Markham, just north of Toronto has some beautiful trails Easy access to most of them, including the one we went to on Sunday afternoon. The Unionville Valleylands trail off of 16th Avenue is only about a 5 km loop, but it has it all. Watersheds, woodlands, ponds, marshes and wildlife.
The wildlife seems to thrive and co-exist here in this suburban parkland and at times even a tamed squirrel will crawl up your pant leg to grab a shelled peanut from your hands. Geese, herons, foxes, snapping turtles, muskrats and deer are common sightings.
What is great about this one is that it connects to over 10 km of trail networks in the Markham area so if you have time you can easily spend a day. The trails are marked and have easy access through wooden bridges and paved pathways.
The heron I spotted was so tame it didn’t budge when I pulled up my camera. They must be so used to people around them. I probably wouldn’t bring my bike to these trails, although it’s certainly doable, there are too many people and the trails are too short. Perfect for young families with strollers and safe for kids.
One of the main parks within in this trail is locally known as “Toogood Pond” which was named after Arthur Toogood who owned the pond prior to the Town’s acquisition in 1980.
I was surprised to find very little information about Arthur Frank Toogood (passed away in 1995) while doing a bit of research. Most of what I discovered was about his wife Mildred. It seems they had met in Alberta where they had a travel business called Alberta Recreational Tours. I am not sure what Arthur Toogood had done in Markham after leaving Alberta though. His wife was very active in the community as a college teacher, a music instructor and was passionately taught piano and violin and conducted community orchestras and choirs until she passed away in 2012.
Markham’s trails are also a part of the Rouge Valley system. It wasn’t until we almost completed this loop and we crossed over another bridge on the south side when I realized that we had been here before with my son and his wife last year in June. It’s posted in my blog as “Markham Rouge Valley, Wilbur Latimer Way”
Happy Trails!
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