Nordheimer Ravine / Spadina Museum walk

Hi friends,

This is a brand new and very pretty and interesting walking route. This walk will take us through a quiet natural area within the city (Nordheimer Ravine), as well as through some historic venues (Baldwin Steps, past Casa Loma, and Spadina Museum), and little-known gardens (by the museum).

Route description: We plan to meet in front of the St. Clair WEST TTC exit on the *South* side of St. Clair avenue, and continue through Nordheimer Ravine, a beautiful and walkable ravine area with a wooded path.

Nordheimer Ravine can be entered at the corner of St. Clair Avenue and Wells Hill Avenue just steps from the St. Clair West subway station. The trail quickly swoops deep into the forest and spans 1.5 kilometres, passing some mysterious TTC infrastructure along the way.

We'll continue through the ravine past Winston Churchill park, where (by the way) over 250 million litres of water lie just a metre beneath the surface in the St. Clair Reservoir. Completed in 1931, the reservoir holds enough water to last the whole city three weeks of average use.

We continue south down Boulton Dr., through the mini parkette, then along Davenport where we take the Baldwin Steps. These 80 historic steps or so lead up and past Casa Loma, and offer a very distinctive view of the city from the top.

Here we can stop at the gardens by little-known Spadina Museum, which is essentially a huge old Victorian-era house that has been converted to a free museum. People can use the restroom therein.

We may be too many people for us all to tour the museum-house, but some people can poke around in the museum if they wish. The gardens outside the museum are beautiful and serene. We may take a brief rest here before turning around to loop back the way we came.

Incidentally we will be right next to Casa Loma. We don't plan to go inside Casa Loma because the tickets have become exorbitantly expensive (you're free to go though if you wish!), but can walk around a bit and appreciate it from the outside (which is quite pretty).

After looping back, we conclude the walk at the starting point, St. Clair West station. This walk should be casually done in about 2 - 2.5 hours or so, going at a leisurely pace with breaks. While there are a lot of sights along the way, it is not a long walk in the end! (about equivalent to the Cedarvale walk).

Please wear comfortable shoes as part of this walk goes through a trail. Maybe bring some water or a small snack, and dress for the weather, as it can get hot these days.

Note: if you haven't yet this year, please e-transfer $10 to HspTorontoMeetup@gmail.com , for your yearly membership. This $10 allows you to attend ALL walks and events for the group throughout 2025. We generally walk every 2-3 weeks, more or less frequently depending on the season. Thanks for your support in helping to cover the organizer fees. :)

We will plan to walk rain or shine. It will be very hot, so please take precautions given the heat (we recommend you wear a hat!)

Look forward to seeing you on this unique new route!