Toronto is very excited about Biidaasige Park and the Lassonde Art Trail, or so I’ve gathered from the multiple social media posts I’ve seen about these brand new additions to the restored Port Lands area in the city’s east end. So my husband and I figured a trip here would be a great way to spend a hot Saturday afternoon and to get us in the mood for a refreshing and deserved swim. I’m thrilled to report that the park absolutely lived up to its hype and was surprised (and selfishly delighted) to find it wasn’t nearly as crowded as we’d feared.
We drove, and were amazed to find that (a) there was plenty of room in the parking lot, and (b) the parking is free!! There aren’t a lot of places to park for free in Toronto that don’t involve driving around in circles for a half hour and a bit of a walk.
The centrepiece of Biidaasige Park is the playground inspired by the Cheltenham Badlands (an actual, amazing location in Caledon – perfect for another adventure). There weren’t many kids there when we were, but the ones who were there were having a great time playing in the water and dirt, making rivers by using handheld pumps and mud structures from the water they’d sent through the sandy terrain in directions of their choosing. This part of the playground is similar to the play area at Dufferin Grove park, and the play area in its entirety has echoes of the nostalgically remembered Ontario Place. There are zip lines! There’s a giant snowy owl to climb and make music in! It’s a place that allows for truly creative play.
There’s also an area with barbecues and picnic tables inviting large family and friend groups to bring their own food.
A word of warning: Biidaasige Park lives up to its name – it means “sunlight shining toward us” in Anishinaabemowin. It is beautiful and sunny but offers very little shade. To combat this, there are some shady overhangs in the picnic area, a couple of stations to refill water bottles in the playground, and a dispenser offering free suntan lotion, also close to the playground and the washrooms. Yes, there are public washrooms! Clean, air conditioned, and attached to the back of the old firehall which is also a cooling area – a place for anyone who needs relief from the heat, and which also offers information about the new park.
The Lassonde Art Trail begins beside the firehall and loops around through the marsh and across bridges at the foot of the Don River. All along the trail are spots to launch kayaks or go fishing. We didn’t see any anglers but we did see several kayakers. The trail is only half open, with the other half set to open at the end of the month. Eventually the trees planted in the area will provide some shade, but for the next several years a summertime city hike here will require preparation, and I wouldn’t recommend it on the hottest days. Tall grass and wildflowers are the setting for several impressive sculptures created by various international artists. For now, there are only seven, but that number and the length of the trail will double before the end of the month. The sculptures are well spread out, which could allow for many future additions. The trail is paved and smooth and ideal for both cyclists and pedestrians, including those with mobility devices or strollers.
After walking for over four kilometres in the hot sun, we were ready to get wet.
We decided to pay a visit to one of our favourite Toronto pools. After a quick eight-minute drive we found street parking a short distance from Donald D. Summerville Pool.
The main pool at Donald D. Summerville is Olympic-sized. Its length is divided in half to allow for lane swimming, with less serious swimming and some lounging in the other half. This pool is deep and not for beginners. But fortunately, there’s another regular-sized pool that’s shallow and all about hanging out with friends and family and getting some relief from the heat. Finally, there’s a third pool for diving, with a tall diving tower.
The women’s change room is large with a bank of lockers and a few private changing areas with curtains. There are also curtained off individual shower stalls across from the row of open showers.
I swam a couple of lengths in the big pool but mostly I just lounged in the small one. The temperature was perfect and such a great relief on such a hot day.
If wild swimming is more your thing, the pool is right across from one of Toronto’s most popular beaches. Woodbine Beach is two minutes away, and it was packed with people tanning and swimming in Lake Ontario. I usually wait until August to brave Lake Ontario, but if there wasn’t a pool right there I would absolutely have jumped in!
After a long day adventuring, we decided we’d earned a meal at one of our go-to east end restaurants, and the home of my favourite burger anywhere. Square Boy has been serving customers for decades from its location on the Danforth, offering amazing prices, burgers, and their secretly special lemon sauce. Get the homemade burger – you won’t regret it. Andy often opts for the gyros dinner but I never waver. The fries aren’t exceptional, but the lemon sauce you can dip them in sure is! I also love their Greek salad, entirely because of the lemony dressing, that they’ll make it for me without the tomatoes or put them on the side when I’m sharing with my husband (who loves tomatoes), and the absurdly generous amount of feta.
We had a great day in the east end of Toronto.
Naiad Notes 
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