Looking north towards Yorkmills Rd
Looking south towards Lawrence Ave.
The Don River swells with anger
East Don flowing high and fast thru the Donalda Golf Course.
#DonValley #LoveTheRavines #RavineRamble #Toronto #parksTO
Groundwater spring from top of the ridge in Bridlewood park.
Bridlewood park in 1969 soon after the subdivision was built.
Water finds a way.
Groundwater spring flows from a manmade ridge down into a dry storm pond.
In comparison to a 1969 @torontoarchives.cityof.toronto.ca photo of the same area when the subdivision was 1st developed. The trees have grown certainly.
#LoveTheRavine #Scarborough #ParksTO #TOhistory
Looking over the valley
Different angle.
The Sauriol Cliff.
Probably the most dramatic vista in the Don Valley.
Overlooking the East Don River, the Richmond rail lines & new East Don trail.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRamble #DonValley #parksTO #RavineRamble
Current water levels in the pond in March 2026
Pond water levels in July 2025.
Some ponds are more affected by ground water fluctuation than others.
See below a the pond near Vic Park Ave which is purely feed by ground water and falls several feet every summer.
#RavineRamble #LoveTheRavines #TaylorCreek #Toronto #ParksTO
Pond no southside of Taylor Creek, westside of Dawes Rd.
Pond no northside of Taylor Creek, eastside of Dawes Rd.
Pond no northside of Taylor Creek, westside of Vic Park Ave.
Pond no southside of Taylor Creek, between Vic Park Ave and Dawes Rd.
The ponds of Dawes Rd.
On Taylor Creek between Dawes Rd & Vic Park Ave lies a series of manmade ponds and wetlands. All ground fed, they're a great place to watch nature reclaim the landscape.
Right now the ponds are full from snow melt
#RavineRamble #LoveTheRavines #TaylorCreek #Toronto #ParksTO
New bridge looking north.
New bridge looking south.
Last thing to see today was the new Prudential Dr. bridge over the Dorset branch, directly north of the new trail bridge.
This work closed down the road in 2023-24.
That's it for this short #RavineRamble.
Thanks for joining me.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoastKin
Former Highland creek channel still carrying water to the current creek.
The two parts of highland creek meet under the temporary construction bridge. Old channel on the left, new channel on the right.
The post 1965 West Highland Creek Channel, unnaturally straight.
Now back to the abandoned creek channel. Right at the foot of the temporary bridge it meets the current creek.
Water still flows steady out this channel, it's fed by ground water and is alive and well as its very own stream.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoastKin
The new trail bridge goes over the concrete ford.
Looking south under the new bridge.
Looking north at the temporary work bridge and the forks of the Highland Creek.
The new trail bridge is built directly over the hydro corridor concrete creek ford made for hydro crews to access the areas on the east side of the creek.
I wonder if eventually this new trail will go over the railway corridor.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoastKin
Meadoway trail construction directly south of the pond.
New trail bridge over the West Highland Creek, Dorset branch.
Following this abandoned section to its confluence with Highland creek something new appears. Trail construction & new bridge over the creek.
@rzaichkowski.bsky.social any idea when this happened? This is new from last fall.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoastKin
The spillway from the pond into the abandoned creek channel.
The former creek channel has become marshy. There is still lots of ground water here that is feeding and keeping this abandoned channel alive.
This is now a wetland in its own right.
On east side of pond there is a noticeable dip for an outflow into the abandoned channel and into Highland Creek.
The channel itself is still full of water, having become marshy with ground water.
Lot of ground water here.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoastKin
Pond looking east, train tracks directly behind.
Pond looking north toward the high rises on Prudential Drive.
Pond from near the outflow pipe looking south.
Arsandco Pond pond lies directly east of the woodlot & abandoned channel, in fact it feeds into it.
It was strange to see the pond still frozen this late into March. Built in early 2000s, it first appears in aerial phots in 2005.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoastKin
The stand of old growth woodlot still standing at the old banks of the river.
This is now a nature area.
The woodlot in question. Still standing, seen previously on aerial photos in the 1940s.
Now its just my luck that for some strange reason a snow storm blew in just as I arrived today
1st this that greets you is an old stand of trees that have survived the redevelopment & can be seen as far back as 1940s aerial phots
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoastKin
Incase anyone is not familiar with the area, please refer to the google map link below.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoastKin
Map of the highland creek watershed. Red circle is where the area in question is located.
1947 - aerial photos showing the abandoned channel of the creek in question yellow.
1965 - aerial photo showing the abandoned channel in yellow in relation to the rerouted creek directly east of it. Note in red a small unnamed creek that feeds into the creek in this area.
2024 - aerial view of the creek. In yellow the abandoned channel, now marshy and still containing water. In orange, Arsandco Pond, constructed in the early 2000s for storm water management.
Time for another #RavineRamble.
It is a short jaunt on a section of West Highland Creek, Dorset Branch to explore a short abandoned section of creek when it was rerouted during the 1960s.
Follow along, more details in Alt text.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoastKin
Famed hole 3 at Dentonia DiscGolf course.
Last toss from a top of Mount Dentonia.
Its been a great winter season of discgolf in the Taylor Creek ravine. A wonderful winter use of a @toronto.ca municipal golf course.
Until next winter Dentonia.
#discgolf #discgolfTO #parksTO #DentoniaPark #lovetheravines
Indoor bananas
Koi pond
Indoor gardens
The palm house.
The indoor tropics of Allen Gardens.
The conservatory is always a good place to visit on a cold winter day.
#AllenGardens #Greenhouse #conservatory #parksTO #Toronto
Willowfield pond at the headwaters of Taylor Creek.
Winter has once again returned to the Taylor Creek.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRmabler #parksTO #winterTO
Best hole on the course.
Birdie from up on high.
One of the rarest vistas in Toronto Disc golf. The 11th tee at Dentonia, only available from today to Sunday.
#discgolf #discgolfTO #parksTO #DentoniaPark #lovetheravines
A beautiful planted disc
A little sideways but still upright.
The snow has almost melted... that can mean only one thing.
Its tombstone season!
#LoveTheRavines #DiscGolf #DentoniaPark #parksTO #DiscGolfTO #WinterTO #Sunset
Famed hole 3 at Dentonia.
A March sunset over the Dentonia Disc Golf Course..
Clear skies and warm weather, today was a good day
#LoveTheRavines #DiscGolf #DentoniaPark #parksTO #DiscGolfTO #WinterTO #Sunset
She spent some 10min trying to move this log.
If there is one thing I admire about the dog, its her unadulterated commitment to her own personal "bigger stick" policy.
She will always dream beyond her own capacities. Luckily this driftwood was too heavy to carry home.
#parksTO #Toronto #dogsofbluesky #SpringerSpaniel
What a beautiful day to lose some discs.
This a good winter day.
#LoveTheRavines #DiscGolf #DentoniaPark #parksTO #DiscGolfTO #WinterTO
Standing on top of a hill looking south at the eventual outflow into Highland Creek.
The opening of the ponds outflow at the Highland Creek.
Finally we reach the end of this short meander.
Standing on top of the slight hill thru witch the outflow pipe flows under into the Highland Creek.
Thanks for joining in on this short #RavineRamble
That's it for today.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoatKin
The dammed outflow of the pond
Outflow of the pond.
This pond drains out into the West Highland Creek. It is dammed at its southern end as can be seen in pics below.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoatKin
Looking south across the pond
Looking east across the pond.
Finally we reach the 2nd pond, the bigger of the two ponds.
It too is forzen over, but also like all Toronto ponds, it too has its danger signs clearly posted.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoatKin
Trees, some of them quiet old line the former banks.
The former creek is home to a new tree.
On its was south to the 2nd pond, the big one, the banks are lined by older trees.
Trees possibly leftover from when this meander was still a part of the creek.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoatKin
Reeds and ice give away the creeks former course
Even in deep snow the reeds guide the way
The reeds like the creek mark a sharp turn south
The creek bed flows eastward before marking a sharp turn south towards the current West Highland Creek alignment.
The entire area is populated with Cat Tail reeds. It is impressive that no invasive Phragmites has taken hold here.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoatKin
Two willows on either bank mark the confluence of two bodies of water
A small creek emerges from under the snow from the north of the meander
Two water channels meet.
As the meander bends eastward, Willow trees again mark water.
This time a confluence of the meander with another smaller creek.
The water here flows freely.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoatKin
Skirting the edge of the pond, a distinct outline of reeds can be seen growing around the creek.
The 1st pond is the smaller of the two. And like all ponds in the city its accompanied with a Danger sign.
As we trek further north, we approach the 1st of the two ponds that occupy the former creek bed.
From now on cat tail reeds mark the course of the creek, making it easier to follow.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoatKin
First signs of the former creek appear from below the deep snow.
Water carving its way thru a shallow depression below the snow.
Obvious signs of fresh flowing water.
About 10-15 feet east of the willow tree, first signs of the creek emerge.
Flowing ground water forming a channel under the snow. The water here is flowing steadily under all the white stuff.
#LoveTheRavines #RavineRambler #HighlandCreek #parksTO #EastCoatKin
