Fenside-Parkwoods
Betty Sutherland Trail and Park
Entrance found on north side of Duncan Mills Road, west of Don Mills Road
The Betty Sutherland Trail is named after Betty Sutherland, a former member of City Council and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. She was devoted to the improvement of recreation facilities within Toronto. The park is one of a series of parks along this trail and the East Don River. Bird watching is a popular pastime within the park and along the trail. Stop by and take a stroll along the Don and see what a variety of wildlife are still found in the area.
Graydon Manor
185 Graydon Hall Drive
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the parking lot only. This English Manor style house was built by financier Henry Rupert Bain in 1936, and it was likely named after the Gray family who (from the early 1800s until 1914) owned and operated a grist mill on the banks of the Don River. Rupert Bain's vision was to create a 'sportsman's paradise'. The estate included a park, race track, lodge house, stables for raising champion racehorses (housing over 30 thoroughbreds at its peak as well as polo ponies) and a large kennel for raising hunting dogs. The estate also included a large farmhouse that pre-dated the manor. A fountain from the central garden that featured a lady kneeling and holding a bowl is now located at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Fenside Park
30 Slidell Crescent
A 3.3 hectare park near York Mills Road and Victoria Park Avenue featuring a lit ball diamond, four lit tennis courts, a splash pad and a children's playground. The Fenside Arena can be found at the park entrance on Slidell Crescent.
Jeannette Nguyen Artbox
Northwest Corner of York Mills Road and Fenside Drive
This design pays homage to the sometimes pesky, always adorable furry critters Torontonians share the city with. A fox is on the front of the box, ready to eat; around the side of the box, a rabbit realizes he's being eyed as the fox's dinner. On the back of the box a raccoon shares his banana with a skunk depicted on the remaining side of the box.
Lynedock Park
29 Lynedock Crescent
A 1.5 hectare park at York Mills Road near the Don Valley Parkway that features a children's playground and walking paths. This linear park starts on the south side of Roywood Drive where the Don River East branch emerges and follows the rivers path as it flows south to York Mills Road.
Citadel Village
1-31 Valley Woods Road
*Private property. Please observe homes from the sidewalk only. The buildings in this heritage-designated housing complex were originally known as 'Citadel Village.' They were designed by Toronto architects Elmer Tempold and J. Malcolm Wells in Modernist style, opening in 1967. Tempold and Wells won a National Design Award from The Housing Design Council for their work.
Brookbanks Park and Trail
The entrance to the park is on Brookbanks Drive, just west of Underhill Drive.
This 26.6-hectare park lies south of York Mills Road and follows the ravine along Deerlick Creek, a tributary to the East Don River. The park has several branches into the surrounding neighbourhoods, which are connected to the park through a network of trails about 4 km long. Two children's playgrounds are located in the park; one is near Crestwood Preparatory College and the other is on Valley Woods Road just south of York Mills Road. A splash pad is located beside the playground off of Valley Woods Drive.
Deerlick Creek and Brookbanks Ravine
The trail begins on Brookbanks Drive just north of Overbank Crescent, on the left hand side of the road.
Dr. Mima Kapches, an archaeologist with the Royal Ontario Museum, conducted several digs in the backyards lining the ravine in the late 1980s and 1990s. During one of her digs she discovered a Meadowood-cache blade from 1000 B.C, making it one of the oldest ever discovered! She also uncovered a variety of artifacts from the Middle Archaic period, including a small peddle that displayed a human face in effigy and was believed to have been from 4,700 B.C, making it one of the oldest dated human representations in northeastern North America. These discoveries and a few others made in an adjacent backyard have led local archaeologists to hypothesize that the ravine may have once served as a seasonal pottery production and firing campsite.
Victoria Park Collegiate Institute
15 Wallingford Road
This high school was completed in 1959 and opened in 1960, designed in the Modernist style. It is notable in being the first publicly-funded school in Ontario to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, a highly-challenging two-year curriculum that is widely recognized by top universities around the world. Notable alumni of the school include current Don Valley East MP and former Ontario cabinet minister Michael Coteau, musician and Governor General's Literary Award-winning author Paul Quarrington, and top female chess player in Canada Yuanling Yuan.
Cassandra Park
230 Cassandra Boulevard
A park near Victoria Park Avenue and York Mills Road featuring four lit outdoor tennis courts with clubhouse and a children's playground. The park is home to the Parkway Valley Tennis Club.
Explore Fenside-Parkwoods
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Explore FREE Public Art Across the City. Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021-2022 is a year-long celebration of Toronto's exceptional public art collection and the creative community behind it.
We hope that you enjoyed exploring this Toronto neighbourhood and found many other points of interest along the way. While StrollTO highlights some of the 'hidden gems' in the neighbourhood, there may be others that could be included in a future edition. Would you like to share a point of interest that you discovered in the neighbourhood? Email us at [email protected].
Neighbourhood Stroll
This suburban neighbourhood contains plenty of parks and trails, some of which run along the east branch of the Don River. The stroll features many of these greenspaces, as well as some award-winning architecture and heritage-designated buildings. Great local businesses can be found along Victoria Park Avenue and York Mills Road.
- Betty Sutherland Trail and Park
Entrance found on north side of Duncan Mills Road, west of Don Mills Road
The Betty Sutherland Trail is named after Betty Sutherland, a former member of City Council and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. She was devoted to the improvement of recreation facilities within Toronto. The park is one of a series of parks along this trail and the East Don River. Bird watching is a popular pastime within the park and along the trail. Stop by and take a stroll along the Don and see what a variety of wildlife are still found in the area.
- Graydon Manor
185 Graydon Hall Drive
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the parking lot only. This English Manor style house was built by financier Henry Rupert Bain in 1936, and it was likely named after the Gray family who (from the early 1800s until 1914) owned and operated a grist mill on the banks of the Don River. Rupert Bain's vision was to create a 'sportsman's paradise'. The estate included a park, race track, lodge house, stables for raising champion racehorses (housing over 30 thoroughbreds at its peak as well as polo ponies) and a large kennel for raising hunting dogs. The estate also included a large farmhouse that pre-dated the manor. A fountain from the central garden that featured a lady kneeling and holding a bowl is now located at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
- Fenside Park
30 Slidell Crescent
A 3.3 hectare park near York Mills Road and Victoria Park Avenue featuring a lit ball diamond, four lit tennis courts, a splash pad and a children's playground. The Fenside Arena can be found at the park entrance on Slidell Crescent.
- Jeannette Nguyen Artbox
Northwest Corner of York Mills Road and Fenside Drive
This design pays homage to the sometimes pesky, always adorable furry critters Torontonians share the city with. A fox is on the front of the box, ready to eat; around the side of the box, a rabbit realizes he's being eyed as the fox's dinner. On the back of the box a raccoon shares his banana with a skunk depicted on the remaining side of the box.
- Lynedock Park
29 Lynedock Crescent
A 1.5 hectare park at York Mills Road near the Don Valley Parkway that features a children's playground and walking paths. This linear park starts on the south side of Roywood Drive where the Don River East branch emerges and follows the rivers path as it flows south to York Mills Road.
- Citadel Village
1-31 Valley Woods Road
*Private property. Please observe homes from the sidewalk only. The buildings in this heritage-designated housing complex were originally known as 'Citadel Village.' They were designed by Toronto architects Elmer Tempold and J. Malcolm Wells in Modernist style, opening in 1967. Tempold and Wells won a National Design Award from The Housing Design Council for their work.
- Brookbanks Park and Trail
The entrance to the park is on Brookbanks Drive, just west of Underhill Drive.
This 26.6-hectare park lies south of York Mills Road and follows the ravine along Deerlick Creek, a tributary to the East Don River. The park has several branches into the surrounding neighbourhoods, which are connected to the park through a network of trails about 4 km long. Two children's playgrounds are located in the park; one is near Crestwood Preparatory College and the other is on Valley Woods Road just south of York Mills Road. A splash pad is located beside the playground off of Valley Woods Drive.
- Deerlick Creek and Brookbanks Ravine
The trail begins on Brookbanks Drive just north of Overbank Crescent, on the left hand side of the road.
Dr. Mima Kapches, an archaeologist with the Royal Ontario Museum, conducted several digs in the backyards lining the ravine in the late 1980s and 1990s. During one of her digs she discovered a Meadowood-cache blade from 1000 B.C, making it one of the oldest ever discovered! She also uncovered a variety of artifacts from the Middle Archaic period, including a small peddle that displayed a human face in effigy and was believed to have been from 4,700 B.C, making it one of the oldest dated human representations in northeastern North America. These discoveries and a few others made in an adjacent backyard have led local archaeologists to hypothesize that the ravine may have once served as a seasonal pottery production and firing campsite.
- Victoria Park Collegiate Institute
15 Wallingford Road
This high school was completed in 1959 and opened in 1960, designed in the Modernist style. It is notable in being the first publicly-funded school in Ontario to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, a highly-challenging two-year curriculum that is widely recognized by top universities around the world. Notable alumni of the school include current Don Valley East MP and former Ontario cabinet minister Michael Coteau, musician and Governor General's Literary Award-winning author Paul Quarrington, and top female chess player in Canada Yuanling Yuan.
- Cassandra Park
230 Cassandra Boulevard
A park near Victoria Park Avenue and York Mills Road featuring four lit outdoor tennis courts with clubhouse and a children's playground. The park is home to the Parkway Valley Tennis Club.
Accessibility information: Most points of interest on this stroll are viewable from the street. Portions of Deerlick Creek, Brookbanks Ravine and Brookbanks Park and Trail are mostly unpaved and include elevation changes and uneven surfaces. Betty Sutherland Trail & Park is paved.
The StrollTO itineraries may follow routes that do not receive winter maintenance. Please review winter safety tips and for more information contact 311.
Soundtracks of the City
From global superstars to local favourites and ones to watch, the Soundtracks of the City playlists all feature artists who have called Toronto home. Whether it’s a lyric about the neighborhood, an artist representing a cultural community, or a tie-in to the StrollTO itinerary itself, all the music reflects connections to an individual ward or the City as a whole.
Music was chosen based on an artist’s Spotify presence and each song’s broad appeal, as well as its associations with the cultures, languages and ethnicities that reflect Toronto’s neighborhoods and diverse music scene. Soundtracks of the City combines 425 songs that feature more than 500 different local artists or acts, showcasing songs in 23 different languages.