Posts Tagged ‘East Don Trail’

a bridge to nowhere

Posted: June 2, 2024 in construction, locations, nature
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Another gorgeous May morning, another coffee shop.  This time it was Circles and Squares Bakery on Bartley Drive where the butter tarts are amazing (well, what isn’t amazing there?).

reflections in a coffee shop window, outside looking in, circles and squares on bermondsey

Most of you are now asking, “Where is Bartley Drive?”  Answer – close to the Bermondsey Transfer Station as pictured below.  That’s where the garbage trucks go.  It is also where you can drop off your hazardous waste or renovation waste, things that aren’t allowed in the trash you leave at the front of your house (or throw down the chute in your building).  That large grey building is for yard waste.  And yes, there is a lingering odor.

walking down dirt road, Bermondsey transfer station (garbage) on the right, tall metal hydro pole on the left

It is also close to the Bermondsey Hydro One Transmission Station.

3 tall metal hydro transmission towers, with lots of wires

below: Warning sign. “Property and copper marked for police identification.”

sign on wall of electric substation that says warning Property and copper marked for police identification

a series of x shaped cross braces, metal, in an electric sub station

below: The transmission station is on the Hydro Corridor that cuts a swath through Toronto.  There is a plan to turn most of it into “The Meadoway”, a bike and walking path that runs through a restored meadow.  The paths are more developed in Scarborough, see blog post “the Meadoway” from November 2021.

sign for do not mow, meadow restoration area, with electric substation behind

At the moment this section of meadow has limited access.   There is a dirt road that runs through the Hydro Corridor, west towards the Don River.

people walking on dirt road with trees on the left, and large limestone rock wall on the right

 

a single yellow flower, with some green leaves, growing in front of pile of grey limestone rocks

… but the bridge over the river is not quite complete.  Once it is finished,  it will connect The Meadoway and the East Don Trail.

construction site, dump truck, in a ravine, new iron bridge in the background

man walking on path through shrubs towards bridge and railway tracks

Crossing the tracks anyhow.

crossing the railway tracks

new rusted metal bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, crosses railway tracks

below: Immediately after the newest bridge over the railway tracks, there is another bridge. This one crosses the Don River.  This is now part of the East Don Trail.   There is a section of the East Don Trail north of Eglinton (by the Rainbow Tunnel) but at the present time, they don’t connect.  It’s an ongoing project.   The large poles beside the path are the makings of a large net.

bridge over the don river, with apartment buildings in the background

below: The nets are because Flemingdon Golf Club is right here.  I suspect no one wants to get hit by a flying golf ball.

flemingdon golf club with some golf carts, apartment buildings in the background

below: Looking back towards the newest bridge

two bridges, one in foreground over the don river and larger bridge in the background over the railway tracks

fence along a path approaching a bridge construction site, with no access sign posted

below: White flowers on a Cranberry Viburnum plant.

white flowers of a cranberry viburnum shrub

below: Don River

It’s a quiet spot.  But obviously some people make use of the space! Stonr’s hot box clubhouse.

hand drawn sign on old lumber that says stonrs hot box clubhouse

 

Google maps shows the East Don Trail continuing south at least as far as where the Don River passes under the Don Valley Parkway.  Unfortunately, the next time the path encounters the tracks, it ends.   I forgot to take a picture but the tracks form a wall at the end of the road.   There is a dirt path that runs uphill through the woods (away from the tracks) that probably leads to the Spanbridge Road neighbourhood.   Instead of exploring further we retraced our steps back to Circles and Squares.

With thanks to the Wednesday morning walking group!

4 men walking on a path in toronto ravine, wednesday morning small walking group members

electricity wires and the metal and ceramic pieces on them

green leaves in the sun with shadows made by nearby leaves

Moccasin Trail to the rainbow

Posted: March 18, 2019 in locations, nature
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Moccasin Trail is a street in Don Mills that provides access to the East Don Trail. Starting a walk there looked like a good idea when I checked the map.

yellow metal barrier prevents cars from entering a road that is covered with snow, trees on both sides of the road

I decided that it was worth a try. Going downhill is harder than going uphill on snow and ice so I figured that if I got stuck all I had to do was turn around and go back to my car. In the summer you can drive down to the parking lot.

snow covered road with small trees growing on either side of it, winter, no leaves on the trees

With a little slipping, a little sliding, and a lot of care, I made it. At the bottom of the hill is Moccasin Trail Park.

a picnic bench ina park in winter with snow on the ground

below: The path goes under the DVP to join the East Don Trail (where there was not as much ice!). Except for the constant rumble of traffic in the background, it was very quiet down here today. I only saw two other people (and one dog).

park in winter with a path that leads to a bridge under a road

below: Wild grasses grow in the ditch alongside the Don Valley Parkway along with sumach trees and other shrubs.

wild grasses, brown in winter, grow alongside the Don Valley Parkway

below: A Red-tailed Hawk circles overhead. There were two of them flying above me today. They were magnificent to watch as they circled in the sky – and as I wished that they would come closer, or perhaps even find something to catch. No luck today.

a red tailed hawk flies overhead, blue sky with some light clouds

below: Ducks in the water and traffic on the Don Valley Parkway

two ducks swimming in the Don River, with cars passing by on the Don Valley Parkway

water flows over a low concrete dam on the Don River, winter time, but no snow or ice, no leaves on the trees,

below: Someone has tied this bright and cheerful bird house to the trunk of a tree.

a bright red bird house in a tree, no leaves,

below: One of the biggest reasons why I chose to walk this path today – the rainbow bridge. It’s easily visible from the northbound Don Valley Parkway. Although I don’t drive the DVP on a regular basis, every time I am reminded that I haven’t walked there yet. It was originally painted in the 1970’s by B.C. Johnson, a teenager from Norway. Every time the city painted over it, the rainbow was repainted.

East Don Trail winds towards the bridge that is painted with a rainbow, some traces of the Don Valley Parkway like a green exit sign for Lawrence Avenue, and a couple of tall light stands.

below: In 2013 the arch was repainted with the help of Mural Routes. The interior was also painted in the same rainbow colours.

arched bridge under a railway, over a walking path, that has been painted with a rainbow

These are some of the scenes that are painted inside.

scenes from the mural painted inside the rainbow arch bridge - on red background, with orange and purple trees, a man walks his dog and a woman pushes a stroller

scenes from the mural painted inside the rainbow arch bridge - blue and purple children build a white snowman with white trees in the background

scenes from the mural painted inside the rainbow arch bridge - a cyclist on a bike rides along a yellow and orange path past yellow and orange trees

I didn’t explore much beyond the rainbow bridge. That adventure is for another day!

 

UPDATE:  The rest of the trail that can be access from the Moccasin Trail is now covered in a blog post, From Charles Sauriol southward