Escape the city to this incredible urban oasis: Tommy Thompson Park

Access Tommy Thompson Park by heading to the very south end of Leslie St in Toronto's east end.  You can park your car anywhere and head into the park along the road (closed to cars).  The park encompasses the entire Leslie Street Spit, a manmade peninsula that jets out into Lake Ontario.  

From the park gates, the spit stretches about 5 km, but you can make your trip longer with various side trails or shorter by turning back wherever you choose.  The park is open year round and is great for all sorts of outdoor enthusiasts. For animal lovers, you can find turtles, snakes, beavers, coyotes, fox, groundhogs, and hundreds of kinds of birds.  For biologists, the landscape varies widely with wildflower meadows, forests and marshlands.  In the summer, many people jog, walk, cycle and rollerblade through the area.  The park stays busy throughout the winter with cross-country skiers and snowshoers.

Because of the vast amount of wildlife and the protected ecology, pets and motorized vehicles are not allowed in the park.