The walk begins at the arched from the area’s hard surfaces runs off entrance to Alexander Muir directly down the ravine slopes or Memorial Gardens. Read the plaque into storm sewers that empty into on the left stone pillar. Burke Brook. Stones along the bank above the cement reduce erosion, but Enter the Gardens and walk in some places, flooding has moved towards a low wall and bench the stones and soil has eroded over which you can see tennis courts. anyway. BURKE BROOK (Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue) Take the left or right stairs down and follow the crushed brick path to the As you approach the end of the This walk follows a section of Burke Brook, a tributary of right. parking lot, follow the trail on the left side of Burke Brook. Use the the West Don River, as it winds its way through a varied Walk to the right of the tennis woodchip trail instead of the trail of urban area. The walk begins where the stream is buried courts and lawn bowling compacted soil. The stream bank is beneath a formal garden and ends as it flows naturally greens into Lawrence Park Ravine. covered with non-native species. Many of these plants are considered through a forested ravine. Along the way, specific plants The ravine slopes seen both to invasive because they out-compete will be described and identified. your right and left are evidence native wildflowers and shrubs that of a buried stream. Burke Brook gradually disappear. originates in Downsview but is mainly underground until it reaches the Stay off the slopes between the Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue main trail and the houses to area where it flows above ground your left. Trampling the slopes harms Public transit: Getting there; There is a subway stop at Lawrence through Chatsworth Ravine. Before understorey plants and also increases Avenue and Yonge Street. Walk two blocks south on the east side of reaching Yonge Street and Alexander soil compaction and erosion. Yonge, past the traffic lights at St. Edmonds Drive, to begin at the arched Muir Gardens, Burke Brooke dis- entrance to Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens. appears underground and cannot be The largest trees along the seen here. Many of Toronto’s streams stream banks are Crack Getting home; Take bus route 11 south. This bus will bring you to the have been intentionally channeled Willows, a non-native species. As the Yonge/Davisville subway station. underground to make way for roads soil at their bases erodes, they tend to and buildings. Burke Brook, a topple over in high winds. Note the tributary of the Don River, joins the cut pieces of a large willow on the Level of difficulty: Moderately easy. Not stroller accessible. West Don near Sunnybrook Hospital. ground to your left. On your right, The West Don eventually joins the note that one part of another large East Don to form the Lower Don willow still stands but half has fallen. Approximate time: One to two hours depending on whether you River. stop to look at the features described. Just past the willows, Burke At the end of the bowling Brooke goes underground greens, note the metal railing/ again at a metal railing. Continue on B grate to your right. Burke Brook the woodchip trail until you pass A Distance: 2.3 kilometres emerges from underground here but under the bridge over the ravine at is severely restricted within a narrow, Mount Pleasant Road. straight, cement channel. Stormwater Current as of October 2008 — 1 — On the left, after you pass but turn vivid red in fall. Near the branches and has two white stripes Follow the path to the right at under the bridge, there are two end of these Sumacs are a few trees on the bottom side. Right beside the the bottom of the stairs. Where interesting trees which are members with white bark. They are White larger Hemlock is a Yellow Birch, not the path splits, look along the right of the Larch/Tamarack family. They Birch. These two native species to be confused with White Birch. path to see a cement wall and a major have many short needles in each require lots of sun and grow along metal grate where Burke Brook not bundle. These trees lose all their forest edges, roadsides and other The elaborate, elevated stair- only goes underground, but also goes needles every fall but their tiny open places. way was created to prevent out of the park and under Mount cones remain. trampling of the fragile ravine slope. Hope Cemetery. Note the map of As you walk further, look A variety of native trees and shrubs forest trails. We will follow the lowest Follow the paved path to your upward to your right and have been planted where invasive trail marked. Whenever there’s a right into Blythwood Ravine observe several majestic evergreen trees have been removed. Major choice, take the path to your right. Park and find a metal railing where trees. They are White Pines, a native trunks and branches of the removed Go through the wooden gate into the Burke Brook once again emerges, species that has been adopted by trees have been left all along the slope forest. The paths within the forest are now contained in a cement channel Ontario as its tree emblem. to help stabilize the soil. Also note officially a leash-free area for dogs. with larger, sloped walls. Walk with the large pieces of armourstone The fences limit the number of dogs the stream on your right. Continue walking and find placed at various locations along the running freely within the actual where Burke Brook again goes stream to prevent erosion of the forest. Note the accumulation of leaf On your right, find a tree that underground through a metal grate sandy stream banks. litter within the fenced areas. seems to have many (10 – 12) just before the trail goes up a little trunks. Look carefully at the leaves and is paved. On your right notice a When you are opposite the As you walk, look up frequently and you will see that two different small evergreen memorial tree. It is a playground slides, look at the and see grand examples of kinds of trees are intertwined. One is young White Pine. Close inspection bank across the stream. Note how White Pines and Eastern Hemlocks. a Manitoba Maple and the other is a of its needles shows that they are five people and dogs have created many Some of these trees are over 150 years Crack Willow. If you can’t see any per bundle and quite delicate. eroded pathways to the water’s edge. old. There are also Sugar Maples and leaves, note the two different bark both Red and White Oaks. This small patterns. In addition, several species Cross Blythwood Road to enter When you are opposite the forest represents the typical climax of shrubs are intertwined at the base Sherwood Park (16.2 hectares). splashpad, note that a section community in this region. Dead trees of these tree trunks. When there is an Take the stairs down into the park. of stream bank has gabion baskets, are left standing as ‘snags’. They opening along the stream bank, look At the bottom, take the path curving stones encased in wire, to help provide habitat for a variety of insects, across the stream. Among the trees, to your immediate right. (The park stabilize stream banks. birds and mammals. Look for areas you may be able to see damage to the path straight ahead from the stairs where woodpeckers have chipped off ravine slopes done by excess passes a playground, splashpad and When you reach the red brick sections of bark to find food. trampling and structures built washrooms, open only seasonally.) building, cross the bridge to illegally for mountain bike stunts. Look to your left through the shrubs your left. (Following the paved road When you look ahead and see and you’ll see another metal railing up a hill to the right will take you to where the forest seems to block To the left of the path, note the where Burke Brook once more the eastern end of Sherwood Avenue.) the trail, look at the trees to your left. cluster of trees with a strange emerges from underground. The smooth, grey bark of the branching pattern. These trees are When you cross the bridge, American Beech trees attracts people Staghorn Sumacs. Part of their name On your right, note a large stand at the bottom of the stairs who want to carve initials in it. Don’t refers to the ‘velvet’ covering on the evergreen leaning over the and note the natural wood barriers do it! Any cuts in a tree’s bark admit young twigs (like the ‘velvet’ on a path with a smaller one near it. These attached to metal railings and simple harmful insects, fungi and bacteria. stag’s new antlers). The leaves, in trees are Eastern Hemlocks. Each wood rails. Volunteers built these spring and summer, are bright green needle is attached separately to the barriers to keep people and dogs off the slopes adjacent to these stairs. — 2 — Continue down some stairs At the end of this gabion wall, Trail Users’ Guide and onto a boardwalk. On follow the main path to your your right, behind trees and bushes, right, walking over a major culvert • Users of these trail guides are responsible for their own safety Burke Brook again comes above containing Burke Brook. and well being.