Our latest snowy outing was on the Don Valley Golf Course. It's only accessible to the public in the winter, so a snowy February day when we didn't want to drive far seemed like a good day to investigate. What a great choice! We walked from the golf course (Yonge and York Mills) to Earl Bales ski hill (Bathurst and Sheppard) and much of the time it looked as if we were in cottage country.
There were snowy fields upon snowy fields of course! But there was also the lovely Don River meandering along, a few kids tobogganing, people cross country skiing here and there, joyous dogs, a wide variety of trees, busy squirrels and birds, and so much space. All those drivers whizzing overhead on the 401 have no idea of the huge greenspace below!
The entrance to the golf course is off of Yonge St. just north of York Mills. Turn west at the first lights north of York Mills and then go immediately right up the hill to the golf course parking lot. Walk towards the clubhouse, go past it to the left, down the hill and across the bridge, head to your right and you're on your way!
We followed paths and trails that roughly paralleled the west side of the Don River, until a bridge and a sign for the 8th tee took us across to the east side of the river. After a little walk there was another bridge to head back to the west side, but instead we followed the path straight ahead, away from the open fields into a more forested area. What lovely path!! We wandered for half an hour or so through trees, with the river to our left, and a forested hill/ridge area to our right. Curiously, we came upon a small flock of robins! Why are they here in February?! They were flitting about happily, feasting on small black berries. This path through the trees eventually brought us to Sheppard Avenue. To get west across the river to Earl Bales ski hill, walk under the Sheppard underpass and keep going. The main path immediately begins to veer right . Instead, go straight ahead and over the stream, up the bank on the other side, head left for a few minutes and on your left will be a bridge over the main river putting you at the entrance to Earl Bales Park. You can then wander your way back along the golf course to the clubhouse at York Mills.
Taking our time, stopping to talk to chat with a crew clearing ice storm damaged trees, having a snack under the Sheppard underpass, enjoying the birds and river views, visiting with passing dogs and owners, the whole loop took about 2&1/2 hours.