Grenadier Cafe, and the amphitheatre. There are also numerous sports fields, a hockey rink, a pool, tennis courts, playgrounds, a dog off-leash area, nature trails, and picnic areas.

Springtime every year draws large crowds seeking to catch a glimpse of the seasonal cherry blossoms, and autumn is the perfect time for a visit to view some fall foliage.