Wa l k BURKE BROOK (Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue) This walk follows a section of Burke Brook, a tributary of the West Don River, as it winds its way through a varied urban area. The walk begins where the stream is buried beneath a formal garden and ends as it flows naturally through a forested ravine. Along the way, specific plants will be described and identified. The walk begins at the arched of Toronto’s streams have been Public Transit: Getting there: There is a subway stop at Lawrence Avenue 1 entrance to Alexander Muir intentionally channelled underground and Yonge Street. Walk two blocks south on the east side of Yonge, past the Memorial Gardens. Read the plaque to make way for roads and buildings. traffic lights at St. Edmonds Drive, to begin at the arched entrance to on the left stone pillar. Burke Brook, a tributary of the Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens. Don River, joins the West Don near Enter the gardens and walk Getting home: Take bus route 11 south. This bus will take you to the Yonge- 2 Sunnybrook Hospital. The West Don Davisville subway station. towards a low wall and bench eventually joins the East Don to form over which you can see tennis courts. *Public transit routes and schedules are subject to change. Please check with provider. the Lower Don River. TTC Information: www.ttc.ca or 416-393-4636 Take the left or right stairs down and follow the crushed-brick path to the right. At the end of the bowling 5 Parking: The is no parking available at the start of this walk; however, there greens, note the metal railing/ Walk to the right of the tennis is some one-hour parking along the side streets in the area 3 grate to your right. Burke Brook courts and lawn bowling greens emerges from underground here but into Lawrence Park Ravine. Level of Difficulty/Accessibility: This walk follows a route with surfaces is severely restricted within a narrow, straight, cement channel. Stormwater varying from gravel, limestone screenings, paved, bare dirt, woodchips and The ravine slopes seen both from the area’s hard sur faces runs of f wooden stairs and boardwalks. This route passes through a leash-free zone 4 to your right and left are directly down the ravine slopes or into (points 23-27) and is not stroller or wheelchair accessible. evidence of a buried stream. Burke storm sewers that empty into Burke Brook originates in Downsview, but is Brook. Stones along the bank above Approximate Time: 1 to 2 hours. mainly underground until it reaches the cement reduce erosion but, in the Avenue Road and Lawrence some places, flooding has moved the Avenue area where it flows above stones and soil has eroded anyway. Distance: 2.3 kilometres. ground through Chatsworth ravine. Before reaching Yonge Street and As you approach the end 6 Caution: Be aware of cyclists and other trail users at all times. Use the trails at Alexander Muir Gardens, Burke of the parking lot, follow the your own risk. Brooke disappears underground trail on the left side of Burke Brook. and cannot be seen here. Many Use the woodchip trail instead of the 1 Current as of July 2018 2 trail of compacted soil. The stream On your right, find a tree commemorative trees. These gingko people and dogs have created many 12 bank is covered with non-native that seems to have many trees are not native to Canada. During eroded pathways to the water’s edge. species. Many of these plants are (10 – 12) trunks. Look carefully at the summer and fall, note the fan-shaped When you are opposite the considered invasive because they leaves and you will see that two leaves with veins like the ribs of a fan. 20 outcompete native wildflowers and different kinds of trees are intertwined. splashpad, note that a section Cross Blythwood Road to of stream bank has gabion baskets, shrubs that gradually disappear. One is a Manitoba maple and the other 16 is a crack willow. If you can’t see any enter Sherwood Park (16.2 stones encased in wire, to help Stay off the slopes between hectares). Take the stairs down into stabilize stream banks. 7 leaves, note the two different bark the main trail and the houses to patterns. In addition, several species the park. At the bottom, take the path When you reach the red brick your left. Trampling the slopes harms of shrubs are intertwined at the base curving to your immediate right. (The 21 building, cross the bridge to understorey plants and also increases of these tree trunks. Where there is an park path straight ahead from the your left. (Following the paved road soil compaction and erosion. opening along the stream bank, look stairs passes a playground, splashpad up a hill to the right will take you to across the stream. Among the trees, and washrooms, open seasonally.) The largest trees along the the eastern end of Sherwood Avenue.) 8 you may be able to see damage to the Look to your left through the shrubs stream banks are crack ravine slopes done by excess trampling and you’ll see another metal railing willows, a non-native species. As the When you cross the bridge, and structures built illegally for where Burke Brook once more 22 soil at their bases erodes, they tend to stand at the bottom of the mountain bike stunts. emerges from underground. topple over in high winds. Note the cut stairs and note the natural wood barriers attached to metal railings pieces of a large willow on the ground To the left of the path, note On your right, note a large 17 and simple wood rails. Volunteers built to your left. On your right, note that 13 the cluster of trees with a evergreen leaning over the path these barriers to keep people one part of another large willow still strange branching pattern. These with a smaller one near it. These trees and dogs off the slopes adjacent to stands but half has fallen. trees are staghorn sumacs. Part of are eastern hemlocks. Each needle is these stairs. their name refers to the velvet covering attached separately to the branches Just past the willows, Burke 9 on the young twigs (like the velvet on and has two white stripes on the Brooke goes underground Follow the path to the right at a stag’s new antlers). In spring and bottom side. Right beside the larger 23 again at a metal railing. Continue on the bottom of the stairs. Where summer, the leaves are bright green hemlock is a yellow birch, not to be the woodchip trail until you pass under the path splits, look along the right but turn vivid red in fall. Near the end confused with white birch. the bridge over the ravine at Mount path to see a cement wall and a major of these sumacs are a few trees with Pleasant Road. The elaborate, elevated metal grate where Burke Brook not white bark. They are white birch. 18 stairway was created to only goes underground, but also goes These two native species require lots On the left, after you pass prevent trampling of the fragile ravine out of the park and under Mount Hope 10 of sun and grow along forest edges, under the bridge, there are two slope. A variety of native trees and Cemetery. Note the map of forest roadsides and other open places. interesting trees that are members of shrubs have been planted where trails. We will follow the lowest trail the larch/tamarack family. They have marked. Whenever there’s a choice, As you walk fur ther, look invasive trees have been removed. many short needles in each bundle. take the path to your right. Go through 14 upward to your right and Major trunks and branches of the These trees lose all their needles every the wooden gate into the forest. The observe several majestic evergreen removed trees have been left all along fall, but their tiny cones remain. paths within the forest are officially a trees. They are white pines, a native the slope to help stabilize the soil. Also note the large pieces of armour stone leash-free area for dogs. The fences Follow the paved path to your species that has been adopted by 11 placed at various locations along the limit the number of dogs running freely right into Blythwood Ravine Ontario as its tree emblem. stream to prevent erosion of the sandy within the actual forest. Note the Park and find a metal railing where Continue walking and find stream banks. accumulation of leaf litter within the Burke Brook once again emerges, 15 where Burke Brook again goes fenced areas. now contained in a cement channel underground through a metal grate When you are opposite the with larger, sloped walls. Walk with 19 As you walk, look up frequently just before the trail goes up a little playground slides, look at the 24 the stream on your right. and see grand examples of and is paved. On your right, note two bank across the stream. Note how 3 4 white pines and eastern hemlocks. Later, passing through a 28 Trail Users’ Guide Some of these trees are more than wooden gate, note the huge 185 years old. There are also sugar wall created by giant gabion baskets. • Be advised that you are responsible for your own safety and wellbeing. maples and both red and white oaks. An early property owner altered • Be aware of cyclists and other trail users at all times.