Warden Woods Trail

Spring, Summer or Fall, Warden woods is a beautiful trail located in the east end of Toronto.  I'd say it's not big, not small, just big enough to feel like you've escaped the rush of a city into the balance of nature for a while.



Warden Woods Trail is a heavily forested trail covering a land space of 56 hectares.  From the corner of St. Clair and Warden to Pharmacy Avenue, it follows the Massey Creek which flows into the Don River.  I've been here before (see Warden Subway Station on this blog) but didn't walk through the entire trail because at the time most of the paths were muddy and sloppy.  It's now late autumn and a lot of vibrant fall colours are disappearing into browns, tans and greys.  The reminder of course that winter is not far long, but this trail will still be utilized in the winter for snowshoeing and hiking.  

If you keeping on the asphalt pathway, there are many examples of beautiful scenery to take pictures of, worthy of framing!  The valley was formed by erosion caused by Massey creek through glacial deposits and the path can be winding and hilly at times.  You'll see some heavily forested areas which I suspect are much lovelier in the late spring/summer months when the green foliage is out. 

The Taylor Massey creek is protected and preserved by volunteers of the 'Taylor Massey Project'.  For those interested in learning about how to get involved yourself or just finding out more about project goals and objectives Click Here

 

Even though it is virtually impossible to get lost in Warden Woods because you are always just minutes from civilization, while in it, it really does feel like a different place in time.

Happy Trails!

Fir Valley Woods Trail

 Chances are if you're doing a search on Fir Valley Woods Trail you won't find much; that's probably because if you blink you'll miss it. 

Fir Valley Woods Trail is a small spot of forest off Warden Avenue between St. Clair and Danforth avenues.  There are no bike paths, or concrete foot paths anywhere, but that isn't to say that Fir Valley isn't without its unique charms. 


There is a broken bridge that overpasses the Taylor (or Massey) creek and I suspect that this trail is pretty much left unattended by the City of Toronto, unless there is some unforeseen danger or emergency which takes place here. 


The Fir Valley Woods trail covers a land space of approximately 1.5 hectares.  It contains a watershed tunnel, a steep hill, a small cluster of fir trees (of course) and an exit adjacent the Warden subway station. 

If you follow out towards St. Clair Avenue you will get to the entrance of a much larger trail called Warden Woods.