Recently, we
decided last minute to join the others for the 9th annual ‘Sam Smith’
park Clean up on Earth day (Sunday Aprll 22nd). Sponsored by the city, garbage bags, water
and snacks are provided. Armed with
shovels, boots, gloves and rakes, it wasn’t long before the chatter stopped and
the work began.
Toronto
still holds a large funding for its Parks and Recreation department, partnered
with the Roads it maintains an excellent level of cleanliness all year
long. Shorelines are always bringing in
the odd surprises wave after wave, so our work didn’t go in vain. Unfortunately though while my good camera is
in the shop hopefully getting repaired, I did not bring one on Sunday, but went
back today instead to try and take some okay pictures!
I had never
been to ‘Samuel Smith Park’ before but decided to add this to my blog under exploring
parks and trails in the GTA. Getting
there was a great opportunity for us to take the Longbranch streetcar route
which incidentally is the longest route on the Transit system. 
The Longbranch
route loops into Samuel Smith park. I was surprised to learn that Colonel Samuel
Smith Park was once considered a
former weekend getaway for Torontonians in the Victorian Era. A wide open scenic trail includes hiking
along the peninsula on Lake Ontario. The waterfront has access to rocky beaches, great
views including the City of Toronto famous CN Tower along the skyline. Other activities include bird and boat watching,
photography, picnics, and a playground for children to play in. The observation desks are accessible for viewing turtles, beavers, and different kinds of fish. In the Winter months, there
is now a new skating trail, but as the warmer weather hopefully will stay for a
while, the winter is a distant memory for now.