Nature
One of the best things about living in Canada is the nature. There are landscapes unlike anything I've ever seen in the UK. There's a large variety of bird life, and new mammals as well. If you like the outdoors, even a little bit, you should include some nature in your trip.
Your chances of seeing iconic North American animals
- Raccoons: strong, especially in early summer and autumn. They tend to come out at dusk; if you walk around some residential back alleys just after sunset, you should see some.
- Beavers: unlikely, though you can see beaver evidence easily enough. They're quite shy animals, but you might get lucky if you visit a wetland away from the city. I've seen beaver dams at Tommy Thompson Park, and chewed trees along the lakeshore trail. They're discouraged in the Don Valley.
- Groundhogs: A good chance if you get a little way out of the city. I've seen groundhogs at Humber Bay park; I bet you'd see them in grassy areas on Toronto Island.
- Skunks: OK chances. They live downtown, and aren't particularly shy. (Every other animal, including humans, wants to stay away from them.) They like grasslands more than raccoons do, but generally follow the same tactics: quiet residential alleys around dusk.
- Coyotes: A good chance in the suburbs. There are warning signs about coyotes at most of Toronto's many ravines, and the city reminds people that seeing coyotes is normal basically every year. Visiting a ravine around dusk is your best chance.
- Snakes: OK chances in high summer. Snakes like to bask in warm spots, but they're also shy so you need to find quieter parks. I've seen snakes in Tommy Thompson park, and on many hiking trails. You might get lucky and spot some in woodland too.
- Turtles: Good chances in late spring or summer. They like to bask on sunny logs and rocks. You can see turtles in High Park, and most wetlands you'll visit.
- Bears: Forget it, unless you head to a remote provincial park. Bears occasionally show up in the suburbs, but it makes the news when they do.
- Moose: Forget it, they're much further north.
- Canada Geese: strong at any river or lake. The waterfront will have some. They're not very exciting though; you have these geese back home.
- Loons: I've never seen one in the city. They're more associated with cottage country - up around Kawartha and Muskoka. They're also quite shy birds, so you're more likely to hear one. I've seen them a few times on the water at Orangeville, though.
Places to visit: in the city
Toronto's not a verdant city, but it still has enough green spaces to support a surprising array of downtown wildlife. The city publishes a number of nature booklets that cover what you might see.
None of these sites will blow your mind, but they're lovely places and easily accessible.
High Park
High Park is your best bet in Toronto itself, especially if you only have a casual interest in nature. It's easy to get to, it has a variety of habitats, and there's always the zoo as a fallback. You'll see water birds, blackbirds, and turtles around the water; woodpeckers in the trees; and you'll hear blue jays. At dusk, there are bats.
Colonel Samuel Smith Park
Technically this is outside the city, in Etobicoke, but you can reach it by streetcar so it still counts. It's a well-manicured park rather than a "wilderness space", but you should see some interesting birds. I've seen a number of warblers, a scarlet tanager, and a Cooper's Hawk here. Mergansers nest on platforms in the spring.
Tommy Thompson Park
Also known as the Leslie Street Spit, Tommy Thompson Park is a long straight park that stretches out into the lake. It's best explored by bike as it's a long, monotonous walk. There's a lot of water birds, and you'll get a nice view back on the city. If you take a side trail into the wooded sections you should see plenty of forest birds too. The park has a notable cormorant colony, and apparently has owls in the winter months. I've also seen snakes here.
The park is officially closed during the week. There's no gatehouse so you're unlikely to be stopped, but there might be industrial traffic.
Be prepared for your trip: there's little shade on the main path and water is only available at the entrance. Wear sunscreen.
The Lakefront Trail
The Lakefront trail stretches along most of Lake Ontario. It's best explored by bicycle, as the nature spots are well spread out. It's best if you're looking for "a bike ride where you might see some nature", as you'll never really escape roads and human habitation.
You would probably start by heading south to the waterfront. You then have two options:
- You can head east, and pick up the trail through the Don valley park. There's meadows and the river, which attracts animals not put off by the motorway running parallel.
- You can head west, out past Ontario Place and High Park. This is also parallel to a busy road. Eventually this will lead you to Humber Bay Park, which has a butterfly habitat and some nature trails. Parts of it are closed until 2024, however.
Given the closure of Humber Bay Park, east is the better option.
Places to visit: just outside
Orangeville
Orangeville is about an hour's drive north of Toronto. Island Lake Conservation Area, AKA "the Orangeville reservoir", looks disappointing on a map. It's right next to a bunch of big-box stores and a motorway. But I've found it punches above its weight in terms of nature; I've seen loons, kingfishers, turtles, fish, and cedar waxwings here. You can rent a canoe and paddle around the reservoir; it's big enough that you'll feel like you achieved something if you paddle the entire perimeter. I've visited several times and always enjoyed it.
There's also a good hike just north of Orangeville, in Hockley Valley. There's a 14km hike with the option of a shorter 5.5km loop. These are nice hikes, and more challenging than Island Lake as the terrain is hilly.
If you're driving and planning to visit Island Lake, you might want to combine it with a trip to the Cheltenham Badlands. This is a striking bit of geology, but it's small. You can't walk on the shale, just view it from the boardwalk. It's not worth a trip on its own, but admission to the badlands also grants admission to Island Lake.
Rouge National Urban Park
Rouge Park is just outside Toronto. I've only visited in the winter, which is a more desolate time for nature. The park is big, but bracketed by major highways, Toronto Zoo, and shopping centres so you're never going to feel away from civilisation.
Balsam Lake
Balsam Lake Provincial Park is about a 2 hour drive from Toronto. There's some good canoeing here - we paddled over to Grand Island and ate lunch under the watchful eye of wild-grazing cows. The hiking is also good - the trails form a loop, and you can decide whether you want to do the long legs or the short legs.
We had some great nature sightings when we visted: osprey, owls, and a porcupine.
Mountsberg
Mountsberg Conservation Centre is about an hour's drive away. It has a raptor centre, where you can see birds of prey in their enclosures as well as talks and demos. They also offer some private tours. I held a barn owl, and met several other cuties.
After you've seen the birds there a couple of forested hikes, and some easily accessible lookouts over the reservoir.
Hamilton
Awenda
Places to visit: overnight trips
Killarney
Killarney Provincial Park should blow your mind if you're visiting from the UK. You'll need a car and a plan; most people camp, but the park has a few roofed accommodations available and you might find an AirBNB in the town. There are no nearby supermarkets, so bring what you need.
The first mindblowing aspect is the remoteness: it's a solid 5 hour drive from Toronto. The first couple of hours, until you reach Barrie, is typical North America - multilane highways, strip malls, big box stores. But then you hit a more desolate highway; an unlit two-lane road through rocks and trees. You'll spend two hours on this road, passing only a couple of small settlements, before turning off onto an even quieter road. You still have a 45 minute drive to reach the actual park.
The second mindblowing aspect is the park itself. The scenery is beautiful, and unlike that found in the UK. There are several great hikes. The canoeing is great. It's a dark sky preserve, so you'll see the milky way with the naked eye.