A perfect Sunday in Toronto includes my favourite run through a couple of Toronto’s most picturesque ravines. Over the years, I’ve brought along fellow joggers and I’m always surprised how few Torontonians know about this spectacular route which can be enjoyed just as much by walking. It’s a perfect leafy loop of mostly woodland paths which leads you back to where you began. And it’s right in the centre of the City! The hidden ravines of Toronto are truly one of the most spectacular resources for Toronto.

The route starts at Milkmen’s Lane, in Rosedale, just east of Glen Road, off of South Drive. At the bottom of Milkmen’s Lane, which is more of a dirt path, there’s a City map showing the route. I like to go east along the Brickworks and up Moore Park Ravine. I recently tried it the other way and it didn’t work as well for me. The brilliant trick of the route is how Mount Pleasant Cemetery creates the northern link, connecting up to David Balfour Park and leading you back down to where you began. It takes me about 45 minutes at a leisurely jog and I think it’s about 7-8 kilometres.

It’s such a pretty route with so much visual variety that you often forget that you’re running! This seems to be a great strategy with me. The experience changes dramatically throughout the seasons and there’s always something new to see. In fact, believe it or not, while running with a friend there last week, we saw a deer in Mount Pleasant Cemetery!

There’s a map at:
http://www.toronto.ca/parks/recreation_facilities/discovery_walks/discover_index.htm