EAST DON PARKLAND (Leslie St. & Steeles Ave. to WaLeslie St. & Sheppard l Ave. k) Discover the natural heritage of this popular trail through the East Don Parkland. Follow German Mills Creek and the East Don River as they meander through lush forested ravine, wildflower meadows and wetlands teeming with life. The natural channel, series of wetlands and abundance of native species make this section of the East Don River well worth the exploration. The walk begins at the entrance Toronto and TRCA. 1 to the East Don Parkland, south Public Transit: Getting there: From Finch Station on the Yonge Subway line, Walk under the GO and of Steeles on the west side of Leslie. To 3 take bus 53A Steeles East to Steeles and Leslie. Walk 200m south on the west pedestrian bridges and look begin, you will be following German side of Leslie to find the entrance to the East Don Parkland. Alternatively, the 51 Leslie to your right. This area is a beaver Mills Creek. As you enter the park, stop bus stops at Leslie and Francine Drive (both north and southbound), a 200m walk north clear-cut. The ability of the beaver to to read the interpretive sign and enjoy to the park entrance. manipulate their environment is second the surrounding cedar/willow forest. As only to man. Their engineering prowess Getting home: The walk ends 100m from the Leslie Subway Station on the Sheppard you continue, to the right of the path you tends to get them in trouble because line. There is a subway entrance at the southwest corner of Leslie and Sheppard or as you will notice that many of the Cedars have their activities often result in the leave the parkland from the trail, take the overpass over Sheppard and there is a subway exposed roots. The high water table in creation of wetlands and open water, entrance on the southwest side past the overpass. the area has eroded the soil around the and may even result in the flooding of *Public transit routes and schedules are subject to change. Please check with provider. TTC Information: www.ttc.ca or 416-393-4636. roots. Many of the trees have blown YRT Information: www.yrt.ca or 1-866-668-3978. urban areas. You will notice that many down because these shallow, exposed of the trees in the area are enclosed in Parking: There is parking located on Equestrian Court south of Steeles on roots don’t provide the trees enough wire cages. The cages prevent the trees Leslie. Walk time should be doubled if driving, as this walk is not a loop. There support in heavy winds. from being damaged by beavers. is also a parking lot at the end of the walk. From Leslie and Sheppard look for the sign for the East Don Parkland on your right and take your first right at the unnamed street A little further ahead, to Next, you will approach the 2 4 before the underpass and then turn right again into the parking lot. your left, you will notice plastic confluence of the creek from tree guards remaining at the base of Bestview Forest and German Mills Level of Difficulty/Accessibility: Easy to Moderate. The paved pathway is some of the smaller trees. These guards stroller and wheelchair accessible. Creek. From July to September you protect the trees from hungry rodents will notice the vibrant purple flowers Approximate Time: Two to three hours depending on whether you stop to look and lagomorphs (rabbits and hares), of purple loosestrife, a beautiful at all the features. particularly during the scarce winter but vigorously invasive species that months. The local community has been has established a stronghold at this Distance: 4.8 kilometres. involved in planting trees and shrubs site. There is also a small thicket of here to improve the quality of the ravine Hawthorns. Hawthorns are a large Caution: Be aware of cyclists and other trail users at all times. through coordinated events held by the family of small trees with very sharp Use the trails at your own risk. East Don Parkland Partners, City of thorns and white or pink flowers in 1 Current as of July 2018 2 flat-topped clusters. They provide in September/October. To your left before it was relocated outside of the Past the channel, this open protected habitat and are an important before the bridge you will see the cream floodplain. 14 area was the site of the first food source for birds and small coloured box that hosts a water quality community planting in the parkland. As you walk past the wetland mammals. monitoring station (north bank of river). 11 This site is the former parking lot of and enter the hydro corridor the Next the creek meanders past The green pipes at the river’s edge feed the North York Township works yard. 5 water to a station to get water quality landscape changes dramatically. This During the community planting, the a roundabout and to your right area of hydro corridor provides a large there is a small stand of young white information. This area was once known volunteers discovered that the soil as Scripture Town as in the late 1800s expanse of open meadow habitat to the was compacted and remnants of pines. The community planted these area. Adjacent to the East Don River is about 10 years ago and they are thriving and early 1900s they used to hold bible construction material remained. The camps in the summer here. the ‘milkweed meadow’ that is rich in tree cover is slowly re-establishing in on the fertile floodplain soils. milkweed and wildflowers in the spring As you reach the Cummer the area, despite the disturbance, and On the right just before the 9 and summer. Provided this area escapes in the meadow to your left you might 6 Street Bridge you will notice mowing in the late summer/early fall (as fork leading to Bestview Forest, a native black cherry tree and an just spot a white-tailed deer. you can see stone/stump reinforcement it has for the last 10 years) it is excellent interpretive sign to your right. Next to habitat where Monarch butterflies, a As you continue along the along the riverbank. Reinforcement the sign you will notice a bed of rocks 15 is needed to stop erosion that could designated Species of Special Concern path you will notice a second covered in chicken wire. This is an by the Ontario Ministry of Natural restored wetland to your right across damage the sewer system, threaten erosion control method called rip rap landscapes in the ravine or nearby Resources, can reproduce and fuel up the river. This wetland is easier to see used to stabilize the bank and help for a long migration to Mexico. in the early spring or fall when there properties, and pollute Lake Ontario. prevent the trail from washing out. This reinforcement was installed about Continuing to the bridge you is less vegetation along the trail. The 10 years ago in an effort to stabilize the Note: If you wish to exit or begin the 12 can see an old river oxbow, two wetlands north of Finch provide a stream bank but has eroded and will walk at Cummer you can catch the 42 downstream on the right. Ten years ago significant amount of critical wetland soon need to be replaced. The exposed Cummer bus to/from Finch Station. there was a meander on the south bank habitat, help control floods and act as roots and areas where the slope has of the river, but the oxbow broke and the natural filters to improve water quality Continue under the bridge and in the river. slumped into the creek are warning 10 in a few hundred meters you area collected sediment over time. The signs of erosion. will notice a wetland on your right hand meander is now completely cut off from Take the right fork to continue 16 Here the trail reaches a fork side. This wetland was created in 2008 the river, but the old riverbed supports a under the Finch Ave Bridge 7 near the confluence of German to restore important wetland habitat seasonal pool of water. and continue your walk. After the Mills Creek and the East Don River. and reduce flooding in the East Don Evidence of an historic mill site and bridge take the right fork again at the The right fork leads you across German Parkland. After only a few years, the weathered beams, was unearthed interpretive sign and memorial trees. Mills Creek. The walk will continue wetland is now full of life with frogs during a 2000 storm. These beams At either of these junctions, the forks along the left fork but to the right there (toad, leopard and green), birds, deer have since washed away during to the left lead to Finch Ave where you is a good view of the forks from the and other wildlife that have moved into subsequent storm events, leaving no can catch the 39 Finch bus to Finch bridge and an interpretive sign about the wetland. trace of the area’s settlement history Station. the History of German Mills a little except in the memories of the area’s In 2010, more than 500 students Here the path comes quite close to the further along. Follow this trail to see the from local schools planted aquatic residents and stewards. Cummer Mill Dam (path on left) and up river. This vantage point reveals the plants in the wetland through Toronto At the end of the bridge early stages of erosion along the stream the hill to Bestview Forest, a pristine and Region conservation Aquatic 13 remnant mixed-hardwood stand.