… pedestrians can choose to split off on lower paths, built intentionally to have a few centimetres of water flowing across. The river-level crossings seem to be a big hit with kids and dogs.
As the trail crosses under the Don Valley Parkway, some old-school wayfinding signs point out some options. Sadly, they've been vandalized and have fallen into disrepair.
You may have seen these peculiar sculptures from the highway, but here you can see them up close on your bike. Created by artist Noel Harding, they are functional pieces of art meant to foster better environmental stewardship.
This dry and isolated pebble beach off the trail just north of the Millwood Road bridge is a perfect place to consume a packed lunch or catch some rays.
Passing under a bridge can bring some sobering sights, however, like this simple memorial to a nineteen-year-old man who jumped from the bridge in 2005.
The path feels removed from the Don Valley Parkway throughout most of the route. This is the closest it gets to the traffic before descending toward the Brick Works complex.
The mighty Prince Edward Viaduct is a highlight of the Don Valley recreation trails. Built in 1918, the double-decker was designed for rail transportation as well—now used for the Danforth subway line. They don't build 'em like this anymore.
This culvert passes under the train tracks located between the DVP and Bayview Avenue. Still relatively isolated but much closer to urbanization now, tagging becomes ubiquitous.
We witnessed a good citizen tying trash bags all along the trail and then gathering them back up later. Encouragingly, people actually seem to be using them.
Watching people carry their bikes awkwardly, we're not sure people realize that the green troughs alongside the stairs to Queen Street are for bike wheels.
The route terminus at Lakeshore Boulevard and the Don Roadway is also the spot where the Gardiner Expressway splits off into the Don Valley Parkway. Four separate roads soar overhead.
Many of Toronto’s avid cyclists are aware of our network of bike trails, but for the most part, the slice of pseudo-wilderness cutting a swath through the Don Valley and along Taylor Creek is one of the city’s most woefully neglected attractions. Those who use it may like it that way (its obscurity keeps bike and foot traffic relatively sparse), but we think it’s a treasure that should be celebrated.
Though the route also splits off near Don Mills Road, passing behind the Ontario Science Centre and up to Edwards Gardens, we chose to highlight the easterly jaunt, with its terminus at Dawes Road (near Victoria Park Avenue). Lakeshore Boulevard at the Don Roadway provides the other access point.
What makes this particular course appealing is how it begins with dense foliage and the meandering, rocky river, eventually becoming more urbanized as you head south, kissing the edge of the Don Valley Parkway and passing under rusting expressway ramps near the portlands. The charm lies in quirks like the odd water crossings in Taylor Creek Park, the mammoth foundations of the Prince Edward Viaduct, and experiencing some wetland efforts meant to undo the environmental damage done by the industrialization of the Don River.
Image: Google Maps/Abvio Cyclemeter
Most of all, it’s a magnificent and surprisingly tranquil chunk of nature running clandestinely through the heart of downtown Toronto. You’d hardly know it, because access to the trail is virtually invisible from street level, and existing wayfinding signage is minimal and decrepit (there is an official map, but it’s confusing and overcomplicated, natch). Because the stretch running alongside the DVP is sunken into the valley and the traffic passes up high, the presence of such a major highway is often barely noticeable and a lot quieter than you’d expect.
Toronto’s tourism campaigns don’t include scenes of river rapids and and dense valley flora, but perhaps they should—we’re positive that many visitors would much rather spend their summer afternoon on a bike than wait in line at the CN Tower. As for Torontonians, it’s a big ol’ backyard many of us didn’t even know we had. Photos by Marc Lostracco/Torontoist. Main access points to this route near vehicle parking are from Taylor Creek Park, Stan Wadlow Park, E. T. Seton Park, Coxwell Ravine Park, Riverdale Park, and the Queen Street Bridge at Bayview. The southern terminus can be accessed by bike from the Lakeshore East bike pathway, which runs from Beaches Park to Lower Sherbourne.