A Journey to the Leslie Street Spit

Last week, I went on my first hike of 2009. Generally, I prefer hiking through the rural landscapes north of the city; however, I wanted to try something different to start the year. Nathan and I travelled 29 km through Toronto and Scarborough. I was surprised by the number of peaceful, secluded nature areas within a short distance of the downtown core.

Nathan and I start at the harbourfront and take a ferry across to Hanlan’s Point, on the Toronto Islands. Despite being only a few kilometers long, the Islands boasts great diversity in scenery. We walk across the entire island chain, from west to east, passing through the old forests near Hanlan’s Point, the carnival on Olympic Island, and the sandy beaches towards the east. Although parts of the island are too tourist-friendly (consisting of endless arrays of fast food stands and yelling children), the rugged southern shore features a rocky beach that slopes into the shore of Lake Ontario. Despite its close presence to downtown, it feels many miles away.

Next, we walk to the Portlands, a former industrial area located southeast of the downtown core. Decades ago, the Portlands featured many thriving factories; today, the buildings are abandoned and crumbling. We walk along Unwin Avenue, which used to be a key arterial road bisecting the industrial parkland. The area contains lush marshland, chattering animals and wispy trees, though there are still a few large, creepy, abandoned factories located along the road.

The Portlands extends east to the entrance of the Leslie Street Spit, one of Canada’s largest and most impressive urban nature reserves. The Spit is located on a manmade peninsula that extends for five kilometers into Lake Ontario; it was created during the sixties and seventies as the city needed a dumping ground for land extracted during subway tunneling. As decades passed, the Spit slowly turned into a dense, flourishing marshland. Today, it features many types of rare plants and birds found nowhere else in the GTA.

The northern part of the Spit features a wide, paved road which is still technically called Leslie Street; a few summers, ago Nathan and walked to the northern edge of Leslie Street in Keswick. As we proceed farther south, the road is gradually replaced by an uneven gravel track. Unfortunately, we’re caught in a brief but intense rainstorm; however, as the sky clears, we get a great view of the downtown Toronto skyline.

Afterwards, Nathan and I continue towards The Beaches, a community located on the east side of Toronto. This area is noteworthy because it features one of the longest uninterrupted stretches of the Lake Ontario waterfront in Toronto. Famous for its white, sandy coastline, rustic boardwalk, and small, unique stores, the Beaches are a pleasant, peaceful area.

We take a slight detour to Kingston Road and continue heading east. After sunset we arrive at the Scarborough Bluffs, a long series of steep cliffs that overlook Lake Ontario. The ancient escarpment consists of jagged cliffs, carved into the shoreline. I stand at the edge of the bluffs and see the dark, tranquil lake at the bottom of the rock formation. Afterward enjoying the view, I take the streetcar home and have a conversation with a disheveled old man about the Income Tax Act. It was a suitably amusing way start to the 2009 hiking season.