Rouge National Urban Park: Vista and Mast Trails

The Vista Trail platform exists for autumn: from late September through October the whole Rouge and Little Rouge valley below it turns red and gold, and Parks Canada posts fall colour updates. Late spring is the second season, green and full of birdsong. In winter the trails are not cleared or salted, and the stairs and slopes ice over.

This route starts at the Twyn Rivers Day Use Area, near 55 Twyn Rivers Drive. By transit, Parks Canada suggests the subway to Kennedy station, then TTC bus 86A toward the Toronto Zoo and a 10 to 15 minute walk. The Zoo Road Day Use Area, the other classic trailhead, is closed for construction of a new visitor centre, and part of Twyn Rivers Drive is closed to cars, so check Parks Canada’s directions page for the current access before you drive.

Rouge National Urban Park has no entry fee, all year. Only camping at Glen Rouge Campground is paid and needs a reservation through Parks Canada. The Twyn Rivers lot is small and locked at 9 p.m.

Parks Canada is explicit: there is no food or water on the trails or at the trailheads, and only portable toilets at Twyn Rivers. Pack water and lunch. The nearest real food is along Kingston Road or Sheppard Avenue, a short drive away.

The Mast Trail is rated moderate to difficult for its steep grades and steps, and the Vista Trail has stairs; both get slick in wet weather. Blacklegged ticks live in the park’s long grass and forest edges, so stay on the trail, wear long trousers and check yourself afterward.

For young children, do only the Vista Trail: about two kilometres there and back from Twyn Rivers, a staircase climb, and a big viewing platform as the reward. Add the Toronto Zoo next door for a full family day.

Glen Rouge Campground, on Kingston Road at the south end of the Mast Trail, is the only campground inside Toronto’s city limits and books up on summer weekends. Otherwise stay anywhere downtown and come out by subway and bus, or by car.

The Vista Trail runs along a narrowing ridge between the Rouge River and the Little Rouge, which is why the platform looks down into two valleys at once. On the way back, notice how the forest changes on the Mast Trail: this is one of the few places near Toronto with Carolinian species, the southern hardwood forest that reaches its northern limit in this part of Ontario.