Etobicoke Creek Trail (Marie Curtis and Valley Parks)

Etobicoke creek snakes its way southeast from Brampton into the city of Etobicoke where it draws the boundary of Toronto to the east and Mississauga to the west.  The creek rushes through some lovely parks and forestland such as Valley Park and Marie Curtis Park before its descent into Lake Ontario. 

Marie Curtis Park is a 41 hectare public park located at the mouth of Etobicoke creek on the waters edge of Lake Ontario.  This park was created in 1959 to help control flooding after the devastating floods of Hurricane Hazel in 1954 that had destroyed homes and cottages in the area, leaving over 360 people homeless and several dead.  Marie Curtis Park was dedicated in honor of the Mayor of the village of Long Branch (now a part of Toronto). 

It’s easy to spot Marie Curtis Park along the Lakeshore, as there is a provocative old and rusted water tower built in 1910 standing in a field next to the entrance, making it a perfect landmark.  Lots of parking is available, as well as a drive-in boat ramp for watercraft.  A few lovely willow trees and an inviting arch bridge link you from one side of the pier to the other.  Here you’ll find a playground, a public swimming sandy beach, a wading pool, picnic spots, boat docks, and walking trails connecting you to the waterfront trail where you’ll see plenty of wildlife and native plants (see this blog).  So why am I so glum on this warm and sunny afternoon? 

The answer was in my nose.  You see, apparently sometimes, and definitely on the day I was there:  it stinks!  There is a sewage treatment plant directly west of the park, and the water treatment plant is west of that.  


Just west of the park you might notice some wooden structures randomly scattered in the fields nearby.  I thought they may be set up as climbing walls for an obstacle course as part of training.  Turns out many years ago there was once a rifle range here and the wooden structures were sound baffles that were formed as part of the range to keep the noise down,  in this case, the loud crack of the rifles tested there during the first world war.  These wooden structures have actually been there since the 1890’s. I did see a deer roaming on its own in the woods, but it was behind a fence so all I could do was silently watch as it foraged.  North of the Lakeshore into the Etobicoke Valley Park you will get relief from any annoying odours, and it is absolutely beautiful, truly! Valley Park is a 19.6 hectare park and it runs along the east bank of Etobicoke creek from the QEW down to the CNR tracks.  Etobicoke creek really shines in Valley Park.  There are some rock walls and fields of wild flowers and high grass, and plenty of forested pathways that reminded me of Dundas valley in Hamilton if you’ve ever been there! 

I loved this place; it was one of the prettiest looking parks I’ve seen in a long time.

Happy Trails!

Mimico Creek Trail

The first signs of green on the trees after a long winter always sparks the youth in me.  Whether you had a childhood out of a Dickens novel or not, I imagine this is true for all of us in some way or another.  We have been through an unusually long winter in Southern Ontario this year which included one of the worst ice storms I ever remember.  It left us with tragically dying trees of old and robust trees with broken branch limbs and some uprooted and fallen.  Still it is wonderful to see everything coming to life again on the trails and in the forest.

The Mimico Creek Trail (bike/walking trail) starts from the north, about a block west of Martingrove off Eglinton Avenue W and travels southeast towards Lake Ontario.   The trail is about 12 km (7.5 miles) long so if you consider that the average person walks about 5/km an hour it takes about 2 and half hours to do the entire trail, possibly longer if you stop to take pictures along the way or for a drink and a snack.  

A little water feature along the trail

A sky tells no lies, time to run for cover

Holy Fungi

I should mention that the trail does break off a few times into residential neighbourhoods and at times you will find it tricky picking it up again as some parks are hidden behind schools.  Esthetically there are some really lovely parks and some hidden forested areas to cool off in when the weather heats up.  West Deane North and South are both brilliantly wide and spacious with few trees in the core which is why it is a popular meeting place for large gatherings for picnics.  Also great for kiting or recreational sports.   

Ravenscrest located further east is a little spot of parkland with a cooling forested area off the trail.  I still need work on capturing birds as I'm teased often about my 'wildlife pictures consisting of the elusive ducks and squirrs..." :)  When I do see a bird or a deer, I usually get panicky and fumble with my camera settings and miss the opportunity.  This is one of the reasons why I have always monopolized on landscape shot, because I can take my time.  

 

Hampshire Heights and Echo Valley Parks between Rathburn and Burnhamthorpe Road as you travel further southeast along Mimico creek will have you passing through some of the most beautiful and affluent neighbourhoods you'll ever see.   The water level was very low, surprisingly so much of the rock bed was exposed, leaving me much preferring the Humber River which is just east of Mimico Creek.

A few kilometres of Mimico Creek is shared with the Islington Golf Club so you'll have to omit the entire block between Kipling and Islington Avenue and pick up the trail again south on Islington to Dundas West.

As we were now off track, we called it a day as the skies looked like rain.  I couldn't get the idea of finishing what I started out of my head, so although the Mimico Creek Trail was inconsistent and confusing, I was still determined to follow the watershed down to the Lake.  So the next day I headed out by myself to pick up where we left off.

With a lunch packed and my trusty compass I was at a loss to find Thomas Riley Park.  Turns out I was passing it on Montgomery Road as it was actually hidden behind the Etobicoke College Institute.  Another break in the trail down to Bloor St W. You will need to do some walking north to Royal York Rd and south all the way down to Berry Road where you will pick up the creek again.  Once again Berry Road Park is hidden behind the Bishop Allen Academy where you will find a deep staircase in the back of the school that takes you along Mimico Creek once again all the way down through Jeff Healey Park (named after the beloved blind and talented Canadian Jazz-blues and Rock vocalist and guitarist who attained musical popularity in the 80's and 90's and who later became a popular radio personality in 2000.  He passed away in 2008.)

His park was a mixture of a children's playground as well as some pretty water features.  From there I walked under the Gardiner Expressway and ran out of trail so climbed up a narrow footpath to Park Lawn Avenue to the Lakeshore which brought me soon to my destination of Humber Bay Park West and East.  At this point it had already been a little late in the day so I didn't spend a lot of time here, but it looked familiar to me so I had been here before. 

While here you can see the Butterfly Habitat Centre and a pretty impressive view of the Toronto Skyline, but I would think it looks much nicer at night as the daylight really casts a smog fog on your camera lens.  The funniest thing I think that made me laugh today was when I saw a very large bird sitting on top of a wooden post near in the Butterfly Conservatory.  It did not move, and I had fumbled with my setting put on my zoom lens and took my shot.  The bird still did not move, until I realized when I looked at my photos that it was a decoy.  Great shot there anyways.

All in all the satisfaction was in finishing today, next time there are much easier ways to get down here to get to the lake and Mimico creek isn't one of them :)