The Don Valley park system, trails, and surrounding pockets of nature might be one of my top 5 places in Toronto. Within a few minutes of downtown, in the middle of Canada’s largest city you can literally find yourself deep inside of a real forest setting. The trail system is very well maintained and used for a variety of purposes from dog walking, hiking, mountain biking, etc. It’s been estimated that there are nearly 100 km of trail system within the Don Valley if you include all of the trails that connect in the surrounding area. To start exploring most people will begin at The Brickworks, the Pottery Road trailhead, or the large parking lot at Taylor Creek. You can explore the Don year round. Fall is probably the best time, but you do need to be careful if it’s the rainy season as the clay based trails get very muddy and very sticky. Enjoy real nature in your urban backyard.